Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-05-14
From the Daily of May o.
Another Lesson.

stances attending 1t, and the causes WHICH
led TO ii, are not at the time ofwriting fully
received, and criticisms thereon, as well as
upon the general commanding the army,
are therefore entirely premature, A too
hasty Judgment in such cases is the ten
dency of all, which once formed is apt TO
be adhered to, right or wrong. Enougais
known however TO show that the first dis
patches received were entirely erroneous
except in: the bare fact of the recrossing of
the Rappahannock. As it now stands no
"great battle u was fought on Tuesday.
Hooker was net drirea back by the enc
my; there was no "great slaughter; !"
Stoneman's division is not supposed to
be captured &C., &c, The originator Of
those dispatches should be drummed out
of every respectable community for the
alarm he falsely inflicted upon the loyal
public. Stonemau was successful. Hooker
is largely reinforced, and the army will
doubtless soon be up and at the rebels
again,
But our purpose was just now to refer
to lesson which is again driven home
npon us by this reverse. 1t has been
urged and reiterated at every defeat. 1t
would seem plain without one. 1t is the
NECESSITY, if we would prosecute this
war to speedy and successful issue, of
having large reserve force to draw upon
in emergency. Large armies after months
of delay in raising them, have been called
into the field en- mdSSe, as soon as enlisted.
They are fresh, undrilled, unused to camp
life, They are far less efficient than would
be half the number properly drilled and
Injured to service, and what may also be
properly taken into consideration, are
more than twice as expensive. They are
rushed into action without preparation;
the slaughter is much more terrible IN
battle than among disciplined troops, and,
worst of all, when disaster has overtaken
us we have been rendered powerless to re-
trieve it, for the want of proper reserves
to call Immediately into the field. The
enemy, exhausted even though victorious,
has had abundant opportunity to recuper-
ate, after every great battle.
The enemy in this last conflict has
doubtless suffered as great losses as our
selves the bridges and railroad commu-
ncations this side OF Richmond are now
said to have been successfully destroyed.
We ought to have a large force of trained
reserves, from which the army of the Po-
tomac could be at once so Overwhelmingly
reinforced and so Immediately hurled
against the rebel army, before it RECEIVERS
from the heavy losses and exhaustion of
the late great conflict--before its commu-
nications South are re-estabhshed--that
| the result could not be doubtful How
much speedier the overthrow Of tho rebel
lion; how vastly less expensive IN life and
treasure, if this course had been pursued,
than the tedious and exhaustive one of
waiting for months after each defeat to
raise new and unframed army-would
seem plain to the most stupid.
1t is terrible that, with our vastly supe-
rior resources, the issue of whole cam
pagn should ever be made to hang upon the
result of single battle, determined often
by the meerest accident. We should
be, and could be if we would, in
a condition, with our vastly superior re-
sources in population and wealth, to hurl
force after force in rapidest succession
against the rebel army, until, with not a
breathing spell between the blows, it is
beaten down in overwhelming and ire
| trievable ruin. Hooker, as we SAID, Is
considerably reinforced, and we trust will
soon be able to resume offensive operations.
But there should have been large and
drilled reserve to draw from, raised by en-
listment or by Consumption if necessary,
| that would put the issue beyond doubt.
That is the speedy, the absolutely sure,
the economical method, both in men and
money, of dealing with this rebellion )
taught by past history, by present expert
ence, and by plain common sense. We
have the amplest resources for dealing
blow after blow, with no recruiting spell
for tn enemy between them, I'LL the life is
pounded out of rebellion. Why not bring
them into exercise
e. The capture of Grand Gulf (f