, 1864-07-27

have taken the pains to give the Iatsyige,.-
ex1s first artice second reading, to see II
there he; any suggestion or intimatton that
the fire hun dred invaders were part only OF
the rebel forcc-that there might be more Of
them somewhere else north OF the Potou4ac
than in the immediate front OF Washington :;
but no Euch suggestion or intImation can be
found. The dishonesty OF the Intel'igeneer is
equalled only by the ignorant confidence
with which the New York Tribune adopted
its second estimate 5000 as the aggregate
Of the invading force.
Let us look now at certain facts admitted
by everybody:
1st. Gen. Hunters force, In Ills late raid,
including the commands of Cook and Avcrlll,
was not man less than twenty-five thousand
strong.
Cd The rebel force sent against Hunter,
after be had defeated and killed Gen. Jones,
was believed BY the rebel papers to ha strong
though to orerpower him.. They must have
been believed to be strong enough tor this
purpose by the rebel goyetnment-else why
send out smother insufficient force to meet
the fate which had Just oyertaken Jones,
Sd. Gen. Hunter himself believed that the
rebel force was too strong for him. Hence
his lapid retreat to GauleY. Something has
been Eaid about his being short OF ammuni.
ton, but Il the enemy bud had only 5000
men he might have helped himself to tleir
ammunition Instead Of making them pres
eut Of bis artillery. Il ia very evident that
Gen. Hunter believed the enemy too strong
for him-whatever that may amount to "
way Of argument.
Ath 1t Will not be denied that whatever
recel force had been sent agaiost Hunter was
ut perfect liberty TO march down the Shcuan-
doah Valley, after having chased the latter
Over the mountains to the valley of the Ohio,
/ adopt no mans theories as to the siren eth
Of the Invading force, but assert with con-
siderable confidence that inter we had been
stripped Of troops In that great gateway to
the North there existed no reason My every
rebel battalion that had been pursuing Hunt
er should no. be poured into Mar r5land, to-
gether with all the bundits Of the Mosby
persuasion who could get wind Of what was
going on: On the contrary, there was every
reason why, If the invaaion were to be made
st all, it should be made with the whole in-
stead Of part Of the disengaged rebel torce.
A small force would be liable to defeat and
capture. A small force would hive been de-
feated By Ricketts, division of the 9Th corps,
as Lew Wallace.
There are few items of positive evidence
that now deserve to be noticed:
let. A correspondent Of the Baltimore Sun,
writing from Rockville, Nd, July 1G, 1864,
speaking Of the rebel adraaea through that
place. sa,s that from sever. O'Clock Monday
were blockaded with pussfne infantry, artll-
lery and wagon trains.' The cavalry had
passed through before. The same writer
gives the time occupied BY the rebel rxtrrat
through Rockville rs follows: son Tues
day night about eleven O'Clock the adyance
Ffsm that Tine till t9ert,l O'clock on Wednesday
,nos ntng there was On incesBant sound of bus
| tie and rattle, which need not be particular
II described to those who have tried to sleep
By twelve O'Clock BradleyT. johnson, with
| the rear guard OF the rebel army Of invasIon,
| mad eyacuuted the village, and there was pro-
| found quiet" have read everything have
been able to find on the subject OF the late
rebel invasion, but I have seen nothing pur-
| porting to be as direct md uneauiyocal as
this Rockville letter to the Baltimore Sun.
Cd. Gen. Averilrs dispatch, dated Win
| chester, July 20, says that he had engaged a
d:taahnlent Of the rebel force tive thousand
strong,
Sd. The Richmond Enquirer Of tho 18th,
venting its disappointment ut the failure to
capture Washington, has the following plIa-
graph !:
| However great the disappointment may
be, yet much has already been, aud much
| more will be accomplished by those army
corps now, as we believe, sti1l north Of the
Potomac. PENNSYLVANIA lies before these
corps, and Invites foraging on the 1urgest
sweeping through that State, destroying nil.
roads, eeiztng horses and cattle, aud carrying
retaliation to the yery hearthstones Of the
people Of Pennsylvania, would cultivate into a
most fruitful harvest the already sown seeds
ofpeace."
Perhaps the statement, or estimate, Of the
Enquirer is a little loose. Perhaps it was de-
rived in part from the statements Of North
ern newspapers. Look at 1t in the most un-
favorable light, aud Jet It remains supported
by better evidence and entitled to more cre-
deucc than the oracular and waggish utter
pie copyisis in the North.
Gen. Grants estimate Of the rebel invading
force was ''not less than 25 O0O.'' Secretary
Stanton's was from $500 to 3O,OOO,H
Leaving out Of view the presumption that
Gen. Grant and Secretary Stanton each had
better sources Of information than were open
to the public, ask any candid man, who has
not<d TIE facts set forth above, whether these
otde1al estimates appear exaggerated ask
turther whether there Is any decent excuse for
the contumely heaped upon the President and
bis Cabinet in the charge that thcY were
frightened out Of their proprfety by the ghost
Of a rebel invading army-by u mero mindful
Of ragged grAJbacks on q horse-steallng ex-
pedftinn.
In conclusion let me advert briefly to the
reasons why the Shenandoah Valley was lett
upguardea, and Washington and Baltimore
The first and most obvious reason is TINT
Gen. Hunters head was turnsd by the sue
cess which attended the earlier part Of his
raid, and before he got rid of the hallucina-
tion he found himself 80 far to'the southwest
and With such forces Of the enemy between
him and his etartfng point, that he had to
make his way o7er the mountains Of Western
Virginia to the valley Of the Kanawha-the
very worst place in the United States to dis
pose Of an army-a place where no amount Of
than twenty-five miles q day. Il GEN
cra1 Hunter had reported ut Cincinnati or
indianapolis, instead Of Gauley, be could have
been set down at Martinsburg much sooner
than he was. The course which Gen Hunter
pursued was the farthest possible divergence
when the official dispatches come to be pub.
Iiehed.
The reason why Washington and Baltimore
were denuded Of troops ought to be fresh In
the recollection Of everybody, Public senti-
ment, 20 less than military prudence, de.
be sent to Gen. Grant. to make good his losses
in the battles Of the Wilderness and Spott-
sFlynnIa, and the further losses which were
to accrue By the expiration of the terms Of
enlistment Of many regiments which had not
re.enlisted. Any timidity on The part Of the
visited land JUSTLY with the fercest public
indignation. The h9saavy 9ac artillery regiments,
ont Of the Notifications, and sent to the army
Of the Potomac, their places being supplied 1
by hundred days men from Ohio. The natlon
applauded. and Gen. Grant was enabled to
maintain the offensive and to push on to the
james River: No harm resulted so long as
Grant was between Lee and Washington.
When Grant placed himself south Of Ri:h-
mosd, which was his object from the begin
ming, the conditions affecting Washington
were changed. And still there would have
been no danger If. Hunter had been in the
right place. Hunter being in the wrong
place, the Government could no more create
troops to resist the irruption at HarpcPa
Ferry, than 1t could furnish enterprise to
Sigel to find out what the enemy were doing
In his 'front.'
I submit to the reader whether there re-
maine any mystery about the temporary sue
GEES Of the late rebel incuraion, aud whether
there exists any good ground tor the abuse
which has been 1eSeled at those who haye @ the
charge Of public affairs. a, W.