The New York herald., 1863-06-15

the policy of our government is not that Of ex-
tension, but conservation. aanfaa.
~ Rosecrans as . General.
AT tho commencement of the war the rebel
government had so much military talent on ~
hands that it hardly knew what to do with IL.
General r. E. Lee, in particular, was almost a.
much of bother in Richmond as he has since
been in better places, and he was quietly given
the command in Western Virginia to get him
out of the way. General Rosecrans had then
succeeded to the principal command Of the
Union forces there, and thus 1t happened that
he was the drst Of our generals to try conclu-
sions with Lee. By the brilliant actions which
first brought General Mcclellan prominently
before the country much had been done -
weaken the rebel hold upon that district; yst
Floyd was still rampant, Wise not less so, and
Lee, to strengthen all, had put them in positions
from which it seemed impossible that they
could be driven. From hill after hill, however,
they were compelled TO retire in most unseemly
haste, and almost without the opportunity 10
fight. In the light Of the fame that Leo has
since won 1t Is certainly greatly to the honor
Of Rosecrans that he clearly proved himself IL
superior soldier-so clearly, that 1t was pub
lie acknowledgment in the South that the s'ill-
fated campaign in Western Virginia had ended
in blaze of glory for the Yankees" Atsr
this Lee was given by the rebel government
an important command in the East, and by oar
government Rosecrans was efiectually kept out
Of sight for year.
Such men, however, will come up some time,
and Rosecrans came up again at the battle og
Lu-k-a, September 10, 1862. Sterling Price had
manoeuvred with some success towards tho Ten
nessee, with the hope to operate in Bragg's favor
against Buell., and had taken possession q
I-u-k-a with that end in view. Rosecrans ar-
ranged for ajoint advance of his own command
and column under General Ord against Prics
at Iu-k-a, marched twenty miles on the day Of
battle came upon Prices flank at four p. II,
and engaged at once with great impetuosity.
Though Ord's column did not come to tme.
Price was driven from his position by Rosecrans
alone, and escaped by retreat at night across
the line of Ord's advance. II was . simple
affair, but was arranged with consummate skim
and executed with great vigor. w4t
Close upon this followed the great and
decisive battle at Corinth--October and -
where Resecrans fought the combined reAel
forces Of Van Dorm, Price, Lowell, VIM.
pigue and Rust-thirty-e thousand In
number. He had under his own command
the enemy terrible defeat. Il devolved upon
General Rosecrans 10 show in this battle that
he could hold position - we'll - b. could
carry one. Against the centre Of his line ths
enemy hurled one Of those magnificent columns
Of infantry that they have 20 often employed
In the same way in this war. Rosecransr
artillery made awful slaughter in this mass.
but bis centre was broken. UndsR
similar circumstances most generals make
arrangements to retreat; but Rossorans
went forward. He brought this column 10 .
standstill, and then in turn threw his own men
against 1t, scattered It, and With Il the whole
rebel force. He lost SIS killed and l,sl8
wounded. The enemy lost l,42s killed and
$500 wounded. "a
General Rosecrans' next battle was that q
Murftessboro. Near 10 that place the rebsR
army under Bragg held good position,
against which Rosecrans advanced on the 26th
Of December. He went ahead with oonsidesar
BILE canton, and on the night Of the 30th oocu-
pied Q position in front OF the enemy, ready q
engage next day. His right wing, under
McCook, was thrown out rather perilously.
Early on the next day the enemy advanced from
bis position, surprised Rosecrans' right, and
drove it furiQusly for three miles from the line
II had held. SubsHtute the name Of Hooker for
that Of Rosecrans, and we have here, thus far,
an anticipation OF what recently occurred in
the Wilderness, near Chancellorville. But here
the parallel ends; for the rebels who thus broke
his order and drove his right found that Rose
Grams was not to be beaten by ono blow. Even
while they drove his right he advanced his
centre, strengthened IL, massed his artillery
there, and prepared to form new
right. By the terrible fire Of this centre the
rebel masses were staggered and driven back
and the army saved from complete destruction.
After eleven hours Of battle, however, the
rebels had the best Of It; but Rosecrans never
thought Of retreat. On the next day be en-
deavored TO advance his right and also pushed
his left out to guard against a rebel advance
there. By night OF the second day he held only
the ground he had held before the fight began
atall, and then on tho third day he advanced
his left. One more desperate but vain attempt
against that advance was made by the rebels,
and then they betook themselves to precipitats
retreat About seven thousand men were lost
on either side.
Certainly, after that battle, II any general in
our armies Is entitled above others TO the dis-
tinctive sppellatiOn Of lighter" Rosesrans n
the man. But he b above any distinction thak