The national Republican., 1862-09-20
THE POSITION.

THE POsT-ION.
!, will be seen that, according to General
McC..:ans dispatches, nothing happened
during Thursday beyond skirmishing, an6
that during Thursday night the enemy re
t.rcd, leaving bis dead and wounded on the
ae,d.
At o'clock on Friday morning, General
Mcclellan did not know whether the enemy
Rad crossed the river, or had made o move
into tie interior. But OF half past ter
n'cllck he had ascsrtained that the enemy
was crossing the river, and had sent force
nrder Gen. Pleasanton, in pursuit.
General Mcclellan claims the result as q
complete victory" 1t is not worth while
80 be typercriiical upon hurried dispatches
from the battlefield, but it certainly seems, al
A.s distaace, that it would have been sufIi
cielt to have claimed the result Of WedEes
day rs victory" merely. 1t certainly was
that. considering that cur army beld the field,
that thc cnemy abandoned his dead and
vcurdcd, and that, by retiring across the Po
t5mac, he confcsses himself TO have been re
pulsrd in bis attempt to occupy the Cumber
h,ri valley. 1t was not, however, "complote"
victory, the ene,ay not having been put il
roat, and cur cwn nrmy having been 70 dis
arled by the little a. no. to be able to move
on the following day, as we must suppose j,
20 have been, from the fact that it did not
,nore.
That the enemy has escaped so tolerably as
he appears to have done, is o disappointment
10 those who have beer SO accustomed to tall
about busging" rebel armies, that they have
come to regard it as an easy operation.
Thus. the result, as compared with the
Eopes Of those who were very sanguine Of On
initiating the enemy, is a cause Of cbagrin,
-s'hc, than Of cxuitation.
But if some hopes on our side have not
he. realized, is it not certain that still mon
universal hopes en- the other side have beer
completely dashed by this battle Of Wedu, =
d4y? Is not the balance Of moral effect de-
ca 1'y in our favor, and do we not stand
stronger ard better in most important re-
tnecls than We did week ago?
Although there was hardly sufficient cause
tor it, yet it is certain that the courage Of tht
rebel armies, and their confidence in their gu
periority in tie field, never stood higher thar
before the battle Of last Sunday. They hat
compelled MS to retreat from the front Of Rich
'1ord, and then, advancing upon Washington
had beaten us in two days fight on the fielt
Of Bull Run. They acted afterwards, as il
tcy really despised our generals and armies
Nothing but feeling Of that kind, could have
induced them to select the route to the valley
nj Virginia, which they did select, pia Fred
eri"k within forty miles Of our vast armies q,
this capital, and involving the crossing Of .
river, always hazardous operation. This
fc.rg OF confidence, thus manifested by tho
rebel army, was fully participated in by th'
population Of the seeded States. If theil
.,ress aud The declarations Of their public mer
ura to be relied upon as indications, their ar
rogancc had become unbounded. The ertir'
conquest Of the great State Of Pennsylvania
was treated as an easily assured certainty
ard zen New York was not regarded as be
yond their reach.
The rebels arc to day wiser end sobereI
mcr They have been met front to front, ant
foot to foct. and have been compelled to retir
across the Potomsc in confusion and witt
gravious loss. They will no longer surpos
that to fight battle is the same thing ne t,
GiE one. They have had taste Of the quail
ty,f the Union troops, which must Civ
item The saddles. forebodipgs for the future.
In the battle Of Sunday he was driven a
Ii. point oi the bayonet from most advantage
jus posi.icn, selected by himself The battl
II Wednesday was fair, stand ~ fight, sucl
"poundirg' as Wellington said Wuterlo
vas Int continued more than twice as long
II was between (probably) equal numbers
Dos anybody believe that, after that expe
rience. the enemy longer imagines himself u
L's7pcrior, man for man, to those with whom
be mus: cope, or that he can never contem
plate, Otherwise than with despairing appre
hcrsioDs, the sccumulating armies which tb
greet population Of the loyal States enable
,l.cn to bring into the field?
Ur.I tie whole, we canLot doubt that tn
moral advantage of the events Of the week, il
decidedly on the side Of the national cause
AuJ that if We have not won a victory wbicl
can be called complete, it is victory which Il
substantial, and which, if properly followed
up will be crowned with great results.
PsnsoNAL-H-n. John P. Hale is in towr
shd tls rooms at the National.