, 1863-02-26
From. Our Regular Correspondent

-f61eAt8 .f1AAteN*
From. Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Feb. =, 1B6l,
THE POTOMAC ARNr, ETC.
This army occupies the position which it
has continued TO hold for some years.
Regiments have COMO home to recruit, some
have returned, and new recruits and con-
scripts are daily coming in to ell up old regi- +
mcnts. The Potomac army, TO all intents aud /
purposes, SO far has served the purpose Of |
the defence Of Washington at a cost, SAYS /
Gen. Meade, or one hundred Thousand lives,
ard doubtless at an expense OF five |
hundred millions Of dollars. Whenever It |
has moved forward to attack the enemy, no |
matter under what ,General-AfcDowell, Nc |
Clellao, Pope, OF Burnside-lt has uniformly !
been beaten back, defeated badly, II not dis |
graccd. Of all the Generals, Meade il the
only one who has not suffered disastrous
defeat. One reason for this exception is Ills
extreme caution, and another lies In the fact
that he always keeps his army together; go
that w4len the assault Of the enemy is recciv-
cd be is able to resist 1t with his whole force.
Mcdowell, Mcclellan, Burnside, Banks,
Fremont and Pope were attacked
and cut up in. detail Tic late
disastrous reconnaissance across the
Rapidan, In the abscDre Of Gen. Meade mt
Ph1ladc3rhia, was another Of those u0foEtu-
without sufficient knowledge Of the enc
myss strength and position. ! presume II
WIS undertaken without con ultation With
Gen. Meade, If not contrary to his orders.f l
call it disastrous. for am credibly informed
tllat VIC lost thsreby between four hundred
FL 1f,l nvxN HffNHA
some officers Of the army pnt 1t as high as
six hundred. The reasons. which impc1lcd
tl4 General In command t1 undertake this
reconnaissance were, that for some time past
deserters had been coming In from the enemy
Eith tales OF fearful suffering, priration and
Standardization. So persistent'y were these
stories kept mp that at length an advance Of
seycral bFjgaaes was ordered, and Others
were brought to their support In case of re-
pulee.- The rebels held some rifle pits onahc
other bank Of the river, which they evacuated
after but slight Resistance, leaving some few
prisoners in our hands. These prisoners
upon being questioned, stated that there was
no rebel army Of any moment within ten or
twelve miles Of tho rifle pits; so our troops
pushed on. In few MOMENTS. however,
they found themselves exposed to destruc-
tive fire from the front and both f1anks from
artillery and musket1y. the latter from in
fantry behind feilcd logs, and further protect
ed IN front by abattis, composed Of branches
Of trees, brush, DC One or two green New
York regiments broke and run under the
fire, which was, for the time the troops we're
exposed 10 it, terribly destructive, md soon
that portion Of the army which had crossed
the river was Obliged to retrace it's steps.
The reconnaissance WINS failure, although
the army reporters say it accomplished what
it set out to do. But iwe know: what that
! IVES, we would be able to speak understand
ipgly on the point. 1t is said to have been
| movement in conjunction with Gen. Buffers
! raid on Richmond; but as the official drM'y
aid Au,y Journal says that raid is to be
| made tho subject Of special investigation, ]
| very much doubtft- Besides the distance o1
! Lees army from Richmond is too great TO,
him to be able to protect it against my mcre
! raid Of that DESCRIPTION. l nm Inclined tc
the opinion that the reconnaissance was un
| dertaken simply on account OF the prevailing
opinion in the army flat the rebels really
were in 6tarylng and demoralized condl
tion, and that thousands Of them were ready
TO lay down their arms and take the Prcsi
dents oath. 1t will be seen whnt iearfu
mistakcAEns made. 4 Colonel Of one Of on,
regiments, who las been. in the Potoma'
arfny from the period Of the Bull Run tlgh
till now, tells me that, Instead Of the rebel
being In n furnishing condition, nearly all tn
prisoners which were captured u
fact appeared to be as well take1
i eay 1 was scarcely prepared to bcliev
this; but I cannot doubt the yerncity Of
gallant soldier, who was desperately wound
| ed ut Gettysburg, where n1se some TWO hun
i dred and more Of lis noI,le regiment bit til
dust Now, what do these things show
:. Why, simply that no reliance, in nlnc case
, ont Of ten, Gun be placed on the stories c
! prisoners and dcserters, and that the forme
will mislead Us whenever it Is in their poWe
to do so, in order that their armies may OF
nv aAr ThA Mi Ia
| the line of march On Richmond, which ha
! been SO pe1slstcntly taken up, and adhered t
: by nearly MI our Generals, Is beset with dat
. gers and difficulties Of no ordinary character
. Every foot Of fse ground almost Is natur1
fortifcation, which has been CAREFUL
r scarcely any Of them foraable, intcrsect ii
r thick woods, almost impossible swamps, m
q woree than all, lmpcneuable underbrnsh i
!. all along the way. The length Of the lin
!: through the enemy's territory, also necess
U tatcs a urge force for the purpose Of kceptn
+ OF our army are also In danger Of bein
= turned By the enemy, for there arc no matt
. ral barriers to prevent It; bnt on the col
: trary, every facility afforded the enemy f
l. doing 20. Why {afll it be believed y 1t
n necessary cyen now to procure an CISCO
If from this city to Fairfax Court House X
- protection against guerillas! The feeli1
- I'm told is general among the officers of tt
u Potomac Army, that successful advance G
!s Richmond by the present route Is simply II
It more from sense Of duty than from At
confidence In the success of the movemen
and that consequently there is, to great e.
