Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1863-05-18
c q 1ooKEG, GREAT DISASTER.
q FAIR Criticism.
From The Louiss,lle Ky Journal

bend its teachings. lhey learh hothihE
from The advice Of ablor men, because
their vanity closes iheir ears against az
counsel They too often impose upon
their contemporaries by high sonndi'g
proclamatons and preten'lons boasts be
fore and barefaced ial.eho IDS after me
disastrous defeats in which their cam
psi,ns have in alI time past ended. But
story HIS never failed 10 st,ip the lion
akin Fl ON their shoulders, and expose
the as. 10 its native proportions.
Wurmscr in Italy, Mack in llm,
Cuesta in Spain, + pc at Manassas, and
Hooker AT Chancclorvllle, are but d,i
f,rent persons Of the same story. The
tsyorite strategy Of the Austrian Field
Marshals, we may Say in isct their only
,tra,egy, consisted in the endeavor 10 sdr
round their adversary. A familiar NJ
stance OF this species Of strategy WI oc-
cur to every reader OF history IN Nurm-
ser's campaign in 1896, which teImina-
ted in the disastrous defeats OF Tomato and
CAST lone. Wurmser, with sixty 'hon-
~snd men, was ct The north end OF the
Lake OF Garda; Napoleon, with thirty
thousand, was 1T the south end OF the
same lake. The Austrian GENERAL divided
| mis- forces and marched on each siie OF
the lake TO surroutd Napoleon. Napo-
leon, with his v J. ole AIRY, attacked iirs,
oue-hali Of W urms,t's amy, aud then
the other. in turn ann.hilating them
both.
This mania for surrounding an enemy
reached its greatest height, however, IN
the Spanish en,ral- ot the i'enlnsular
war; II they had bnt ten thousand men
opposed to twenty thousand, Their first
and only thought was how 10 surround
twenty thousand vi h ten thousand. IL
was hoped | at this military insanity
had died ont with the race OF Spanish
Mar.hals of 1910. II seems, however, TO
have revived with aggravated symptoms
~ our present war. 1t has rom the first
teen prevalent among l. telegraph CORES
ponien,s and camp lcttef.wrttcrs.
They have constantly kept us spprI-ed
OF the vari exploits OF that klnd per
formed on both sides. We can sea ceiy
tell now how many times Bragg sur
rounded Buell. or Buell. surrounded
Bragg. We know. however, that II tel.
grams and letters were 10 be believed.
hey kept surrounding each other IN a
rapid and mysterious manner that very
much rescmb ed hn lntrlcaclcs OF an old
Virginia reel. IL Missouri c,p'c nliy
this bewider'ng system OF strategy hal
full play. We never head from one OF
rounded somebody or else was sur
round, d himself.
But II was reserved for Hooker al
Cbsnccliorvile to give the nation aud the
wo Id practical example OF TIN, sy'tcm
OF strategy, which viii, II is to be hop
ed, teachihe people OF THIS nation, II not
its generals, little common sense IN
matters relating 10 war aud battles. He
improved on Wurmsor. The Aus.
iran only diyid i his army into two
bodies; Hooker, thinking doubtless nth
Roiy y More that there /" was luck Ia
odd numbers, spit his force into tire.
par =, placed hopelessIy out OF support
ing Clst ,nce OF each other Lee, IN the
{, ntr, WAS able TO launch hl. whole a my
upon any on of these divisions, aud he
dld 1t very ,ilectualv a. on two Of them
at least II was the stary OF Tomato and
CSstis hone repe ,ted. No man " tn com
mon sense enough To discharge credihly
the duties OF justice OF the peace could
have anti ipsted anything but defeat. =
No wonder Lee was SUPP iscd nj the
movement, Bat he was su pr s,d IN the
same manner that Heeuan would have
been # lem Sayers had offered HIN the
butt Of hls ear undecided TO expeud his
streng Ii upon.
In every one Of the battles lately
fonght on the liappahannot k, Lee had at
least three 10 our two, and YET orr en-
tire fo,ce. exceed h IN numbers hv
least one thi,i, il not more lh tbs
he whole stoty OF lucapacity the iars
es army was divided on; IN parcels, and
the smaller one whipped tin detail. =
No,h'ng bat the d. speratc lighting Of
the ucn saved the Arm, OF the Potomac
from annhl al on. Hooker sci bout his
work rs il 10 capture il,ck of sh, cp,
whore he had noting 10 do ont 10 pre-
g,nt Their ,scape. lie found = hers OF
hungry and desperate wolve, instead,
who bad no thong I OF tying 10 escape.
lie tried Wutm.er's st, ate.y, and ii is
not surprising that he shared y urm.er
late. Will he learn 10y the litter expe,
len, OF the last ten days 10 avoid sim
lar errors in iutureg We tear not. lie
e nj man who can be taught either bv
his own or by HE experience OF other.
II 5 order coaeratalatlng his army, Just
issued, would have answs ei for Napo-
leoi at Aus,erltz his oder previous TO
the battles, announcing the impend No
destruction Of Lees army, would have
made Mp on r.di uloas on the eve OF
Jens or NJ. rcu.o.
We have no feeling in this m after b.