The New York herald., 1863-06-15

vance by the Whole Rebel Army.
The indications that On offensive campaign
has not only been resolved upon, but has .ac-
tually been commenced, by General Lee, SINH
lar to that Of last year. are so numerous, con-
sistent and conclusive, in our judgment, as to
leave no margin for the slightest doubt upon
the subject. l-'
The movements of the enemy around Culpep-
per Court House, which were supposed, on our
side. week ago. to be only the preparations
for grand cavalry raid by Stuart, it now ap-
pears were movements involving the whole
rebel army. This is pretty broadly indicated
in General Lees despatch relating to the recent
cavalry fight, which shows that on June 3 his
headquarters were at Culpepper. But the
despatch of June Is, from Mr. Cook, one Of
our correspondents with the army of General
Hooker, settles the question. He says that
"the movements Of General Lee in the direction
of Culpepper have been on larger and more
expeditions scale than was at first supposed,
and embrace nearly the entire forces OF his
army, there now remaining opposite Falmouth
force not exceeding ten thousand men,"
From other dispatches it appears that
Lee has been heavily reinforced from
the nsighborhood Of Suffolk, and from
North and South Carolina. He is thus
prepared for offensive operations; and what
these operations will be we think may be
readily conjectured from certain other facts
betraying his preliminary Reconnaissance.
Our Harper's Ferry correspondent reports
that at the time of Mosby's late raid into Mary
land from Edwards Ferry powerful body Of
rebel infantry was not far behind him on the
Virginia shore. It is thus evident that Mosby
was thrown forward as q feeler. Next, it ap-
pears that General Milroy, at Winchester, has
wind of an approaching heavy column of the
enemy, and is fearful Of being cut Of; and next,
at Middletown, some twelve or thirteen miles
higher up the Shenandoah valley, there was, on
tachment of Union troops and squad Of four
hundred rebel cavalry. All these movements
indicate the repetition of General Lees North
ern, campaign of last summer, including the
clearing out of the Shenandoah valley, the sur
prise and capture Of Harper's Ferry, and the
invasion of Maryland by way Of the Potomac
fords, near Poolesville, and this time, in all
a desperate effort to get into
Washington by the back door.
These are our opinions, from the suggestive
facts referred To-; but it would also appear
which we are glad to believe-that they are the
opinions of the War Office. 1t is reported that
the bulk of the supplies Of the Army of the Po-
tomac have been removed from Aquia creek to
Alexandria; that General Hooker is gradually
withdrawing his lines from his old position,
and that, whatever direction Lee may take,
he will find himself confronted by the Army of
the Potomac. There will be no excuse, at all
events to the chiefs of the War Office for
another blundering Virginia campaign like that
of last summer, with all the instructive misfor-
tunes of that campaign before them. The pre-
sent situation of the opposing armies, as COM
pared with their situation in last years cam
paign from Culpepper to Centreville, gives us
many important advantages. Last August,
while Pope for two or three weeks was COM
PEELED, with some forty thousand men, to resist
the pressure of rebel army Of eighty thousand
or more, tho War Oface had troops ut Frede-
ricksburg, Alexandria, Washington and there
abouts, which, II promptly thrown forward,
would have been sufficient to defect and din
perse the rebel army at Manassas, and follow
its fugitive fragments into Richmond But, be-
tween Pope and Mcclellan and the advancn g
and victorious rebel army, the chiefs Of the
War ONCE were thrown into suoh . state Of
CONSERVATION and embarrassment a. to make
confusion in everything they did only worse
confounded, until the President came to the
rescue, and saved Washington, by putting Nc
Clellan at the head Of all the troops Of all the
Union armies around the city. aais.s
We have now o concentrated army in front
Of the enemy, under Fighting Joe Hooker"
and be, as well as the War Once, knows, or
onght to know, from Gen. Lees campaign Of
last summer, how to battle him in his pre-
sent designs of repeating the same opera
tions over the same ground. The general
condition of the rebellion is exceedingly
desperate and Lee is imperatively called upon
to attempt this desperate enterprise Of another
campaign against Washington, in the hope of
turning the tide once more against us. He
knows that If he should continue to stand still
he is lost and from his late trial Of strategy
with General Hooker, and from the reduction
of the Union army by the losses Of the regi-
ments Of our returning volunteers, and from
the reinforcements brought forward to his
own army, General Lee doubtless has strong
hope Of recovering, in a single decisive blow
in the East, all that has been lost and all that
is in danger Of being lost to the rebellion in the
West.
We have no doubt that within very few days
we shall have intelligence Of events in Virginia
ofcommanding importance, and we hope thatthis
time General Hooker and the War Office will be
found equal in activity and sagacity to the
movements and the strategy Of the skilful and
daring commander Of the rebel army. Our
Army OF the Potomac is ready to do its duty,
anJ abla thorou0hlv IN rhoakiaa tho r,roou m ~