Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-10-24

Ing away all these advantages Of delay, 1t
strikes US that w have every thing to lose and
nothing whatever 10 gain BY SO doing. Let us
suppose that coaded on by renewed radical i'm
portunities upon the Executive branch of the
Government, Gen. Mcclellan shall, next week.
advance against the enemy posted in the position
near Winchester the latter may select. If Lee
accords him battle, il must necessarily take
place with the advantage Opposition wholly on
his side-worth at least to him. an Accession of
Fifty thousand veterans. If the battle be even
a drawn one, the practical defeat involved in il
will injure our cause most previously.
II, on the other hand, we gain some ad vantage,
Lee will instantly fall back say two days
march, TO some mountain pass which he can
hold for 4 brief time with 10,0O0 men against
10000, and will send Stuart around on another
raid into Maryland and Pennsylvania. with
our troops Withdrawn from guarding the
Potomac, still one feasible ford from opro
site I-eesburg to the Alleganies Such a
raid will then be fdr more success full than his
last one. Let us say that Mcclellan again
advances against Lee, posted in a noun
tain pass two days march below Winchester.
and again gives him battle. The result, though
1t be LIS expulsion therrfrom, will surely cost
rs sacrifice in killed, wounded and missing,
hve times as great as that of the more adyan-
tageously posted enemy. In that way it is not
impossible that Mcclellan may beat Lee clear
back to Staunton: fighting succession Of
battles in mountain passes, which will reduce
his army fifty thousan: men. while they reduce
Lees not more than ten thousand.
Chi Bono To find simply that he has forced
Lee hundred miles nearer 10 his base Of sup.
plies, and, in so doing. advanced so far from
hiSo D.cea f,fc @r,o q,
ing after these battles will be unable to fight
more, because being all necessary rs flank and
rear guards! From Winchester down to Staun.
ton the feasible roads all lay within striking
distance OF wooded mountains, inaccessible 10
our troops, from which force of but thousand
guerillas, who know the country well, can make
it absolutely necessary for Mcclellan to employ
$1,000 men at different points in watching to
prevent them from breaking up his line of COM
munication with his rear-which, if DONE
must necessitatc his immediate retreat ont of
Virginia.
These are all plain truths which have not
been considered by the ..On to Richmondites' of
the present hour. We think they should have
more weight with those who have the power
to order Mcclellan 20 advance down the Val
ley, than all the howlings of All inconsiderate
and uninformed persons in the land
On the other hand, if Mcclellan elects to keen
Lees army shiverlng in its nakedness III the
Valley for but a month, its sufferings i'm that
time, as 1t Is conceded, will have immensely
reduced its efficiency. The elements will, i'm
that time, so reduce the number of fords as that
ten thousand men will be 4 more efficient
guard against a raid into Maryland and Penn.
sylyania, than fifty thousand are to-day.
Swinging his army around and making his
front extended from Warrenton or Lees burg to
Harpers Ferry, he can then surely force Lee
instantly 10 abandon the valley: because he
will threaten his communication with Rich
mond under circumstances under which he
can-f Lee accepts battle--in forty Eight hours
be reinforced by forty or fifty thousand troops
from this immediate vicinity, that cannot ven.
lure from here aor, because Lees army is
practically between Mcclellan and The Federal
capital.
But we have not the least idea that Lee will
fight under such circumstance He will has
ten back 10 Richmond TO be compelled on ar
irving there 10 break up his army; sending one
portion TO the defence OF Charleston, another to
defence Of Mobile, another TO that of Whining
ton, n. g., and still another portion 10 the de-
fence Of Savannah; for by that time we will
probably have the fleet of iron -cIads backed
by an army forty fifty thousand strong. ON
the ocean, steering for one of these four import
ant popts-the rebels viii not know which.
We respectfully submit that when matters
come 10 that situation, it will be the time for
McClellan's serious advance on Richmond, up
James Tirer-Or, possibly, via Fredericksburg.
But we may not tire the reader with this sub
jsct. From what we say above, the public
will, we trust, perceive that after all, the cur
rentdelay in military movements in this quar-
ter may not be as unwisc as the son to Rich
mond" press imagine.