The New York herald., 1863-04-09

last two years has at least given tie heads u
the Var Office some valuable instruction; aud
with all our assurances from Washington that
! General Hunter and Admiral Dupont, in enter
ing upon tleir important WORK, know exactly
what they have TO do, and are prepared to do
] it, we calmly await the next news of the pro-
| gress of their operations.
THE VIRTUE THERE rs In AN "Is.v-The re-
port Of the Committee on the Conduct Of the
War and the radical republican journals say if
| General Mcclellan had done this and had not
done that such and such good results would
have followed, aud such and such bad results
would have been prevented, as the case might
be- Now we ask, how do they know that good
results would have followed and evil results
have been prevented? How do they know that
matters might not be far worse than they are
No doubt If the rebel generals would just wait
till they were entrapped--as little bird wait
ing to be captured by having salt thrown ON its
tail-General Mcclellan and other generals
might have wrought wonders But the same
difficulty happened to them that happened to
the British generals in the war Of the Revolu-
ton. The typographical character of the coun-
try renders military operations fatal to every
general who is not cautious when taking the
offensive. If General Mcclellan had only done
what the Committee on the Conduct of the War
and the abolition journals say be ought to have
done, perhaps they would have over again the
catastrophies which befel Burgoyne at Saratoga
and Cornwallis at Yorktown Other generals
have fallen into the traps laid for them. 1t is
the merit of General Mcclellan that, though a
very young bird, he could not be caught with
chaff.
The would-be military critics say, for instance,
and some foolish journals have said, that after
the battle of Williamsburg the Union army
might have marched ed iBto Richmond with
out firing a shot. How do they know? Are
they sure that they would not have met on the
, way other troops besides those that retired
before them, and that they would not have
fallen into an ambush The probabilities are
that they would; for experience has shown that
the rebels have a'ways bad reserve, and never
played out their last tffiinp card The wise
acres have also insisted that after the battle
Of Malvern Hill the Union army could have
marched into Richmond without opposition.
Now, it does not follow that because in 80 f.e 20
defensive position as Malvern Hill and mower
fully assisted by the gunbesys in the James
river, as the Union army Was. it won a victory
there, it might not hays been repulsed bv the
rebel army in an eqY.lly good position. If Nc
Clellan had attempted to rapidly follow Lee in
his retreat. Perhaps it would be safe to 90 a
step further AND say that sot only would it
ns}s 9sea "..sed, but entrapped, captured, or
Utterly destroyed. "If' is great peacemaker;
but it is very poor warrior, and still poorer
critic on the military art -
Poor GREELEY AND THE IRISH RELIEF Fund
Poor Greeley made speech at the mass meet
ing for the relief of ireland at the Academy of
Music on Tuesday evening During his speech
he made no reference to the Irish relief fund
raised several years ago, and of which he is one
Of the trustees. This fund, with the accumulated
interest, ought now to be about seventy thousand
dollars-a large sum, greatly needed by the
starving poor of the Emerald Isle. As Greeley
said nothing about this money, and offered no
contribution for the object of the meeting, we
suggest that committee be appointed to wait
upon him and obtain some information Of the
fund. For Greeley to make speech urging
others to contribute, while so large sum is re-
tanned of the old fund, savors of hypocrisy, and
we hope that the managers Of the meeting will
take measures e induce The Ir!s.ns philosopheg
to disnurse forthwith.
INVESTIGATING CoMM1TEEs AND THEIR
FRurs-The last Congress will be memorable
for its inquiring disposition. We have had COM
mittees to investigate the frauds connected
with the Banks transports, the Burnside
transports, and the various other swindlings
and rascalities which the war has given
rise to. Into the reports of these commit
tees no doubt great deal of private feeling
and malice has contrived TO insinuate itself.
As priina .facie evidence of this we have now
before us two pamphlets--the one reply by
Mr.. John Tucker, late Assistant Secretary of War,
to the report Of the Select Committee of the
Senate on Transports for the War Department,
aud the other addressed by r. F. Loper TO
Secretary Stanton, "in self defence against the
aspersions" Of the same committee. Into the
merits Of these statements it is not our present
intention to enter. We merely note the fact of
their publication to show that the reports Of
these committees are either so loose or so one
sided as to admit Of an appeal to the public on
the part Of those who fall under their censure.
That Of the Committee on the Conduct of the
War will have 10 pass through similar test.
The report which General Mcclellan has In pre-
paration, though not intended as reply to that
document, will, we have no doubt, dispose con-
clusively Of oil the charges and inuendoes by
which it has sought to destroy his military
reputation and his favor with the people. A
celebrated Irish leader used to say. that
what mainly built up his popularity was the
ahuaa that Vvas lavishad upoy, hin, nv hia enp-