The New York herald., 1862-12-19

TAe state oS the Haass.-Is Il % be saved
or Lssts
The frightful and unAvailing sacriAce of the
ten thousand heroic Union soldiers cut down in
front of the rebel redoubts, masked batteries,
intrenchments, stone walls and rifle pits along
the heights Of Fredericksburg is universally re-
garded as the most dreadful and ominous dis
aster of the war. II has shocked the public
mind of the North to a state of disappoint-
ment, anguish despair and indignation which
will not be satisfied with explanations or spolo-
gies. 1t looks to President Lincoln for redress,
in sweeping work OF reform and reconstruc-
tion. A great crime has been committed in this
fredericksburg butchery, and q great blunder
worse than the crime, for which vigilant and
intelligent people cannot be mistaken in fixing
the responsibility.
This deplorable disaster, however. seoms to
be but the principal item Of series Of misad-
ventures attending this new 'anaconda" cam
paign Of the War Office. On the very day on
which our gallant troops were repulsed from
the rebel works on the hills Of fredericksburg
. federal column according to despstch from
the rebel General Evans to Richmond, which
we published yesterday Of $1,000 men. under
General Foster, was repulssd at Kinston, N.
c., and driven back to the shelter of the nine
supporting gunboats. To the northward
federal column from Suffolk few days ago,
moving towards Petersburg, ten thousand
strong, was repulsed at the Blackwater river.
These expeditions were intended to cut certain
important rebel railroad arteries in connection
with General Burnsides advance, and, like it,
they appear to have been arrested in the very
first encounter with the enemy.
To make the matter still worse, it appears
that the promise of JEFF Davis, ON his recent
visit to Tennessee that he intended to recover
that State-was no idle bit of bravado, but
promise which he will make bold effort to re-
deem. His plan, as we understand it, is: first,
to ascertain if City thousand men can be spared
for . month or two from the rebel army Of vir-
ginis; and, II they can be 90 spared, his purpose
is to send them to General Jo Johnston, to
advance upon Nashville, with the hope o,
defeating the army of General Rosecrsns, and of
capturing the important city he is sguarding and
its immense stores of munitions of war and
other army supplies. Let General Burnside go
into winter quarters, and we may next hear Of
the loss Of Nashville; let him continue in front
Of Fredericksburg, and Lee may still consider
himself behind his protecting intrenchmsnts,
strong enough to spare nfsy thousand men for
Tennessee.
What, then, is the obvious line Of policy sug-
gested to tho government? Is it the policy of
sending little two-penny exploring expeditions
here and there by way of military diversions,
which only excite the contempt Of the enemy,
while we are attempting the very thing which
they most desire in advancing upon Richmond
by way Of Fredericksburg? Evidently this
programme will not do. Il General Burnside,
then, to 60 into winter quarters and allow the
rebels to appropriate two or three months in
strengthening their barricades along every line
Of approach. We hope not. What, then, are
we to do. Advance upon Richmond by way
Of the James river. Suppose it is fortified on
both banks, for the whole twenty five miles
from the city down to Harrisons Landing. We
command the river to that point by our gun
boats, and against rebel forts we can throw up
Union earthworks, aud bring twenty pieces of
artillery to bear against every gun Of the enc
my in our front Have the rebels an inex-
haustible supply of gunpowder? Has thai
question never been suggested to the wise
heads of the War Officer
We think it has become abundantly mani.
fest, however, that we have nothing to expect
from the present radical and laundering
managers of this war in the Cabinet and in
Congress; nothing better than great disasters
and exhausting defeats in exchange for small
successes in unimportant localities. A con-
centration Of the forces Of Banks, Foster and
Dix on the James river, with an accompanying
feet Of gunboats as diversion in support Of
General Burnside, would surely have prevent
ed this late terrible disaster to the finest army
ever mustered On this continent As IL il, the
country has lost all hope Of q successful issue
to this war under the disorganizng and do
moralizing influences which have brought only