The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-09-23

FRIDAY MORNING ...... SEPTEMBER -, iS6f
We did net think proper yesterday morhinS 10
make any remarks. except in the news columns Of
this paper upon the reverse experienced last Mon
day by the army under General Early. We PFC
fcrrcL to wait until could gather more facts and
foam a more decided opinion from the ooncst,lan
o. ,,s,, epancy Of such portions Of the testimony
wac pte-,h;yl {, our observation Even now,
~te. Is, !Ai-, several dlye ,incc the action %,
nstels,... i5I correct Judgment very scanty.
The I,rt4, however, seem sufficiently chear:
..e a,ns uuirr sheridan has, Of late, been rowcr-
falls ":aso,i b. fresh troops-bolioyci TO h f7in
Shcguiu's army. The unfortunate truce, into
wh,ch Conceal iipoi se1ns 10 have been s>ducci by
mistaken humanity, Afforded opportunity fer
TINS operation. aheTm au has fortified himself At
Atlanta sS 1t was brcarGn that hc would. aud la
worked upon the Publications unit he has made
thHiD nculY insprevaabI. IiFip-ts their d'icn,e
10 4 comparatively small body oi men, and he sends
81 thc remainder 80 Gu,nt, who uas> them II Pc
teesh,tI, OF ia the Nal ), the occasion may re-
egi,, f.. the VALLEY they have enabled Sheridan
10 ~ltIAr ihl4 blow Al reteGebGIei nothing has vet
ten attempted. but tiielc can be no doubt thlt
la4uy u Shounau'a troops have already arrived in
Grqut', CAMP ana many more arc on their way
III, -.tiue plan VIII h t,icl >isnaIr last summer
is 10 lr tcd again this fall \ Aeavy force is to b.,
Iourcl INTO the Valley to capture LynchbuTg, the
Fenn,,-oe ..roai and the James River canal, AMI
to oLI.,n permanent possession Of the nl,Yi!ic
railroad. The central railroad Is to bc taken and
held Is a column ru~he from Frederick burg to
The junction, which VIII gave the command Of both
road, They are to i,ni the hand TO another col
L.. ,it
Is thus TO be cut otf from al communication, and
finally invested by powerful army OF Yankees and
notwithstanding their repeated failures, they be-
leve that they Will capture it this time, WITH pro-
baby, Lees whole army. They do not regard blood
or expense, provided they succeed.
There is one objection to this plan. 1t is tie
conL,, ION a contracted teid,l within whose folds
General Scott proposed 10 atle the liberties OF the
Conitdoracy. Ii places the troops OF the Couicde-
racy in Genital position, and enables them 10
strike night and left NJ their enemies, always taking
them IN detail. That it will succeed If put into
execution against such troops as our, commanded
ny such General As Lee, We do not believe foF Il
laoInen; Yet, that ii l. the plan which is to be
tncl, seems Itln to as II tor other reason than
that 1t was the plan of last summer, which failed 20
,Src-lou7ly. These combined operations rarely
Nhst'fu iiF'y itHtiiAbit 4 piece "a
i.,nyry, which i rendered entirely usel,a hS
the loss Of a single screw. They liable 10 ii
thousand atcidents A general may oyersocp linn
sell, VI a column may take the wrong directlon
battalion may arrive too late at the rendezvous,
some Gcuerl may misunderstood orders, or some
81 thousand casualties, each Of itself suiii-
upset the whole scheme OF the campaign,
may occur to mar the plan. Nevertheless, the Yam
KEGS have made good beginning, provided they
tan only keep it up. To seize Lynchburg is Cor-
tlnly their object just how. Can they do it
We are confident that they cannot General
Early defeated certainly, and compelled to rc-
tire, But il is obvious that, though has loss was
severe, according to his statement his troops
were neither discouraged nor dcnoralizcd. lie APP
pears 10 have brought oil his who'll, tram Of wa
CONS ANA munitions with vciy tlIiiing loss lie
fought all day and lie lost but three pieces OF can
non IL seems to have drawn oil his forces III
lci~urcly and orderly manner ani he occupied, at
last accounts. strong position which can bt at
tackled only III front, unless the enemy naka a very
long defoar III order II turn his flank, That he ~
fiCt,I i great loss upon the enemy evident /, ON
theii having neglected to pursue HIM. lie j, in
country where strong positions, III which a small
army set large at defiance, are to Lc found
in abundance. There many admirable spots ior
battlefield between Inn .1d StluHtoll, ana many
more between StauntoH ana LyncLbuIg. lie ~ now
III a country winch Jackson rendered immortal by
the skill, ra,pidity and success Of ms movements
and he Is not III position rerIOus a. Jitkaun
was after the hattie Of keInst0wn, and before the
brilliant exploits which set him free from the enc
Inie5 that surrounded him, and enabled him to
throw has whole force upon the right wing OF Me
Cielian at Cold HaIbJT. lie seems TO have fought
battle obstinate that which Jackson fought at
Kcrnstowl, and to have Stunned his enemy quite as
much as Jackson did on that occasion. Should he
even not be reinforced, he viii BE- no doubt lac
Yet has it III his power to prevent the enemy from
perfecting has plan OF sti2ing Lyncturg plrpar4l-
tory TO isoltng General Lee and lie will exert his
utmost TO do it
The enemy viii RAISE a great cry OF triumph over
this victory We should not be surpTi<s hear
that another day of Thanksgiving had been ordered
by Lincoln, who is always thankful fr the smallest
favors The Yankee press will not lie thar,
usual. That it could hardly do. But it viii lie to
the fail extent Of its very extraordinary capacity for
exasseIdting truth and suggesting falsehood This
battle viii secure the election of lincoln, of which,
indeed, there was no doubt before. 1t viii set few
croakers to work in midst that is easily done.
But it will have no effect whatever upon the Issue OF
the war. In tie meantime, are happy to per
ceye that it has not materially affected the spirits
OF our people generally, who have become accus-
toned TO the casualties Of war, and know that un-
varying success cannot b. expected. No disaster
ean be fatal indeed, a- long the people continue
true IL thensciyes The great poet says OF Greece
Enough no foreign foe could quell
Her SOUL till from tfSeif II teN,
And establishment paved the way
For villain bonds aud de>pots sway"
The people Of the Confederacy, or, at least the
people Of Virginia, fully sensible OF this No
calamity has occurred Outing the war which has
made lasting impression upon them. Stunned lo,.
moment, they soon recover ana proceed at to
do all III their power ~ repair the disaster. Ii will
be now ut has been cases much more serious
than tho present The people Of Virginia are aware
that they are on the OF d tremendous struggle
Tor te retention of their capital They ATE prepared
Tor IT, and Will put forth their strength 10 the ut
most Should they even be overwhelmed and lose
The capital for which they are oonteniing they viii
not be discouraged. They know fall well that there
never was a struggle for liberty yet III which brute
force was not on the side OF the oppressor that i'll
this would never have occurred had
the frces of the parties been anything like equal;
that III struggle thus unequal, disasters must III
evitabiy come, and days Of gloom and uncertainty
be consequent therenpon. But they know likewise,
that by holding tn l1