, 1862-09-17

or unless TIC Lad retained posses
sion OF Washington.
That We might have lost Washington, had |
the attenpt Of the rebels to break our lines
in the attack Of Monday night at Chautllly, in
which Gems. kearney and Stevens fell, been
successful, believe. To have cut Gen.
PGpe's army in two at point SO near the city,
would have been to produce panic, under
cover Of which one or more Of our fortidca-
ions could have been carried by daring
attack, and both the capital and the earmy been
put at the mercy Of the skillful rebel generals.
The Richmond Examiner bewails the failure
Of this design rs being the failure Of the CAM
paign; showing thatit had tile important sig
niflcance which Is attached to it here. There
is reason to believe that it nearly succeeded,
the bravery of the fighting generals who
fell, and Of Gencral Bifney, who sue
cecded to General kearney's command.
As usual, there Wa a want Of corporation
betwt en different parts Of our line. An OIL
cer Of Gen. Banks corps, who, with the rest
he could distinctly hear the rattle of mus
Ietry, notwithstanding the terrible thunder
shower which ragged ct the time, tells me that
he lay there in the darkness waiting anSiousty
fer orders to 60 to the reuef Of the Others,
and waiting in vain until, to his inexp:easiols
and fainter, and knew that the enemy was re:
treating. He thinks that it the force to
which he belonged had been thrown upon It's
flank, the rebel column Of attack might have
been annihilated. In the same way Gen.
McDo~ells corps waited for hours, just out
Of cannon 1ange, tor orders to help Gen.
Banks 1t Cedar Mountain. Both there and at
Cbantilly 1t Was deemed improper, presume,
to move without orders from the officer who
commanded both corps, Gen Pope. The
system is entirely wrong. NapoleoR's orders
to his marsha1ss, TO help each other il case of
attack, without waiting for specific directions
from him, strikes me Us better sense, II worse
s'strattey.''
Since tic rebels fa1luro at Chantilly, Wash
irgton has been In no danger, sare from the
cou1agemeAt" Of our soldiers. The letters
which / wrote you last Saturday and Sunday,
and y Which came back to me in Wednesdays
FRInrSE, reads Ike q forgotten dream, and
yet they truly reflected the general feeling
here at the moment Those who knew ths5
places, that our army had been put to shame
fu1 ttnt by an Inferior force on the rlaias Of
Manassas and fairly chased into the Potomac
entrencbments, that the few miseTlbly dirty
and ragged rebel prisoners whom VIC had cap
tured 14uchei to scol1s their nell tel and
F.
Of poltroons, could not help feeling distrust.
We were amply strong enough. If leaders and
led felt 50. But did they? Upon that the
result seemed to hinge.
But not ieng ,1 after N mailing ny letter,
In ita morale and that there vas less gloom at
civil and military headquarters. Hence my
next letter discoursed OF victory, as more pro-
bable than defeat, and discussed its probable
consequences.
In speaking ofvictory, however, I was care
ful to Indicate doubt as to whether the rebels
we're In force and meant to fight The incli-
rnt1or OF my oTn MUD has been to the opinion
ttat not ore than 20 COO or q, 900, at the out
side, invaded Maryland, and that this force
n1i constituted .; g1gat fosasng expedition eud
stolen I'LL they could lay hands upon IN the
upper counties of Maryland. Their compara-
tive inaction at Frederick for week, luexpli-
| cable en- the supposition that they we're o7er
| 100, COO strong and meant to carrg the war into
Pennsylgauio, strengthened my theory But
| unsnimity with which our generals, who
should have far better means OF information
than We civilians have, and the newspaper
correspondents In front, also, settled down
doubt, that between 100, 600 and zoo 900 armed
| rebels had crossed the Potoma. shook my con
viction.
! It eeems now, however, that Frederick Is
evacuated and that the road Of tho rebels Ia
ria HageEstown and Williamsport, or Han-
cock into Virginia. Vague and as yet unau-
tltnticatcd reports give us hopes that Burn
side has fallen upon their rear and is accelcra.
ting their movements, aud that the force
under Col Miles, stationed at Harper's Ferry,
Is attacking them in flank Tne telegraph
operators report muck firing In direction.
consistent with these suppositions, but it Is
thrust that the national army has oversakeu
the rebels and Is enjoying M opportunity to
punish them severely. The Pursuing army
Is not leas than 150, 900 strong, if am correct
| y Informed. Maryland h1s been shaken thro' a,
rurances, official and unofficial, that there va:
nopanlc, has quaked and is still quakin3, being
still unconvinced that Philadelphia Is not II
danger. No longer ago than last Thursday
nfghtsGov. Curtin telegraphed the war depart
nlcnt request for twenty batteries Of arsi1er,
partment petition for all ifs gunbo2ts thai
we're within reach John II. Read, the Chic
Justice Of Pennsylvania, on Friday wrote
friend In the navy department to hare all it!
ironclad vessels sent ut once to defend Pnila
delphia~ Thomas A Scott, formerly assist
the West, who passed through Hs1risbur, Of
Thursday night, that Gen. Lee was in Mary
land at the head Of ut least 100 900 rebels ant
was marching to raEage the farming counties
of the Keystone State and to burn Its cities
But there WAS no panic in Pennsylvania. Gov
Curtin assured Mr. Stanton Of that.
Be tie significance Of therebel flood, whic1
has poured over Kentucky and Maryland wha
It may, it appears to be falling. It CARRIE
with 1t eouthVard, shoes, blankets, edib1es fo
man and beast, not a few things that will q
to help jeff. Davis armies through the win
ter, It has shown US that even IN building
leyecs to keep back its entertainments. ou
engineer officers have failed. But there
reason to hope that 1t has fertilized the sol
over which Il has flowed. a year ago las
twentieth Of April the citizens Of Frederick
Ing from Washington and came nca
% ., Linee,n. e 1t % no time 81 since s'1ts5a1 Woal;
they hare received q national army Wit
glad1ess. But on Friday, Gen. Burnside
most an ovation. All who had rs threg
them out; handkerchiefs waved from almos
every house, and shouts greeted him wh
came to refasten upon them Whist Gen. LIE
calls "foEeign yoke" They had seen tn
rebel army with their own eyes. had tasted th
of all their possessions, that could be carrie
away, and many had reported Of the great ST
. against their country which Is thought a
} least they had committed. do not doub
. that at HsEerstoNn n the same experience wit
. the same result will be suffered, snd that I
|
! ruled back, moet OF the people whom 1t no
} covers will be found to have experienced
; "change Of heart"
i In Maryland, at least, Gen. Lees proclamz
, tion met with little active response. Few {
the .young men joined his banners. Fe'
manifested desire to cast the free snfIfag
which he pretended to give them In favor (
JET. Davis. Some who have compared h|
proclamation with TINT issued By the Frenc
+ Invaders Of Mexico, eay that there Is siugt
: lar similarity in phEaseology as well as in tu
! failure OF the people TO respond and add th
. suggestion that as Napoleon was led astray b
r the false representations Of .Almonte and oth<
refugees from Mexico, touching the feeling {
j her people, SO JEFF. Davis was deceived b
! refugees from Maryland-the very worst vi
, neescs, because interested to make out ths
! they represent their State, and after INIT
:, Gently believing that they do. We're Geora
T Curtis, and Geo. Levet, the editors Of II
Bostor Courier, to seek the assistance Of
foreign prince to put them In power, the
you'd tell him that their sentiments wei
those Of the people of Massachusetts,, q
:. though the next election would prove them
l.; ! be In minority of 1O1 f11