tent among them, forcgoac conclusion tn
defeat aWui:s them. They also attribute II
perseverance, in the plan of the advance {
r. Richmond, which has been 80 often tric
e but as often disastrously failed to Gen. Ha
e 1eck, wnose pet project It is, and who b
=. staked everything upon its success. Bu
a having gone beyond my limits already, I q
i compelled to defer the further considerable
+ Of the subject until my next
TIE coITEnuEADs sCE3IISG TO DIVIDE Al
q CONQUER.
From the commencement have taken II
!. ground that the pretended acknoT1edEme
. = Of many Of the Copperhead leaders aad the
j. Dress, that Slavery was dead, Is but, ru
3 to lull Union men into fancied state OF
lie curitY, and also to distract our paTty vi
=. not only new candidates, but new issut
As rarties and their ayowed principles a.
" policies now stand, the CopperAeads see th
&c they have no chance Of success. The doc
lie Of inevitable defeat awaits them. Ths
= plan consequently is to rnise new issnes
=, distract and divide us, to encourage III
and # Rossps
ne our ranks as to call out third caudida:
;e They can eet their men to work upon Ct
- Fremont and Ills friends, In order to enco'
a. a. age them to press bis claims to the extent
10 threatening to put him IN the field as an
OF dcpendcut candidate. Indeed, have hen
or TIC friends Of another Presidential candid;
~ saw that Gen Fremont will certainly run
~ Mi, Lincoln Ia nominated, but that be y
~ not If Mr.. - is nominated. But the G.
se- perhead anti-slaTery dodge Is the latest PHI
1n.politics. One or two Of the leaders get
ot IN their places and say that slavery Is de
No and pronounce q graceful eulogy over
10 10 corpse. a few green Union men swallow
Ior bait; think that the Gopperheads are beg
ih ming to come around TINT party lines
m I pretty much obliterated, and that the: On
gt e,t please. Their candidates. spring up liko mu
- rooms, Old Abe is pronounced too allow,
hind The Times md all that; resolutions
md amend the Constitution, to abolish s]ayt
Of &c. are introduced, when presto chang
49, Were'' IN twinkling. Mr.: Arnold's rest
~. "a ton in favor of consttntionally abolish
ola slavery 'tpricked the bladder IN the ;Ho
,hi- Je1y efIectually, for it showed the Democl
q ! to be opposed to it in solid pha1anx. I
bile g1ad to see that the leading papers are be-
.1N ,me dodge When the democracy cease to re1,
Mr. at rebel Victories, and mourn at Uniot
'ne defeats; when they cease to clap their ha
as gold goes up and greenhacks go do1
when they cease to cry peace peace, Y
long as the rebels hold ont when they CT
TO oppose any single measure for the pros
~ ticn or theasar, I will begin to believe
:.red they arc in earnest On the subject Of the
the preston Of the rebellion and the utter
Co struction of Its cause-sisvery.
are CLAIMS AND BILLS AGAINST THE GovERSX1
on, have heard that Congress will not 1
sSe ess 9 It G 5 dsnssss sssssos to pTHBsz Tss
AXE .na1n1tT1f2c 0f those which yonld be pres