Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-12-10
Gen. Meade On the Back Track
Agatn-.--VVha Does it All
NsCau


The late pursuit of the rebel army of
Virginia by General Meade, and his re-
turn from the immediate presence Of that
army, without a battle. to the north side
of the Rapidan appears to us one of the
most inexplicable proitless and discred.
table military exploits of the War Office
since the first battle of Bull Run.
We have every reason to believe that
a decisive defeat of the army of Ice at
this time would bring an end to the re-
bellion; we know that the army of the
Potomac was never in better condition,
physically and morally, for this impor-
tant enterprise; we dare say, too, that
horse foot ana artillery, our army is al
most twice the strength Of that of the en-.
emy. And yet, when the enemy is
brought to bay, and the long wished for
opportunity is offered to our bave sol.
diers for the crowning battle of the war,
instead of the word forward they were
ordered backward, and are now once
more on the north side of the Rapidau.
What are the excuses trumped up for
this miserable faSco Here they are-
FIRST the army was advanced on an allow
ance Of fifteen days rations, and, having
consumed half of those rationS, it was
compelled to return for fresh supply for
fear of running short. Secondly, when
we overhauled the army of Lee it was so
strongly intrenched Oh marshy bro ok
that it would have been hazardous bu
siness to attack it. In the third place,
newspaper reporters had prcmaturcly
disclosed the plans of Gen. Meade, or
the War Office, and thus we failed to
catch the rebel army sound asleep.
We are out of patience with these pal
try prevarications. Ii the army had con.
sumed its six or seven days allowance
of provisions, what was there to prevent
the forwarding of another supply for
seven or eight days? There was the rail.
road, and there was nothing between
Gen. Meade and Washington. except
Mosby and his fifty or one hundred guer-
rllas, to interfere with our transporta-
ton. But the enemy were too strongly
posted on the hills across the swampy
brook. Strongly posted, were they, on
that short and insignificant stream, Mile
run, where they could be Aanked by an
hours marching.
How was Bragg posted and fortified in
front of Chattanooga ? On semi cir
Gle of precipitiOuS mCuntains--the key
to his almost inaccessible position being
nearly three thousand feet above the lev.
ell of the sea, But you must not forget
that General Meade's-or rather General
Halleck's plans were blown too soon by
the newspapers. Bosh We have had
enough Of this nonsense. There was
nothing disclosed by the newspapers in |
reference to Gen Meade's late advance
calculated to be of the slightest value to
the enemy; nothing that Gen. Lee did not
know for days before it was published.
Ask Mosby.
The simple truth is that no satisfac
ry or even plausible explanation has been
siven of this my sterous advance and re,
reat of the Army of the Potomac,
The advance was entirely too late to be
put in as diversion in favor OF Burnside
1t Knoxville, and it was unnecessary as
l mere reconnaissance. The most chari
able construction we can give to this
is that it was intended to fright !
IN the rebels at Richmond into something
like the usages of civilized warfare in
heir treatment Of our po5r soldiers held
by them as prisoners of war. But we
fear that their situation will only be made
worse than it was before by the inglori-
ous return Of our army from its iruitless
expedition. We can hardly imagine
hat its main object was merely to amuse
the country, after tho fashion Of tub to
a whale, and that the real purpose of the
is rather to prolong than
to shorten the war, in order to make sure
work of African slavery.
Whatever may have been the purpo-
ses, the causes and the plans Of General
advance, we must now take him
as we find him--on the north side of the
Rapidan. The question then recurs-
what next Who knows Can the
War Office enlighten us ? 1t is useless
to conjecture. Tho War Office will have
it that there is only Que road to Richmond
and that having been reported imprac.
tioablo for winter campaigning, the Ar
my of the Potomac may next be recall
ed for tho winter to Arlington Heights,
in order to take a fresh start again, by
way of Bull Run, in the spring,-N Y
Herald.
Two of the six Captains, Taylor and Shell
dom who escaped from the Penltentiary with