, 1862-09-08
TIE WAR IN VIRGINIA.
Retreat OF our ARAaY. !.
Review Of the Recent
Fighting.
GEMS, POPE AND MCDOWELL
BLAMED.


public, utgenera1ed and defeated, have fallen
back from the battlefield to Centreyille, from
fss potenad to a"rf Has afsst fGsn tE. saps9
mcnt in gencraLship is the most immediate
al d disastrous failure. Once more the ia
tiopa1 army gathers about the national capi-a
and the defense Of Washington is the s!rate-
gic signal Of the Peninsular advance upon
The retreat from Crntreyi1e to Fairfax was |
complete on Monuay night. Sumncr, Sigel |
and Porter held the hill during tue day.
HIN: ze1man, Mcdowell and the rest were al
ready gone. All Monday night the three rear-
ward corps struggled along the Gro Tded road
to Fairfax, Porter covering the retreat. On
Tuesday morning the rebels once more held
the sweeping line Of forts that pointed to the
east all winter long, and deled our advance
Last night the whole army retrsa1ed, and
this morning the western bank Of the Poto-
mac is the only Virginia camp Of the national
troops. Hein1z.lman and franklin went back
on the Alexandra road, McDo veil by Falls
Church, Sumner and SlEel and Porter By Vi
emma ard LeWinsyitle. We may bitterly au-
nounce once more that the army OF the Poto-
mac and the army Of Virginia, crouching be-
neath thirty for1s that girde the capital, are
believed to be safe
suppose no future hope can be hazlrded
if the details Of an accomplished retreat are
given to the rcrld. record, therefore, very
briefly and iucompletely, what have seen
AID heard in Tue three nights and two days
just past-uights and days If sleeplcs5 acti7i-
| II which can scarcely have brought to any one
| who shared their gloomy experience single
| cheerful thought, CT moment OF repose.
! When left WashlLgto Fon Sunday night,
| although it was knoWn that Pope had been
| defeated and driven back TO Ccntrevlle, none,
| or very few, supposed that he VAS to abandon
that position, famous for its strength, without
| fight. 4 battle WIS expected next day at
the furthest, and no one certainly knew
| %l<,u +Ht,rs, Ind mt hAan another
| during the day. passed through Alexandria
and out on the Fairfax road at ! in tile even
1rg. Not halt q mile beyond the town met
8 train Of heavily loaded wagons, and bHl!ed
dri7er-' Where are you ttom?n "C7ntre'
Vile" Tue whole story WAS told in word,
The army Was refreshing.
Fer the next ten m1es the road was filled
win The trains OF every corps in the-armE,
| everywhere crowded and frequently ha1tlng
Mingled with the wagons were great number;
wounded and dying men. They had been al
day IN the read, 8 day Of confinement. pgi7A
tiun, discomfort sid tof,nre. Many u.tls
lave remained all night On the r3ad-tn u.
also in the wagons, which, as conyeyaoces TO
wounded men, are only one degeee "or5'
than ambulances.
Near Aexand1ia, AID at intervals for som
; miles teycrd, the biGouac fr=s OF man,
| camps blazcd along the road and gllmmerc
. in distant ticlds. Guards for the train:
l | Struggling towards from the frsnt, section
+ OF batteries, squairons Of cavalry, aud FIJI
thcr on towasa Fai,ax regiments AID shaescre
r bIjgades moving TO the rear, and finally th
5 | labI division OF TCin'orcem1Dts marcni15 il
= the trout, s.r.amcd .slong the road, ard "oun
in 81 d cut of the tndl ss trains. 1t WAS III
= pot sible to ride f:ster- er-than walk. l reaehe
a Fairfax at IL. The town was qoiet-oaty
guard at the further end, none of whose OIL
;. cers knew WHERE he 1tau ,rters we're, Wheth!
at Centreville or to the rear: So spent VIII
was left OF the Light at FAirfax, aud rode Z
next morning to CtntreVl!le.
70 It is nj co1e6s now to expl4in the constant
charging disposition OF forces during II
DAYS which followed the dcftaE Of S'turda
7 Three corps at least remained at Cn 1treS Il
~ Gil Monday, ard were scattered over Il
broad slopes Of the bill on either side OF Il
r 1oad in unml1itary disorder. They b ID neE
i, heen in order-no more had the rest OF t
army since the retreat. Taerc Was no head
d z,ut item in order. There was no order
e any department Of tha service. Ihere was
ammunition enough in the batteries or in T.
y caltridge-boxesi the lu1lntry, enough I
1t another battle, yet Io one knew where
Il ammunition trains WIRE to be found. In I
~ first five minutes 1met three ordnance of1ic
81 riding in starch Of taese trains. No fault
n. theirs that the trains could not b. foul
They are able officers, but no contrA Was
Sc their hands-no means of dung their du
st | Orderlies have justsoeen sent in all directio
in search OF tue wagonb-an1 it Was alrea
IT. 10 o'clock, and battle hourly expected sir
ID, daylight.
