New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-01-19
REBEL CORRESPONDENCE.

Whatever is interesting or valuable in the
intercepted Rebel correspondence which re.
Gently came into the possession of our Govern
merit, will be found in the synopsis and copious
selections which we print this morning in other
columns They throw considerable light on the
persistent efforts making in Europe for dplo.
matte recognition, and the rebuffs to which the
Rebel agents have been obliged to submit; and
are especially instructive on the subjects Of
Rebel finances and Ango.Rebel shipbudng.
The long letter of Mr. Benjamin to Mr.. Slidell,
of which we give an abstract, il a wildly dis.
torted account of the campaigns under Pope in
Virginia, Mcclellan in Maryland, and Buell. in
the West, but it supplies, nevertheless, one or
two facts of Importance.
1t must be considered established by this
statement that the movement of Lee upon
Washington in August last was determined on
before it was known that Mcclellan was to be
withdrawn from the Peninsula. The Rebel
Secretary writes without the slightest respect
for facts when it is for his interest TO misrep.
resent or deny them. but 10 this case there is
no motive for concealment or Justification. He
is speaking of the organization aud advance of
Pope's army and in connection with that dis
cussion speaks rs follows:
General Lse r, dispatched General jackson with corp.
dArmeo OF about % ovO check Pops adyaacs aud
hdria9 pt himsD taai sudN force rolIt be seleai
70 pIiea MctYsan (who.e army was allied aud d.oir.
lied By tho result OF tie battles Vi the Che6ahoiuy aud
being fast down by cknes) proceeded with The uau
body OF the Amy rapidly 10 pols6e TO join Gen Jackson
lF lie n mt shat.
desirable H. con.equ,nce Of deficiency Of san
poa,ou Gen Loe had hoped with his United foce which
neatly equal uuuber 10 Pop- to crush army OF
thst General balTe ,CeAn could lie relief sueh
u notsmsat pe,s attempted"
There can, therefore, be no longer any doubt
that the Rebel General conceived and under.
took to execu'e thc very movement. the danger
of which was foreseen by Gen. Halcck when
he found the armies divided on his assuming
command, aud much earlier by the President,
as appears from bis rocertly-pnblished letter.
Richmond was TO b. left 10 its fate, or to the
chances of such protection as small CORPS OF
observation could afford, while Lee hurled his
columns against Washington. The Rsbels
could we'll afford to give up their own capital
in exchange for ours with its immense stores,
its public buildings and treasures, and above
all, with its prestige and incalculabe value in
the eyes of the North aud of Europe. In this
as in so many other cases tho clamor about
premature revelation of military movements by
the public press is unanswerably rebuked by
the disclosure of the facts. Lees strategy was
bafed by the unexpected check whick Jack.
son received at the battle of Cedar Mountain
by the sudden rise of the Rapid Ana River, and
by the retirement of Pope behind tho Rappahan.
mock, which gave time for McClelan's forces
to arrive; but it was boldly conceived, entirely
without reference to tho withdrawal from the
Peninsula, and would have been successful but
for tho causes above stated. Mcclellan Do.