The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-06-13


skill With which hh cresAtioas have htea
conducted tha, he has alWays compelled his
enemy TO attack him behind his bfcastWutks,
whenc, h;s men itn.ctedt the most enormous
loss, without sustaining anything like an
tquivalent lu this campaign the casualtics
OF the enemy, "a contrasted with ours, have
certainly not been lcss than ave TO one -
Stanton telegraphs that Grant only lost : 500
men 10 the battle around Cold Harbor. The
figures ought to be multiplied, We have no
doubt. BY at least three; tut. allowing them
to I've correct, what disparity In presented.
The Copfederatcs have not had 800 casual,
tiea .incs the two armies were In their pre-
sent position! Never were 80 prodigious
results produced with 90 little loes.
The only dtensi,~ campaign Of modern
times which can be compared to this, IS
We.lington's Ia Portugal, In 1910. Compare
the two, and the Campaign Of Lee will be
found to be infinitely the more brilliant
Portugal Was threatened BY an army OF 90
600 men uuder Massena Wellington met
him on the frontier, and re pulsed him in the
battle of ,saco. After that he fell back,
covered bis retreat by the Goa. and ieisurely
entered the lines which he had been fortify-
ing for yc..s 10 cover lisbon, and which
have become famous over the whole civil
lizsd world as the lines Of Torres Vcdras.-
Ills force behind these lines amounted to
IS, 200 splendid troops, English and Portu-
guesc, assisted by 10000 militia. The lines
themst Ives, three in number, presented the
most tremendous system Of Notifications Of
which there is any account. They extended
from the Tasas on ono side, to the ocean on
the other, Lisbon, which il on the river near
its mouth, being in their rear and entirely
surrounded / y them, and itself strongly for
tilted, while "a enormous fleet G transports,
men.of war, and merchant vessels, all l. ig-
lish, 10y in the harbor and kept the Anglo
Portuguese army constantly supplied with
provisions, recruits, and all the munitions
and appliances Of war. Great credit ID Ger
tainly due to the English General for his
forethought in erecting these works; but
cnce erected, they rendered the defence OF
Portugal matter Of absolute certainty, fol
no force could prevail against them. In the
meantime Massena advanced through a
country which the policy Of his adversary
and the zeal Of the Inhabitants had converted
into o desert. Every horse, every cows
every sheep, every goat, every particle Of
provision, every bit OF grain, had been either
removed or destroyed, and as the French
had depended on their favorite system OF
making war support war-that is, of living
on the country-they had neglected to bring
their supplies with them, and soon began
to be pinched by hunger. True, they were
partially supplied from beyond the from
tier; but the way was long and rug
sed, the guerillas swarmed around the
conveys, and the supply was to the last
degree precarious Fifteen thousand men
disbanded, and dispersed in search of food,
sickness and death prevailed in the French
camp, while Wellington sat quietly behind
his Notifications, never Offering battle, suf
fering two important towns to be taken on
the frontier rather than abandon his advan.
tagcs, supplied with everything that heart
could wish, and calmly waiting for his enc
mics to break up and retreat. That time
came at last. Massena, having lost half his
men without fighting battle, decamped in
the utmost disorder, leaving all his artillery
behind him, because HIS horses were all
dead, and carrying of his cavalry dismounted
for the same reason. Wellington followed,
vet even then did not attack him, but SUI
fercd him to gain the frontier and recruit.
Lee had NJ nc of these advantages. He
had no Torres Vedras on which he could
fall back. He had no fleet to supply him
with everything he wanted. He had an en-.
eng In his front, and another in his rear;
and that enemy was not only enormously
superior in numbers, but had the entire
command Of the sea. He fought not one,
merely, but half q dozen great battles before
he fell back 10 his base, killing, wounding,
aud making prisoners, - Oo0 men more
than Wellington put hors de combat dnripg
the whole time he was in Portugal. Arrived
iu the neighborhood Of his works, ne does
not seek shelter behind them. lie defies his
enemy outside of them, and that enemy
having twice attacked him, and met with a
murderons rePnlse each time, seems not Ut
all disposed to try it again.
DkpOr ARMY COxM EE. HOA,(