The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-03-08
The Pngarlic Expedition Against Rich
mOnG.

The PuRarllc ExpeOlthOn AZ o1n6S Ekkc m
mond.
For seven or eight days past public interest
has been kept on tiptoe in relation to the great
raid on the rebel capital. There were whispers
of wonderful results to be attained by hand
full of men in a field where armies had failed;
and such were the stories told that the san
guine people of the North are not to blame il
Libby and Castle Thunder on the way home,
President Davis safely lodged in the Old Capt.
tol, and the rebel army of Northern Virginia
on its way to join Johnston in Georgia But
now this great movement is done with, and we
are assured from Washington that the expedi-
ton has accomplished all that was expected o:
it, And now we should like to know what it
all amounts to?
Five thousand men have ridden from the
Rapidan to Richmond and thence to Yorktown
without being killed or caught by the enemy.
All very brave and brilliant, no doubt;
but how does 1t benefit the country What
has been gained by it that can be considered as
o tangible or legitimate advantage in war.
Millions of dollars worth Of the enemy's prop
struction that will injure the enemy in such
way as to be of advantage to us, or
is ii a merely wanton destruction that
will serve no purpose but to render still
more bitter this cruel quarrel? Unquestion-
ably it is the latter. "All the mills have been
burned Is it not we'll enough known that
the misery occasioned by the destruction of these
mills will fall entirely upon the people, and
not upon the enemys army Do we not know
that the Southern commissaries, if at all dis
tressed by this destruction OF mills, will
seize the last measure Of grain in every farm
house; and that the starvation, not Of soldiers
but OF women and children will be the result
of this pitiful businesss Richmond was
shelled." Five thousand men rode sixty
miles TO she'll city without even the hope,
when they shelled it, that they would be able
to take it. And we claim that that city is one
of the cities Of the United States. Noble war
fare that Forty miles Of railroad were torn
up" And that, We are told, will compel Lee to
retire from the Rapidan. We do not believe
that it will interrupt his communications for
more than three days. But let us suppose that
it compels him to retire. What then! Is that
the way in which the Army Of the Potomac
wants to get rid Of Lee? Does the Washington
Directory, after all its struggles and attempts,
admit that it sees no way to get Lee out of
bis position on the Rapdan unless it starves
| him outf
Such movements as this are no part Of legiti-
| mate warfare. They have no results that are
respectable or valuable in war. They are rare
pieces OF barbarism. Barbarous in their origin,
in their execution they excite all the worst
passions and let loose all the barbarity Of bad
men. Europe was devastated by expeditions
Of exactly this character In the fourteenth CEN
tury-the heyday Of chivalry-and they belong
to those times, but not 10 ours In this war
they were begun by that empty headed fellow,
Jeb. Stewart--who rode round the Army Of the
Potomac merely to brag about II. Such rides
are worthy the braggadocio spirit Of the South
erners, from whom we caught the disposition
to make them. Unless made, az Stoneman's
great one was, in conjunction with the move.
ment Of an army--when we can avail ourselves
Of the embarrassment they may cause--they
are worse than worthless.
We do not see that there is any reason why
blame should fall upon General Fitzpatrick
He is brave aud skilful officer, and we do
not doubt that he has carried out bis instruc
tons as far as any man could have done. But
those at headquarters who originate movements
like this should receive only the severest cen
sure.