The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-08-18
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trem an editorial Ia the New York 7ixss. Of the
18th Instant in relation to the reeen. battle at Ce
dar Mountain. We extract the following.
The Rebels most certainly have nothing 70 boast
~ In this engagement. Neiher however, has Gen
Pope. He knew at least two days lefbre tbs battle
thaa the rebels ware marching 10 attack him he
Knew that they had very nuGnsrons foroe and
HAT II was under command OF Stonewali Jackso
hose pencbAnt for surprises and SUDDEN movements
ID well enough known he knew that Gortionsvilie
s3d the line of The Rap dan would Inevitably b.
contested to the iast by the rebels TN Friday
morning our picae.s were driven across aud be
yond the river. AID The satns day the rebel
column PASSED over. and toak mp n strong
positisn some dFe iailes 10 the nortil. ou the
slope Of wooded mountain. Nothing una
would imssine. could be clearer than that they ia
tended TO give battle, and nothing could Is lsss
hkety Than INST they would throw a feeble force
IN position strong In itself but. If made auatey
d"'aaaed, hazardous in the extreme to their whole
army Ana Yet II seems that Gen. Pope sent for
ward less than 6na,luester Of The iorces under his
'u''hea ste eonmand aud ready to his bard to give
them battle. The eneny, according to an authorized
tei' gram n ON Washi en-, had IN the battle force
81 so,Goo mer. while oar uwp, exclusive Gf eayalIy
and artillery. dld not exceed 1900" Seven or eight
or en Thousand inen were thus diApatcbs1 aRainst
an enemy numbering 2U,0oO strongly posted and
hi iden behind woods and we'll s,tpportsd nv ar,t,
lery At II o'clock In tie evening, after The uns
lnal struggle had been raging for nearly ava houts
and after the battle was substantially over Gen
ioPe, accompanied by Mcdowell aud a part
Of his corps" arrived GA the field from Cul.
peper, some SIX miles TO the north Of the battle
ground, and where II previous authorized tele
grams were true, they had been stationed for seye.
tal days. 1t adds to the already welearned fans
OF Gen. BsnSs ~ a brave soldier and An accom-.
pllshed stratsgist that be able 10 maintain h
ground for such q length Of time against s,,ch
ofds: but II cannot add to Pope's repute
that, in his FIRST field essay in ylrgpa he should
have failed 20 to concentrate his troops AZ the
point OF danger and bring them mp to time, as to
impef tue safety Of ono of the finest corps of bis
army. II the rebels could quickly throw 20CUo
inen from GordOnsvilie TO the Rapjdan aud from
thence forward to Cedar Alountsiu, while we were
forewarned both OF their p1rpose and movement, II
was surely P0ssibe Tor Pope TO throw forward 20
meet them a. least with i hall OF the twice twenty
thousand men under his co,rnlsnd which las bsen
repre- senfed us so located that the deren: columns
could De easily concentrated at the shortest notice
We suppcs that ressons for the failure 10 do this
VIII be as plenty Us they have been for the hundred
previous nshaps of the same kind But IL VIII re-
dnire more eonN ncirs arguments IN this case than
taken In ccrnexion with pre- vous Statements M he
it appear the most unaecouutabe failure we have
yet known. And the fact will stand that while
rope bad force twice as great that credited 10
the rebeis, ne Drought on an engaseme Mt with them
with force not half as large ~ theirs and les.
than quarter of tha! of his command
As already said we have had this kind of strategy
too often already. We thought that under ,he new
military regime we Lad got quite through With il
that we were TO hear OF no surprises; no ba..
lies voluntarily begun by ia which the rebels had
TWO To our one and that no more apologies were to
lie needed. Tho country hss anticipated 50 much
rom Ten Pope that its disappointment will be pro-
iiea is the soldiers only tile to public applause
and confidence