The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-01-31

While we have the cheering news from Ii
Lower Mississippi that General McClernand
at work in front OF vicksburg, with every pros
pect Of success; that the land forces of tn
Banks expedition are concentrated ct Batol
Rouge, awaiting, with Admiral Farragut tn,
signal for an advance upon Port Hudson; Will,
we are assured that General Rosecraas Is pre-
pairing for another and more decisive battle thar
the last with the rebel army Of Tennessee; Will,
we have the most encouraging accounts from oul
advancing land forces in North Carolina, and
are expecting intelligence of some importan,
operations in South Carolina and Georgia, it il
the misfortune Of our splendid Army of the
Potomac still to be enlarged in the mud and
mire of the hills and valleys Of the Kappa
hammock.
But let us not be unreasonably inpatient
While the "sacrsd soil" of Virginia continues
in the condition Of a 'quagmire, arresting the
movements Of provision wagons and compelling
the officers in charge to convey on horseback
the daily subsistence to our soldiers, a
movement Of the army in any direction
remains an impossibilty. A single night OF
good freezing weather, followed by sharp and
dry northwestern Of two or three days, will bring
us, no doubt, the tidings of the advance Of the
Army Of the Potomac in full strength upon the
enemy. General Hooker, meantime, has been
usefully employed in the work Of reorganizing
his forces and in his nesdful preparations for
an advance. We expect that he will seize the
opportunity Of the first good frost to march
upon, dislodge and follow up the enemy, not
withstanding the suggestions of some of the
abolition journals that it will be better for him
to remain in state of "masterly inactivity" till
April.
We should be sorry to believe that General
Hooker has been appointed to the command of
the Army Of the Potomac for any such suicidal
purpose. His appointment is universally &C.
cepted as pledge to the people of the loyal
States from the administration that the moment
the surface Of the country around him is suf1i-
GENTLY dried or hardened for the movement of
his artillery he will advance upon the enemy
and give them battle, or compel them to get out
of his way. We read this intention in General
Hookers address to the army, and we expect
him to fulfil his promise. We have no fears
of the result of another collision with
the army of General Lee Calmly considering
the bloody repulsc of Gen. Burnside of the
18th December, we are strongly inclined to his
opinion that 1t would have been rewarded by
decisive victory had his generals concurred in
his proposition to renew the attack, and espe-
cially upon the TANKS of the enemy, the next
day. AT all events, we are confident that from
the drafts which have been made upon Gen.
Lees forces to strengthen Longstreet in Ten
nessee and the rebel generals operating on the
south side Of the James river, he has been SO
weakened that he will surely be defeated should
he again attempt to resist the advance of our
considerably strengthened Army of the Poto-
mac. Our only fear in the matter is that with
Gen. Hooker's advance he will discover that
the rebels have prudently weighed the chances
against them, and have mysteriously disap-
pesred, like Joe Johnston from Manassas, Sid
ney Johnston from Bowling Green, Bishop
General Polk from Columbus, and Beauregard
from Corinth.
We have the fullest confidence In Con-
Hooker. From Washington to the Richmond
peninsula, and thence to within three
miles Of the rebel capital, and thence
through all those sanguinary battles from
the Chickahominy to the James river,
and after several brilliant successes over the
rebels as . subordinate officer under General
Pope around Manassas, thence in the Maryland
campaign to Antietam, and thence via Harper's
Ferry to Warrenton General Hooker's name
CoJ a
military operations Of Gen. Mcclellan. With this
long, active, practical training under Little
Mac" we may rest satisfied that General
Hooker knows how to fight the rebel army of
Virginia We know that his successes under
Mcclellan aud under Pope have made him
favorite with the army; and we are sure that
the brave soldiers who have become veterans
in war, side by side with Fighting Joe
Hooker" will, under his command, advance
and fight with the enthusiasm of Napoleon's
Old Guard.
We cannot entertain the idea for moment
that our most important, most powerful, best
disciplined, best equipped and appointed and
most experienced army is to be kept in shame
full and demoralzing idleness, while our land
and naval forces in every other quarter are
striking the rebels hip and thigh. This cannot,
must not be. The Army Of the Potomac must
advance as soon as its artillery can be moved
to do its appointed work. II it cannot
advance by one route, it can by another. 1t
must be given the opportunity to accomplish its
great object-the occupation Of the rebel CAPT
tai. This result would have been gained last
June had not the plans Of General Mcclellan
been disarranged and defeated by the stupid
but conceited intermeddling politicians at
Washington. The country has the right to re-
quire Of President Lincoln that there shall be
no such interneddling with General Hooker.
Let him have the absolute command of his
army, and let the government promptly meet
his acquisitions for supplies, &c., and we pre-
dict that the day will soon come when the Army
Of the Potomac will vindicate its training under
Mcclellan and is confidence in General Hooker
"a ~ - A.