Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-07-21

Q
not, under forged orders, and giving forged
receipts. II is to be hoped that some OF them
may be arrested and brought to condign pun
lshment
\ fredericksburg woman was, learn, arrested
Yesterday as spy at Williamsport and l am
also told that prominent bank officer OF thai
place was arrested u. Hagerstown few days
since, upon his person being found late North
cru papers, and IN his stable, it is said, seve
raj Yankees were found, with Il jug OF water
and edIbles. Beyond these, and the arrest Of
Il magistrate for passing counterfeit money nj
Williamsport, hear Of no other arrests IN
this State of citiZens-citizens being allowed
to pass to and fro quite unmolested.
must close in order to send by courier
Heavy firing is now being heard on our centre,
and u heavy skirmish is reported to have taken
place on this moruing-ot which, however, nc
particulars as yet \.
MARrISsGuRG, Va, July IA, 1868.
IL cannot be denied that the INFUSION has
been failure. The army Of Northern Fir-
ginia is now ON the retrograde, aud If not al
ready on this side Of the Potomac, will doubt
less he SO before the expiration of twenty-tOur
hours. The wagons Succcrdedin getting over
ust night. The pontoon bridge having been
finished yesterday at Falling Waters, four
miles below Williamsport. Besides this, there
we're three ferries AMI three places of iording
at Williamsport.
1t is OF course, source Of unfeigned re
grcl that the campaign should have thus end
cd, aud as correspondents of tho Southern
press are mot liberated" ut headquarters and
official reports are seldom, if ever seen, We
are thrown back upon speculation and Obser-
viltiVn for the causes which have led to this
great drawback ~ our arms, to call 1t by no
milucr name.
The great mistake which was made by Gen.
Lee seems to have been in not pushing his ad-
vantage at the close Of the first days hight, So
ils tu l;l-c seized the wooded heights beyond
Gettysburg. BY leaving the enemy III pos
SESSION Of these heights, they were enabled to
rVrtily and render ttfcm quite lmpregnable to
our efforts made during the second and third
10 storm theiu-whereaS, by pushing forward
the first day, Wednesday, as was desired, 1t
is said Ivy Gen. Early the task Of carrying the
heights would have been quite less difficult,
anu lar more advantageous IN the event OF SUI
cess. Another mistake seems to have been
made in the ctii TT tU carry by direct assault,
rather than by .Ranking, and it was here that
we lelt must kccnly the loss OF OUR JACKSON.
Many other causes are said tohave operated.
Among them it is affirmed that Gen. Lee had
too much transportation, and that he was
crumpcd in the handling of his troops in order
to guurd his trains. Again it is SAID that our
men were impaired in their efficiency by the
fine living which they enjoyed in Pennsyl-
yania. Others again say there was lack vi
cOnSentane0us action III our movements, and
that whilst some parts OF our lines reached,
and for time would hold the breastworks,
yet, that others being behind and not support
my those who had Ueen more forward and
successful, these latter were compelled to re-
tire.
My own impression is that we made two
misulkes-frst, in attacking the enemy by di-
rect assault; aud, secondly, in doing SO when
nc was in IN admirably fortified and naturally
strong position. Laying aside the assault OF
thursday, in which, though, losing heavily,
we were not very great sufferers, without any
unfriendly criticism, must say, from what
can hear, that the assault Of FRIDAY, cannot,
| fear, well bc justified. And yet, l believe,
tien. Lee was led to this by OverwecninS COLI
iidcnce in MS troops. But, suppose lie has
made one failure, let US acknowledge 1t, aud
III doing so, let us thank Heaven that wo have
80 great and good O General; man who has
the good sense To know how to save his army,
even after such an unsuccessful campaign.
The army is to-day fully fifteen thousand
men weaker than when 1t entered Pennsylva-
MIA, but in its confidence in final success, and
IN tue courage and capacity nj its Generals,
and especially its great Captain, nothing has
be.n aDatcd'by tho recent reverse. On the
con rury, could you have watched the men as
hey lay waiting in their positions on the Ma
an side near uugerstown, Tor the onset
OF tue euemy's forces, which, though on It's
own showing, was two to our one, yet dared
not attack us for three whole days, you would
have felt that, though the Old Guard may die,
it will never surrender. Lincoln may say OF
Of Gettysburg as Pynhus once said of noted
battl field, when conteuding with the Ro-
mans: "a few more such victories, and l am
undopeW
This has been the most disasreeable and
rainy season ever experienced in the Valley.
The streams have been constantly swollen
ever since our army crossed the Potomac,
which river has been up and unfordable until
yesterday, when it had sufficiently subsidized to
enable our wagons and such of our cavalry as
desired to cross. The roads, though fine pixies,
are coated with layer Of fully four inches of
mud, and on either side roads are made
through the cultivated fields.
1t was quite sig ht yesterday at the river,
and on either side, to witness the beginning
of the falling back. The roads were muddy,
the rain was falling, the river was barely
fordable, and tcamsters, quartermasters and
commissarics vicd with each other in their c!-
forts to get across, some of the more wicked
mingling horrid oaths, with other more potent
spurs, to the slowly gated beasts, already
much fatigued by excessive marchings. Once
on this side, the next things to DO attained
were the most desirable stands for the teams {;
and, in this, rs other things, human nature de-
vcloped his we'll known qualities. On an &C.
casiOn of this sort, it is astonishing what an
immense crowd Of men manage to keep with
the trains. Those thus accompanying, with
the servants of the officers, make up. in them
selves, quito respectable show for an army
certainly in numbers. Besides these, each
wagon train seemed TO have along with it quite
guarantees the subsistence question for awhile
ut least, in The way of meat.
If Meade or his army, or Lincoln as tic vice
gcrcnt OF the Devil on earth, thinks our army
dcmoralizcd, he is most cgregiously mistaken.
On the contrary, it is again at home and on its
inyincible ground for if 10 enter Maryland
and Pennsylvania may seem to be like enter
ing He'll and leaving hope behind, let it be
proclaimed that returning to Virginia, the
officers and men all feel that they have found
the great Elixir of Life, and that they are
restored again to the embrace of that dear old
mother State. on whose lovely plains, and in
whose picturesque valleys, Us we'll as in the
lastnesses of her hospitable mountain homes,
our brave boys know that they have yet terri
tory enough to fight upon and to feed them for
half century to come. The cry of carry
me back" will yet ring the welkin, and in its
cheering notes will be renewed the spirit which
will again hurl the invader back from our SOIL
saw but little of Maryland, but that little
has suffced me, and must give my belief can
didly. that MARYLAND is neither with us, nor of