, 1863-12-04
Wbitaeo Gribl,ut.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1863.


There arc many intelligent persons who
fail yet to understand what the real diff
Guilty is with the Potomac Army, and why
it docs not accomplish more. Such per-
sons contrast its efforts with the work done
in the West, and draw inicrences much to
the disparagcment Of the soldiers Of the
East; aycring that Eastern men do not
fight as well as Western. Others think it
all due to poor generalship. It is plain
that there is liability to great Injustice, and
to considerable mischief in these deduc-
uonh That the Eastern soldlersknow how
to fight is proved on more Than one field
That WINS not poor fighting at Malvern
Hill, nor at Antietam, nor at Frrder-
icksburg, nor ut Charlottesville, nor at
Gettysburg. II is true that the first battle
CITY being On to Richmond" the rebels
gathered there their first great army, and
!. by their own efforts and our failures, have
had some Of their best troops on that
field; and they hare been fortunate in get
ting some of their best gencralship there.
It is true, too, that the ground in Virginia
1avors their operations. But there is DIFF
.ilcs,lty Independent Of these things, and
which is alone sufficient to account for the
poor success Of the Potomac army, as COM
pared. with some Of its other divisions.
Tint a1my must cover Washington" and
: that is the nightmare Of the Potomac
army. It is Inherently and all the time
deGcudvea1my; and seldom, indeed can de-
fensive army accomplish any thing brilliant
It cannot cut itself loose, and strike out,
With view only to aggressive resu1ta 1t
is to defend the Capital. Hence we have
long given up The expectation Of its doing
anything, no matter how oflen promised.
It is not intended to do any thing except
such odd jobs as it can throw in at chance
spells. Its business is to keep Lee out Of
Washington. We're that city once lifted up
of the earth by hook, and hung up on
one Of the horns Of the moon, Meade would
use up Lee in fortnight
There hare been three separate times
w1leu the nightmare has been scared away.
: Twice when Lee crossed the Potomac, and
our army had no choice but to strike with
NIL its powers; and the result was, that
Lee went Aowling back to the sacred soil,
with as good speed Us his legs afforded
him. The other time was when the Pc
ninsula campaign was undertaken. But
Mcclellan was The commander then; and
McClollan belongs to the badger family
good for fighting in hole; and the Rich
mond dogs did not care to go into his den
for ta1sslc, and so poor Mac got him back
TO his place with his hide badly scratched
tBut to do any thing in the field, there
must l,c striking OIL, as Grant did when he
got in the rear Of Vicksburg; or rs Rose
crans did, when hescnt Bragg out Of Tu1-
lalioma and Chattanooga Hooker did it
at Charlottesville, aud ought to hare sue
cceded; for the move was brilliant one,
and saved the Capital, but stonewal Jack
son got the start Of him, though he paid for
it with his life; and thus, though nomi~
nal defeat, Charlottesville was aflerallone
of the great successes Of the war.
But since TINT the army has @coverea
Washington" ," except when forced to think
of something besides covering-and that
being the policy, let no man expect any
considerable performance of it