Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1863-05-27
WHOLE NUMBER 81.

SeG, tCtttOtt OetAq W Ite COHtA8HHtCQttOsis
of the enemy, tells his soldiers that the
enemy has to run away Or to attack him
on his own ground, where he win destroy
him, has rot its parable, in modern times.
Another quite as objectionable mistake
is the sending awaZ :. the cavalry in a
moment when great battle was nearly
certain to happen. twas thesams silly
conduct which made Melas lose the bat
tie Of Mmeago. The cavalry ought to
have formed the utmost right wing in
the large wheeling movement which our
army performed, and in which the lofs
wing formed the pivot.
General Hooker's operation is modelled
on the operations Of Wurmser and Alvin
ci, in 1896, in Italy, those Of Jourdaa, in
1899, at Stokaeh, and, in quite modern
times, on that Of the royal Nsapolitan
army, IN 1860, at the Yolturno. On the
contrary, General Lee took a good lesson
from the action of Napoleon, the Arch
duke Charles, and Garibaldi, on those
different occasions. General Lee has
certainly gained for himself, BY this itat-
tie, the name Of one Of the ablest Gene
rails Of The present age.
It would be wrong to make General
Hooker alone responsible for his defeat.
We are told that his army is to be rein.
forced by 10000 men from Washington.
and by 10000 to $1,000 from Suffolk. Is
it not strange that those troops did not
join Hooker befor the battle? What Is
the use Of 10000 idle men in Washing.
ton? What is the use Of those $4,000
on the Blackwater? Why are some 90
600 standing sentry in North CaroIinaP
What have the 10000 done yet near
0harleston2
Is there not common sense enough in
our great Generals to understand that, to
keep thousands and thousands Of men a.
ssntries to prevent the blockade-runnerB
| from coming into Southern ports, is iidi-
F.culous; that it is more reasonable to mass
all those troops, and to crush with this
superiority the enemy's main armies, be-
cause the blockade-runners viii soon End
no more buyers for their cOntraBand
goods? But how could such reasonable
action be expected from General-in-
chief who advanced against Corihfh With
a snaillike pace to undertake the ssigs
of feld-works Whichthe rebels afteFWard,
under Van Dorm, did not hesitate q mo-
ment 70 storm; and who sent Pope, with
80, GOO men, To capture an army which he,
with 100000 men, could not defeat7 It
| is the same General who, in August last,
gave General Burnside the strange order
to stay quietly at Fredericksburg. with
his troops; meanwhile Pope mas defeat
ed at Manassas. The same who ordered
Pope to retreat toward Washington, in
stead Of ordering him to retreat toward
Salem and Berlin, which would have pre-
vented the battle at Manassas and the in
Vasion Of Maryland 1t is the same who
gave the fatal order to Colonel Miles to
hold Harper's Ferry when the rebels
were already in Maryland, and when,
thereby, Harper's Ferry had lost al i'm
portance.
Have there not been useless butcher
les and failures of operations enough to
warrant finally the adoption Of sound
military plans? Till this is done we can
only hope that fortune will once moro
smile upon the country of freedom.
am, sir, yours, very truly,
E. ScHALK.