The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1863-12-04
Gen. Meade's Operations I'm
~ virginia.

Sunday and Monday, ii is now pretty Ger
tain, passed by without battle in Virginia
though thu Army Of the Potomac and the
army under Lee were apparently
only separated by distance of few miles
Though this circumstance would not seem
to be important, it is yet new one in the
history of this war, aud is to some extent
significant of the new conditions under
which the respective armies meet. Hitherto
whenever the circumstances have been
such that battle was in any way imminent
for the two or three days before Sunday,
and could be brought on by simple ad
vance of the enemy. Sunday has brought
the battle But there is far less conf
dsncs now. The rebellion cannot afford to
bid its usual @gay defiance to mischanee, d
and venture all, after doubtful battle on
a grand charge of infantry. Southern ar
mics are smaller than they were, and their
immense charges of Infantry, exposed to
the fire of the most perfect artillery, across
spaces half mile in width, and met at last
by infantry of equal spirit, hurt the South
ern armies more than they do any one else.
Southern generals also have less stomach for
the fight than they had in the days when
they saw the magnificent advance of their
lines across the fields made memorable by
the earlier battles Of the war. General
Lse bas, too, by this time very natural
respect for General Meade, and he will not
venture, in the presence of this soldier, upon
any such desperate manGuvre as that by
which, in May, he compelled the retreat of
the Army of the Potomac from the very
district in which it lay on Monday last.
We need not be surprised, therefore, if
an extensive chapter of manoeuvres precedes
to the great trial of popular patience, the
battle that We look for, Caution is ne
cessity with Gen. Lee, aud to be at least
very careful is natural to General Meade -
Yet tue latter's free advance and relenquish
ment of his line of com muncations is bold
movement for cautious man to make, aud
augurs we'll for our cause in 50 far as it
gives good evidence of Gen. Meade's conf
dencs in his own plans.
Already we have achsived in this short
campaign two positive and important sue
cesses first by Meade's passage OF the Rapi-
dan and formation of line of battle nearly
perpendicular to the enemy's line and on
his flank, Lee was compelled to relenquish
the river as a line of defence, and to abon
don in great part position that had been
strengthened by considerable labor, and that
would have cost us ten thousand men to
carry it by assault; second, by the tenacity
with which our line Of battle was held al
most before it was fairly formed, we com.
peled the enemy to relinquish an impor
tant attemp and to seek safety in timely
retirement for the rapid march of one Of
Lees corps from its position on the Rapi-
dan and its fight with General French is, as
far as it goes, analogous to the march made
bo Stonewall Jackson previous to the bat
tie of Charlottesville and his defeat Of the
Eleventh corps, except in its result Both
attemps were made on our right wing. but
on this occasion our right wing was at the
other end of the line and nearer The river.
If, therefore, the enemy, encouraged by any
success at this point, had thrown his whole
force there and won. battle, the result
might have been disastrous TO Us; but the
Third corps did all that could have been
expected of it, crushed the attempt in its
inception, and the enemy saved his force bps
precipitate retreat.
This fortunate nitittion Of the cam
psign promises well. 1t will doubtless be
known in few days at what point Gen
Meade will open a new base for the supply
Of his army; and that knowledge will cast
considerable light on his own view Of the
prospect for the ultimste destruction Of
Lees army and the capture Of th. rebel
capital.