New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-06-17
THE REBEL OFFENSIVE.

calculated on fighting it on Northern SOL.
jeff. Davis, in his Dlsunion speech at jackson
during the Winter Of Is6O-Gl. remarked that
If war should result from Secession, 1t Will
not be our fields that will bear witness TO ITS
rayspes, but those Of the North a few
months later, when the news OF the TALL OF
Sumter was flashed to his then capital (Slcnt.
gomery), his Secretary of War LEROY T..
Walker, in a speech to an enthusiastic Rebel
crowd, proclaimed that they would have Wash
ington City within a month. And JEFF. had
previously, on seeding from the Senate and
quitting Washington, retained bis pew in the
stylish Episcopal Church he pairouzcd, eS-
pectinp to be installed at Washington as Prcsi.
dent of the Shareholders Confederncy so soon
that it would not be worth while to save pew.
rent for the few Intervening weeks.
Why, then, be did not, after his oyerw helm
ing initial triumph at Bull Run, push hrs forces
rapidly forward at least to Washington and
Baltimore, We have never yet been able to
understand. Our chief army had jus. been not
merely routed but disgraced and. being large.
" composed Of three months men, WAS III pro-
cess of rapid decomposition. llo might ob'i-
ously have taken both those .important cities
without serious contest; and the bare chance
that he might have made prisoners OF portion
of our Cabinet and our Lieutenant. General in the
melee. though to be- deprecated and guarded
against, should not have oyerborne the certain
aud manifest advantages Of scizins those cities,
with their immense stores Of ordnatco and
every material OF war.
The Rebel. ought to have advanced and as
sailed after Boil Run. True, We believe they
would have been benten md u'-d up before
they could have reached Pbisdclphia or Pitts.
burgh; but it becomes them to think differently,
and We trust they do. Had they pu,hed ,,ra shi
on TIL stopped, We should have had Peace Oh
some term, long si1ce. Who can 10y Why they
did nj come ahead
Lees offensive lsst year va, poor affair
thoulh greatly aided b Nics's trcachcFy Of
lIarper's Ferry. But for that. i. must have
proved ut once disastrous ard ridiculous.
Though resisted very cautiously almost tim.
idly-its result Was damaging 10 the Presi'se
and power of the Rebels. Ia connection with
the failure OF Bragg, cooperative demonsira.
ton Oh Kentucky aud Cincinnati, IT went far
toward demonstrating the incHpaclty Of the
Rebel. 10 maintain n serious offensive. But
the Rebel army OF Virginia had just suffered
severely in the Seven Days hghliog near Rich.
mond and in its conflict with Pope. and va.
never able TO throw 40 many o, seventy Thou
sand Men across TIE Potomac; 80 that II was
overwhelmingly outnumbered at South Noun.
tain, and CONSIDERABLY 80 at Antieiam. Had /,
been vigorously pressed at oil points on the
morning after that last battle, II must have
been driven pc-ueil over tho Potomac minus
l,s artillery and baggage.
Lees present advance hes beeN ma.hed with
great skill nnd 10 initiated with decided 'igor.
1t was well known on our side that Lc was ~
to sonc spirited dash. but that either Ger.
I llalleck or Gen. Hooker knew precisely what,
We do not believe. II they had, would Gems.
Milroy and Reyuold. have been LETT 10 struggle
against Overwhelming odd,. ard 20 be hurled
from their s.ro0g, important Pcsition' win
lo,s! Wou'd the Rebel advance have beoL
suffered to reach Chambersburg upoppc-ed
We cannot believe 1t.
We regretted that Gen. NcC,e'lan-pcrhap'
in obedience to his orders--ntsrposed his urmy
between Lees md Pennsylvania. instead %
moving directly up the Potomac, relieving apd
strengthening lIorper's Ferry, guarding th,
approaches " Warrington and Baltimore, and
letting the Rebels advance into the heart Of
the Keystone, pushing back tho CONSTANT!
.krmishiug but constantly increasing Militia
force in their front. Had this policy beer
adopted on our .dc, Leo would never have
returned TO Virginia, unleS, by way OF CITY
Point
Now, we trust oil is as il scems-that Lee
has quietly gathered aud holds in hand 0
veteran army One Hundred Thousand strong
and is pushing it across tho Potomac with
intent 10 bring tho contest to an Immediate
issue. 1t 10 best for all side, that it should b.
so. This War has dragged on about ioni
enough. The Rebellion has been nplly though
not very accurately characterized by Col.
Grierson as "a shell. with nothing in it;
and this 10 20 far true that il can better afford
to invade than 10 be- seriously invaded. Within
its own boundaries, full half Of tho popula
ton, including MI the Blacks, are at heart IT.
deadly enemies; yet it can use those o. ETH
cient supports 20 long as tho seat OF war II
remote and its authority at homo undi'puted
Tho near approach of our forces reveals IL
internal weakness. separating the clay from The
iron in ts composition. aud exposing it 10 dis
. L.. - csLl IL lur