Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1864-07-21

tive military blows concentration of course
is absolutely essential. 1t does not up
pear that the rebels were ever really con-
centrated, although it is not improbable
that they had the major portion of th:ir
forces massed at Mohocaey, and perhaps,
also, they had q good part Of it beforc
Washington. In inc latter case, We are
again conducted to the belief that their
force wss inconsidorable. They >yester-
de,y made respectable show i'll front OF
| Fort Stevens and Fort Lincoln but GER.
tainly nothing more than a moderately
heavy skirmish line-no line of batt;s,
no such masses Of men as were eoniured
up by lively imaginations at the front,
out of columns of dust" / should
think that twelve or fifteen thousand must
have included the whole rebel fo,ce in
Maryland
Finally in evidence that the enemy
was not prepared for any serious attack
on Washington, the weightiest circum-
stance of all is, that they made none
whatever. The numerous little spirits
of fight they have shown have been of the
most feeble kind--only the rencountcr of
last evening reaching the proportions of
respectable picket fight. Without doubt
they would have been willing, had they
found the opportunity--had they found
Washington defenceless-to have entered,
sacked and burned it, and their expedition
in this direction was probably recon
noisancc to see what the chances were
They did not find them promising, and
after this they appear to have confined
their efforts to keeping our large force
cooped up in Washington, while the rest
of the band devoted themselves to an ax-
tended system of pillage. They found
they could do this, and throw our over
whelming numbers into defensive atti-
tude, and this was no doubt glory enough
Y.
What the rebels actually accomplished
may be summed W 40 follows:
I. They established, for time, base
of supplies for Lees army in Maryland
There can he no doubt that they have
been only too successful in the capture o.
stores, cattle, horses, &C., which they
have made. In this part Of their pro-
gramme they have. probably been as sue
ccsc:ui Us they could have hoped. Ii one
could look down tn highways Of Virgin
ia, he w3s;;.::d see fling adown them long
trains filed with the sI,oIia opia,a Of this
raiding campaign i'll Maryland.
2 BY cutting the railroad communi-
cation leading in Baltimore and Wash
ington and drawing their forces up impu-
IDENTIFY before the defences Of the city
they won the prestige dt l'ayipg TOR thE
time beng thrown the CaNifoi 81 tce ma
ton INTO species OF siege. ihe fact OF
the real hollowness OF this triumph will
not prevent its not being abroad for very
significant demonstration OF our weak
ness.
3. ~ the fact OF the iaras!on they
will probably gain, Furthermore, the cred-
i Of having shown that while VIC are be-
siegin2 toe rebel capital we are unabic to
protect our own soil Ih.8 also IL. oil
course. nothing mere than speciora, but
it will be accepted as uo."cl ~ our IN
euics at home aud abroad.
4. They have produced 4 "rta! scare
throughout all the country covered hv
their operations and far beyond shonla
except from this, Washington City, which
has throughout maintained a certain dig
nifed tcn,rosurc: but from Martinsburg,
HaGerstown and Harper's Ferry to Bal
timorc. and even north of that, they have
spread terror wherever they Or the report
of them have gone. In Baltimore, es
pccially, the expeditions have been pit
ifnl. There is no evidence that that city
has ever been threatened by anything
more than cavalry party, end smali
one at that. Ard vet Ills 7q..l Of mcn,
has been allie - cop III = ..r.o g,foag
enough 10 ellew Up the rebels. or ten
times the;r runbar. BODY and boots
while they have devoted themselves to
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