, 1863-07-08
TEFF. DAVIS OPPOSED TO .KNFA
IaENG THE NORTH.

Jeff. gAxls oPeosE., 70 wrA-
GENG TIE NORTH.
Our special dispatch from Gen Meade's
headquarters announces That
IA bcarGr Of dispatches from JET Davis to
Gen. Ice had been captured. Tic dispatch orders
Lee promptly to return to Richmond, 0nd states
that the increment into Ie1,s.y,raai1 4cQs made
1nhoUy agoiass Ais fi4szles. Davis says that Lee
hsving undertaken the movement ou lis OWL re-
Epoosibility, must cxtricate himself az best he
cnn- He also refuses Lees 1cque.t to allow Bean
regard to reinforce him, and orless Lee south ol
the Potomac forthwith, assigning ae the reason
that The position is too bazerdoue, and tie condi
tion Of Richmond too Getcnscless to warrant Iii.
remaining longer"
From the commencement Of the wnr II
the present time, Davis has steadily op
posed invading the North After the dis
astrous battle Of Bull Run, in July 1861
he pcremptotily refused to allow his arny
to attempt the capture Of Washington
which might easily have been taken, if on,
panic-stricken militia had been promptly
followed by the victorious rebels.
Davis Inns always held that the true rolicy
ofthc Confede1atcs, is to 2ct strictly on the
defensive; but the hot-1eads have COZ
stant]y clamored for offensive campaisns,
to carry the war into the North, and to
leave track Of dcsolation behind them.
Davis hiss contended that this course
would unite the Northern masses, and par
a1yze the efforts Of their Copperhead allies,
and put stop 10 the fre-in-the-rear. he
counsellcd strictly defensive operations,
and taught his followers that the Copper
heads would thus be enabled to raise cry
for "peace," to organize & powerful resist
ance to the prosecution Of the war, to pre-
vent enlistmen,s, induce desc1tions, and
resist couscription, aud to embarrass the
Government in thousand ways,
and finally force it to make dis
union peace and acknowledge the
independence Of tile Confederates. He
has also pointed out the great peril Of at
tempting to renctate any considerable
distance into the North, as the dense pop
u1ation auG immense resources Of the free
States would enable the Government to re-
c1nit vast army on short notice, which
by the weight OF numbers must certainly
drive back, and perhaps cut off The retreat,
and capture the rebel invaders. He
pointed out to the hot-heads that the rebel
raids into Kentucky, Missouri and Mary
land last fall, ruined their cause in those
States, and enabled the Federal Govern
1ncnt to obtain tens Of thousands Of yo!un-
teers, who otherwise would not have
Joined the army; and that those raids had
sl1enced, in great measure, the secession
lists In those States, and given a trcmcn-
dous impetus to the emancipation cause
within them.
The invasion Of Maryland last Aucust
wns made against the advice and Judgment
Of Davis The defeat Of Popes army,
through the t1eae1e1y Of McClellan's geu-
erals, left tempting opening for dash
across the Potomac, but it came very near
proving fatal to the rebel army. Nothing
hut the orer-caution Of Mcclellan and the
fresche1ous councils Of Fitz John Porter
saved Lee s army from complete annihila-
lion. If Mcclellan he'd moved with alacrity
to the rear Of the rebel forces instead of
making wide dctour around to their
front, it is the opinion Of ali candid mill
tary men, that the rebel army must have
been captured and destroyed, as he was
vastIy superior to them in strength. Alter
the battle Of Antietam if he had pursued
the retreating rebels, he might have cat
them to pieces while they were trying to
cross the Potomac back into Virginia.
But the golden opportunity was allowed
to pass away unimproved. But the dan-
ger did not escape the keen eyes Of Davis,
who realized the imminent peril in which
lis army WIS placed, and he has shown
his gratitude. for that and the pusillani-
nous Chickahouiny campaign by causing
his organs North and South, to puT
:. Young Napoleon as the greatest Gen
eral On the Federal side.
: The present invasion Of Maryland was
made under far more favorable auspices
than that Of last summer. Our army, from
eauses already named, was reduced to less
than half it's former strength, wl,lle the in
vaone 1oree Vas fully onc-tl.ird larger than
ea. n om the result is exactly as Davis,
oolessA". dls army has received stun
ing oelea1 II tue battle Of Gettysburg, and
as anot,e1eo fragments arctiyins before the
enragcd Federals-try,ng to eses ] ~ naraas .e
the Potomac Hence, We arenot su,,r;sa5 ]
at the contents Of Jelrs dispatch = pt1'sa I
commanding him in the most pcrcmptoTx tor
1nhnncr to return to Virginia withont
q moments delay. But Lee never rot ths
dispatch. Instead Of retrcating he : riskes
. battle with Meade, and lost, and b;s
army is wholly ruined, and with It tbe
cause Of his master. The effect Of this in.
Vasion of the North will be no less disas-
trous to the Confederate tlau to the Con.
perhead cause.
The ravages committed By the Vandal