Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-09-11

Pchuou' ou' INC h0'' SYM i''AS =" W
fought.
Why is this so! Upon whom rests the
responsibility of failure
We know it is the popular clamor, fed
and swollen by the sensation press, that
we have been out-generaled. II ace were
called upon to answer the question, we
should say, it is simply because we have
been oat-numbered. We do not say
that the rebels have not better generals in
their service than we have. We think on
the other hand it would be difficult to
show ours are not equally as good as
theirs. We think had the disparity of
numbers been on the side Of the rebels in
the same ratio that il has existed on ours,
our generals would have made better use
Of their opportunities than the rebel gen.
belion would have been substantially
wiped out. We repeat that the one and
only cause of our failure has been The
,oant of men. God favors the army that
can bring up the heaviest battalions. The
administration, congress, the northern
press, and the northern people, committed
the great error of supposing that half a
million of men were sufficient to subdue
million in arms fighting upon their own
soil, and in their own chosen POSITIONS.
We have censured our commanders be-
cause they have not accomplished impos-
sibilities. They doubtless have made
mistakes, but they did not commit the
great mistake of all-that of Withholding
men from the army.
What said Mcclellan, when, stripped
of one third of his command, he was sen
against his own judgment, down to the
Peninsula Though he pushed his way
up to the very walls of Richmond, he in
formed the administration and the coun-
try, that the enemy out numbered him,
and that he would do the best he could
with the force at his command. There
was not single day that his appeals for
more troops were not sounding in the ears
Of the Secretary of War. 1t may be the
Secretary had not the troops to give him,
but that was not the fault of Mcclellan.
And all this time the enemy was being
constantly reinforced by volunteers and
conscripts, until at last his forces so far
out-numbered our own that they were
compelled to seek safety under the pro-
lection of our gunboats. Richmond being
thus relieved from seige, the entire rebel
army was released, and moved up to the
Rappahannock, and with its overwhelm-
ing numbers has again invested WASH
ington.
1t is now time to pause and reflect,
calmly and dispassionately. 1t is the
duty of the north to endeavor to compre-
bend the situation, the difficulties to be
surmounted, and the means required to
do it.
In the first place, we must individually
divest ourselves of our over-weening self
confidence. The mass of the people
should begin to apprehend that they know
but little of the science or practice of the
art of war. We self-confdent Yanke es
have supposed we did, There are thous'
ands of men all over the north who
never saw battle field, who never saw 6
rifed cannon, who never saw brigade
of troops, who do not know the manue
of arms nor even the first position of ;
solder,--and many New York and othe
editors may be included in the number,-
who nevertheless will undertake TO dem
onstrate, upon the point of knife" JUS
how campaigns should be planned, ant
victories won,-how generals in the fell
should have moved yesterday instead c
to. day,-how they should have occupie
; this position and not the other,-an
:. what other blunders Of theirs have con
f tributed to defeat Is there never to b
;, an end of this impertinent assumption
We have long enough asked our general
and military men to listen to our impt
dent ignorance. 1t is time for us to lis
u en- to their knowledge and their wisdom.
When Gen. Wilcox informs us that "
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