The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-09-21
WEDNESDAY MORNING. SEPTEMBER 81. 1864

We have il from undoubtAd authority, and VIC re-
card i, for the benefit n future historian, Of this
war-who will derive large portion OF their ma
teslais from the contemporary prers-thst the Con-
feaerate soldiers gathered up the field OF battle OF
the wilderness upwards Of lyseven thousand Van
kee n,uSkets The inference 90 which this fact leads
cannot be mistaken. Victorious soldiers do not throw
away their arms; routed soldiers very generally do
Ergo, Grants soldiers were routed, and he himseli
badly beaten general. II indicates, also, a
slaughter mnch greater than was Acknowledged by
the Yankees, who pat their whole less down at
thilty-fye thousand, killed, wounded and mi sing
Ii the number 80 small, it follows that, al
lowing none Others than infantry to have been slain
or wounded, twenty-five thousand muskets we've
thrown away by men who were not hurt at all.
prodigous rout it must be to produce such results
much greater than was actually the case. 1t IS
reasonable, however to suppose that the other arms
Of the service suffered, at least, ia some degree,
whereas the muskets picked up represent only in
fantry. The fair conclusion is, that the enemy had
vastly moro men killed and wounded than Is stated
above. The impuience Of Grant in claiming VIC
tory in the face of such testimony is astonishing
II is even more So when remember that he
moved of, leaving his dead unhur,ed and vast num-
bers OF his wounded in our hands
From the same source from which derived the
above intelligence, We learned that Grant opened
the campaign with one hundred and fifty thousand
men. lie had modelled his operations upon the
great German campaigns of Napoleon, alluded to
by US the other day. He expected to turn the right
flank Of Lees army, cut him off from Richmond,
and destroy him, drive him to the mountains.
Then he would march upon Richmond and enter it
in triumph at the head of a victorious army. The
Northern papers all said that was his plan. The
theory was beautiful, and if General Lee had not
been of a most unaccommodating nature, the sue
cess would have been correspondent. But he
fused to be beaten, and his defeat formed inn
portant part of the theory and had been taken for
granted il constructing it, the whole structure
TO the ground. The New York Herald, however
says his achievements during this campaign have
surpassed all the achievements of Napoleon. They
have not thus.far, however, proved quite
ful of Napoleon's; that is to say, the re-
suits have not been quite great. alt is you,
Sir William, "tsays Junius to Sir William Draper,
who had immoderatey praised the Marquis Of
Granby,I who make your friend appear ridiculous
by dressing him III laced suit Of tawiry qualficl-
tions which nature never intended him to wear"
We wonder this idea has struck the Yankee
journalists when burning incense their military
idols. Nothing makes man SO ridiculous as to
praise him beyond his merits. 1t always looks like
censure in disguise.
II must be admitted, however, that Grant is true
to his instincts. He processes great scorn for the
Confederates, because he says they are rObbng the
grave of its victims by making recruits Of those
who are about to fall into it. Now is certain that
Grant will never rob the grave He will not cheat |
it Of single victim lie is the best customer the
grave has had for at least fifty years. We doubt
whether it ever had better. He does not send to
it those who are on the way, and very near TIT
He sends those who in the flower OF their youth
and the prime Of manhood.