The New York herald., 1862-10-24

The great rebel army Of the West has effected
Its escape from General Buell.. and, several
days ahead of him. is retreating back into Fast
Tennessee. Kentucky. like Maryland. is cleared
Of her ragged liberating invaders, but Bragg,
like Lee, Is stiil at the head Of Q powerful
army.
The battle Of rerryville, 1t appears, was
prematulely brought on by the impetuous
valor Of Generals Rousseau and McCOOk. Thus
on.y portion Of General Enells forces were
in the fight. and, having to contend against the
whole rebel army, our victory was incomplete
though sufficiently decisive TO warn Bragg of his
danger. The converging columns Of Genera,
Buell. from the background came up dur
ing the evening; but with the morn
ing's dawn it was found that. under cover
of the night Bragg had made good his escape
Our last advices concerning him are, that with
several thousand Kentucky horses, large
drove of cattle, and an immense train Of
wagons, filled with -four, pork, dry goods, shoes,
&C., from the stores Of Frankfort and Lexing
ton, he was among the mountains OF South
eastern Kentucky, en- route for East Tenness 20,
with no imredments before him, and blocking
up the narrow mountain roads behind Lim with
the forest trees.
The rebel journals at Richmond pronounce
Bragg's expedition "a fzzle." lie invaded
Kentucky, not only to liberate it, but for the
purpose of grand foraging raid into C'ncln-
nati and Louisville, ard not without some hope
of trunphal foray through Southern Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois. But like Lee, he had no
sooner Issued his proclamation than he was
compelled to beat a retreat; aad thus, in fact,
Braggs grand designs ended in "a tzzle."
But we. too, are somewhat disappointed. We
had anticipated the complete rout and dispersion
of Bragg's insolent army. lie has escaped
with it, somewhat crippled and choptallen to
be sure, but still too strong and ready for
mischief to be regarded with ind terence
Among the barren mountains into whcl he has
fled he cannot be at once pursued Indeed,
we apprehend that, W. lie Bragg is comparative,
ly safe, Nashville is the point at which Genera
Buell. should next prepare to meet him.
The shortest way. however, to dispose of
Bragg is to cut up and put to fight the army of
General Lee We believe that General Nc
Clellan is abundantly able to do this important
work at once, if furnished at once with the indis-
pensable supplies which he demands. We are
satisfied, on the other hand, that delay is full or
danger. Bragg may soon move eastward from
Knoxville to reinforce Lee, or westward to
seize Nashville, as the occasion may suggest;
but let Lee meantime, be routed, and Bragg
will be compelled to consult his own safety in
. backward movement down into Georgia.
We adhere to the opinion that Lee is tarrying
near Winchester, not for the purpose of inviting
an attack from General Mcclellan, nor with
the design Of another attempt to cross the Po-
toinac, but simply to hold our army at bay
until he shall have gathered up the -four, corn,
beef. pork and forage to be found in the She
nandoah valley, and placed these supplies at
convenient depots for the subsistence Of his
to Richmond. With these preparations COM
pleted, be may return without the incumbrance
of the usual army train, while to pursue him
over country which he has stripped of its sup
plies will be SO costly, tedious, cumbersome
and dangerous as to be impracticable. We
must bring him to battle near Winchester;
for, If without an engagement we permit him
to fall back to Front Royal or Strasburg, we
must abandon the pursuit in that direction upon
the simple question Of subsistence.
At all events we must cut of this army Of
Lee from Richmond, by defeating it on the
road, or by getting into Richmond before it, or
the reduction of that city will probably be
another siege Of Sebastopol. Since the evacu-
alton of the peninsula by General Mcclellan, as
we are informed, thousands ofnegroes have been
engaged in strengthening increasing and ex-
tending the defences of Richmond, around the
land and along the river below the city. All
accounts agree, however, upon this important
fact, that only . email detachment of the rebel
army is now in the occupation of those defences.
The game, therefore, for which Lee is evidently
playing is to draw Mcclellan up the Shenan-
doah valley far enough to leave him behind in
the race for Richmond.
But as 1t appears that Lee is prepared to try
the fortunes of battle near Winchester, in
preference to q retreat before his preparations
are perfected, and as we are assured, from the
battle Of Antietam and from tile splendid
masses of reinforcements which have since
joined McClellaus army, that the result of
another trial with Lee would be a browning
Union triumph, we appeal to President Lincoln
to take this matter into his own hands and push
forward at once to Gen. Mcclellan the means
required for an advance, SO that he may move
forward and clear the rebels at least from
Northern Virginia before our army Is embargoed
and our great cause put in jeopardy by another
long, wasting and exhsusting winter.
---------------------------
The DEPARTMENTS AND THE ARMY.-It ap-
pears, from the statements that reach us, that,
while the new regiments that join McClellans
army are comfortably equipped and well sup
piled with everything, the veterans who have
been fighting the battles Of the country on the