New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-12-06
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC.


HpcRs A&aY OF nr JANIS. Dec .. 1864.
Drop an old swimmer into tho water and he
swius so ], ex.War correspondent. having dropped
into the army for two days. write ii the necessity DO
not 30 valuable In the in the other II ismy
word foy i-qute as imperative. Having been ia both
situations, know
The man who never before n city is not more as
founded by Broadway. not more bcwilderod in thread
| ing the modern Labyrinth known Boston-n more In
triea,e than the Cretan of od,hsn are most cviars
who unused 10 wars alarms, come into the midst Of
this army face it, hustle and thread is intreacie'
instructors appreciation Of this fact led my richd
the Hon. - 10 ask me 10 go With him 20 the front
not exactly in the capacity Of guide philosopher and
friend Tor DE philosophy Of the dunn vri is rather
| more his than mine. The friendship We divide. The
guidance at FIST assumed. but feinquihed His
acquaintance with major generals showered upon him
all couiteses and facilities until the advantages Of my
ov long apprenticeship shrank into Toots mo conSe
Quenoe."
| The weather deserves Il complimentary paragraph.
Out Of Difference 30 northern laiitudcs ard northern
preudices this ler1cr bears date December2. Never
theless. the almanac 10 the contrary Notwithstanding
the season is Spring and the actual date Is Moy2
srong IN chronology. and would not co'nmi'
myself without rst referring 10 the Book OF Genesis to
more than a mid insinuaton Of an opinion that Adam
and Eve were cotemporaries "A direct statement 70
that effect would be hazardous. But this Is Spring
feel IT, therefore know IL. The evidences OF one
senses may not be disputed PIeispcsitions mbibed
from books vanish in the Eight OF every day e1pe'
Ienoe This is Spring. Nor is Il 80 wonderful that u
should be- Didn't the sun sit up oil night That Joshua
might have time 10 send the Canaan!iish s1ua'tefs
whrling through some oriental Winchester Wasn't
| there some atmospheric phenomenon ,ompensatng Tor
the snn while Moses should make available that great
prototype OF the Dutch zap Canal through the Red
Sea. (which, by the way differed nom the modern
mainly o. 10 the relations 10 the other, Of the land
and the watcrD Is II not, then reasonable. that the
seasons should coaspro for Gen. Grant, and that lie
WILL "besore the going down thereof Gor anteoedenf
see four sentences back and then tokc IL hgura'
| lively 10 meaning season schieve he purposes
This disc usson Las Involved three things. First The
promises assumed, viz: That the present season Is
SpiDg rghtfully assumed because appaInn', theTe'
fore a conceded truth. Second: An inquiry as - Why
Spring should appear Of the usual order. elciing
historic poralcs 10 ,rsbsposi,on Of naiura PHENOMENA
Thrsc always 10 subsciye oi two oelignrens. and
always GROWING that with victory. Third: Tie
inevitable deduction, which f. sincc our side Is The
party aided by this Spring Anivmn. that our SIDE
is to accomplish what it proposes.
lit should snow &c il viii not BE- the fault OF
the argument Words ssde the campaign depends
Oh continuance Of the present waTp ard dry weather
Two weeks IL may these headquarters
10 the Spottswood House perhaps tho Ballard. in
case Gen Grant should select the former for bis
To make the exchange OF 10 gain any decided success
involves heavy fighting tie Rebel force
in Virginia is less than hall the number hcy bad
last Spring
| The remaining half ia all concentrated aboni Rich.
mond Fsrlvs forces have been recalled from tbs Val
lev and very lew are guarding the IyDchbaTg aud
Dsnyille roads 4 cavalry expedition, under Gcr.
Gregg tLown the Weldon Road yesterday and day be.
fore found only a few hundred in that quarter. Nor
have they dispatched any large force TO Geofgianone
but He,h's Division, and that small one, from the
Petersburg 'front.' Confronting the porth bank OF
The James they have than at any time since But
Ter effected the Judgment here having been lately Tecn.
forced by Ksrhaw's Division Of Eary's Corps. And
they have constructed magnificent line Of works had
I'D 10 our OWL and interior Line after interior line IL
plainly visible. These facts together with the every
day clamor tho Richmond papers for the Last inhsbi
spt to b. ready TO help 10 the trenches, proof
that the enemy expects terrific sssagl On uis AIDE
Of the river These papers assert that Butler aud
Porter preparing tremendous naval armament to
! attack 10 lconiuIction WIN tHe hTet no" u "WeI
through the Dutch Gsp Canal
Well the truth IT, it behooves them 10 be 10 readiness
TO withstand al these-snd more too. may say psi.
ticulariy the - more too"
The 18th and 10Th Corp' which have hitherto ecnsi
tu,cd the Army Of the James have been abolished the
white troops OF both going to form new corps, 10 be
numbered as the o4th and TO be COMM anded BY Gen.
Ord while the cooscd troops Of boi with those OF the
Army Of The Potoso are 10 form the 18th Corps uDdcr
! Gen. wsitSel. The change Was demanded BY several
consider sons Of such weight that at last the scpara
ton hes been decreed. Prominent among the reasons
recurring it, is that duo credit may be swsrdcd where
ever may be earned In the army the division is the
unit and lot division do well OF let 1t do Ill, the fact
Is soon known every other division. But before the
country the corps Is the unit and each has ito
fame while few have suggested TO them tho record Of
diysion or a brigade BY simply seeing Ito number.
Therefore the cocred troops have been given corps
of their own, and Will have to make a name for IT,
And il n no unwsrranfed stretch Of the imagination
TO say tha. the Twenty fifth will hew for itself niche
In history alongside Of the already household words
the Sixth tho Fifth the Second. the Eighteenth. and
others rot less eortous. The ability and earnestpess
Of the new corps commander 10 Of itself pledge for
this Gen. Godfrey weItsel. although young nan.