Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1863-02-05
From the Free Press.
THE LATE MOVEMENTS AND THE CAUSES
OF THEIR FAILURE.

| U0ueT tne ABOVE tltle tne IN. L. 4 1n1eS
of the 9th contains an interesting letter
written by the editor, H. J. Raymond,
ESQ.,, from Washington. Jan. "a. The
tone and bearing of the letter is striking
'ly in contrast with the one by the Times
correspondent w. S." which we condemn
ed unqualifedly few days ago. and
which we believe has been condemned by
the loyal press very generally. Mr.. Ray
mond may or may not be correct in all
the statements and opinions of his letter
though we see no reasons to distrust
any of them at all events we have them
from responsible source, and they are
not of character to help the enemy rath-
er than the government. What he says
of certain offcers-whom he does not
name, but who can of course be easily
identified by those whose official duty
gives them charge of such matters-is a
grave matter indeed, and accords with the
suspicious of a great many. The inves-
tigation which led to the cashiering of
Fitzjohn Porter has done great service
We hope the searching process will not
stop with that case. There is more work
of the same kind needed. We give ex-
tracts of the more important points in Mr.
Raymond's letter.
Mr.. Raymond says he was with the ar
my of the Potomac during the late move
ment which began on Tuesday the 18th
and was intended to be surprise. Each
portion of the army was put in motion
during the day and was to have been by
midnight in the position indicated by the
commanding General, ready for operation
at six o'clock below and seven and half
above Fredericksburg, on Wednesday
morning. The rain set in at o'clock in
the evening--the effect of which in I'M
peding all motion, has been already told
| The divisions did not reach their positions,
the enemy discovered the movement, and
it was necessarily abandoned.
This is the surface view Of thematter.
As things stood, the weather afforded suf-
fcient excuse for abandoning the enter
prise--indced made it necessary to do So.
But if everything else had been right,
this obstable would have been overcome,
or rather would not have arisen in time to
offer any other difficulty. But the Army
of the Potomac is like the soil of Virgin
ia; the upper crust is hard, but thin; a
little rain soaks it and underneath lies a
treacherous quicksand. Break through
the crust and you sink instantly to a depth
which makes movement impossible. A
good deal has been said of the demoral-
ization of the army. The word is too
strong 1t does not apply to the mass of
the army at all. But it does apply to a
good many of the officers They are de-
morolised in every sense of the word, and
they are source of discouragement-of
disheartenment, Gf there is such word,) }
to their subordinates and to the ranks.
do not hesitate to say that the failure of
this latest movement was due, primarily
and mainly, to the inSubordination-the
word is not too strong of some of the
Generals in command under Burnside. |
ask no better evidence of this than the
language openly held by them, in presence
of their subordinates, of newspaper repor-
ters and of all who choose to listen, be-
fore the movement, while it was in progress
and after it had been abandoned. Un-
less common report, which received the
countenancc if not the distinct confirm
anion of the officers most concerned, is en-
tirely at fault, the Commanding General
was overwhelmed with protests from his
subordinates against his movements after
they had been decided upon, aud with ex-
agerated and untrue reports of the obsta-
cles in his way. So far ! know, no one
of them went SO far "A to refuse obedience
to his orders: but everything short of
that which officers could do to embarrass
and thwart his plans, was done, and done,
too, as on some previous occasions, with
effect and success. AS every one knows,
there is kind of obedience worse in its
results than fiat refusal, for it leaves the
commanding officer without n remedy.