T., The camps were ine1tricably cntsngled-,
W. to my eye or Judgment only, though I b:
'sc seen enough 10 kuoT something about it,
,,- heard Etner:l commanding a corps d'drl
~ say he did rot kno v, and could not ascerta
Iet the relative position Of the other cor
Another general, "a regular officer Of engineer
aDd famous for Typographical clearness I
skill, eaid to HE that one glance at the bills
was enough to show that there WAS no gen,
lat ut the head of the army encamped there.
>. It was no better With the supplies OF ia
sn- Tic troops were halt fed, or ftd irregula
i've Regimen1l WAGONS were unloaded, ana Or
- I'd 10 Alexandria for food and forage. T
the order waB countcrmanded, aud they Y
OF ! reloaded ard ordered to the rear. Bfiga
,e;r without supplies were sent out on the il
and in front, and left there without wagon
ORE shit for ihemeelVcs-1 suppose to sut5st
the country; and from the country they n
have gathered scanty grass, and if in
woods, leaves Tor their horses-for the Z
nothing. But if a general on the eve ofa
unit tie cannot supply his troops With poWde
bpr is useless to expect they shall be fed I I
e. not multiply instances, There was misl
1eer agement everywhere, because at headqual
there was incompetence. confusion, no sci
rtcr plans, no head,
~: The army WAS not so much disheartene
,"e- enraged-willing to light, but not within
lest be Sacrificed d-dInouncing, with unani
r Of that had no exception, the 1ncapaclty " y
N had caused their defeat No one bell
- that the combined force of the rebels wei
and f,o1,t. and AZ for the hattie ri saturday
g,ual r1eu, tue officers, the generals who iougt
col1ess with shame and anger that they
beaten By half their uumber. Tue army
not defeated; its commander WAS oat.e
ANN | raltd. He neither knew where his CT
,9sa. was, uer would suffer himself to be i1tor
were IIc was warned that the enemy WAS ma
abcls On h1s Iett-eVefy soldier kne" II, bu; NJ
A,1in md aud 1anfn Eonf h1f4. rfnl
T. 4 troops to the right, to the center, to the
, re- -everywhere but where they were wan
then, In q moment, found himself suzEou
epve]oped, crushed and defeated
atar. than Pope. With the latter his advic
Lusnt said to have un1ue controlling lnfu
1akes Inc o11s 1a4es Eye gas4 sh ho.., aus u.o
saSs leaned only on his advice-ytelded him
mand throughout 1t was btunder fro
beginning. It was Useless said an Off
fight nnder Mcdowell / shall do my dl
thor an officer, but we shall loose every
..: where he co nmInts. l do not know ri
". IL have heard treachery or imoecility mo
rising quently imputed to Mcdowell. Perhl
st the tenest be ia given the benefit OF the al
q hor. tive. do not hear ono suggestion in hfa
no excuse nor pall,a.ion.
Il olnE No order Of battle Was comnauuicai
do are generals Of any rank. Generals Of corp
OF the not told who supported them, who =
their own commands or positi IN. or Or
York plan the batlle was fouE Ehr- I asked
1,on about the plan. Sir, there was II
We knew nothing but what we di=cove
7e that ourselves. do not know to tnts ho,
in his was on my right Ia,ksd, sis it no5
;rctHg to iniurm generals OF corps OF diylsi
t!y &C. such points!'' *'Usual! Tue gener
[x1teck nee:ects to do it is an imbecil ~
eck ac- 4 commanding hill in our possessi
threatened BY a hostile movement in
rstood ! Ger. Pope was informed, was asked
Wash GHea, ;..,;.s " +ha .non,v vii h..
;, that session Of the hill" He refused to
Com In ten ninu'es, rebel artillery WIS
ntltled 1'om tna5 h1li on ts our s,oops, ,s.
tied by crn;ace and the most soidierly ability
praises are in every ones moaSh, speat
battles in which they have just won
council fame, with chagrln and remoFse- Tns
ch Gen Efforts became futile from the tncom
-eintzel- VI eIst .a cotnmanolog genef., ~,
o, Cox, unless Ger POM IN removed. I csn
ae plans uy nen murdeTed.n
General met q general who had led his div
the hottest Of the fight with heroic
and veteran skill. he SAID to mc,
lination | lost Thousand men; do7e not 20
ur army uoeptt ~ ~ igvh ~ tne iases OF tnose
enforce brareir and in va,n T. Tos ~, Sa
numbers The successful movement Of th
. rabe,s upon the flank and rear of Gen. Pos
rebels, os e,;o,, hnt r. his rsfI,ss p', ~, ~
umbers, intelligence that was sent him. He
cial}y Informed Of 1t, bus would not
i,-would not even take reasonable
slegraph tions agsinst its possibility: be
"wild- ~MnofE~ sase. coape nom .,,4,;aa e4po ~