The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-26
TUESDAY, JULY %, 1854.
HOW, IN MILITARY OPERATIONS, TO
KNOW UP FROM DOWN, AND RIGHT
FROM LEFT.


FROM LEFT.
Tbe late accounts from the Shenandoah
valley for a long time led us to believe that
Instead Of an army Of raiders marching on
Washington, column Of our own troops must
be making . diversion In favor Of GRANT.
Whom we at last learned that there was no
honger any doubt that the enemy was marching
rapidly up the Shenandoah valley, we made
mp our minds that a column of our troops GER
tainly aimed at taking Richmond by surprise
0ank movement from the direction of Lynch
burg. The great panic of farmers, who cam
burrying northward, driving their stock, wa
inexplicable when we recollected that IL the
column proved to be the enemy, he must be
getting away as fast as possible. But soon the
enemy did appear; he eat, he burned, he pill
bred, and he pillaged, and, worst of all, we
Found out that he could arrive down the valley
by marching up it. Moreover, after he had
gorged himself with food, and his wagons with
plunder, the newspapers made him fly down
The valley, when We thought there was no
moro down to II.
This Is truly startling, when an enemy IL 80
alert that he arrives in front of the capital by
taking the back track. What dreadful idea
Il suggested Of his speed, supposing him to
make q forced march In the real direction of
Washington
This peculiarity ofthe Shenandoah valley, or
Of The Rebel marching, still continued to excite
our surprise, when the Army and Navy Jour
nal, speaking of what transpired after Hun
TER's retreat from Lynchburg, said :-"At
~ ouoa fha av,ovs,,y r,ovad al, A.
Sland on Saturday, July 2, evidences of their
approach were numerous" This ls fearful
Here Is high military authority for saying that
p the enemy could not avoid getting to Wash
lngton. They evidently tried to get away,
but on July 2, there could be no doubt about
their early arrival. The military must really
order reconnaissance, and see why il Is that
when the enemy goes up the valley, he per-
force comes down, and when he goes down
he comes up.
Not long ago we were reading a descrip-
tion Of the fortiHcations above the mouth of
Stono river, in South Carolina. According
10 1t, Legareville had either been ferried
across the Stono, or else the river had lately
changed its base. Knowing that the land was
anything but free-soil in those regions, and
allghting on some other newspaper ac-
counts, which spoke of places in positions
where they could not have got without some
convulsion OF nature, of which we had not
heard, we were forced to conclude that the
towns had moved. This was especially graft
tying, as old acquaintance with South Caro-
lima had led US to believe that nothing at all
moved there.
For the sake Of the much-alluded-to future
historian, who Is likely to have a heavy
enough job, without being perplexed in his
attempts TO follow the ups and downs and
rights and lefts of some of the accounts of
battles which have taken place, we purpose
giving the rules by which persons who write
about military matters may avoid describing
one wing Of aH army engaged in a naval COM
bat in several fhthoms OF water, or advancln
backwards on the capital of the nation.
Up valley is in the direction from which
Its streams flow. Down valley is where its
streams discharge their waters. Shenandoah
valley Is the valley of the Shenandoah river,
which flows into the Potomac; consequently
to go up the valley is to go away from Wash
ington. The recollection of this description
will prevent the enemy from making these
extraordinary marches, and appearing just in
the opposite direction from the one in which
he was expected.
The right bank of a river and the left bank
do not correspond with the right and left hands
of an observer supposed to be looking up
stream, but with the right and left hands of
an observer supposed to be looking dorm
stream. Keeping this in mind will much
facilitate the movements Of soldiers, who draw
only five feet three inches of water, and who,
at present, are often made TO appear to fight
while navigating streams Ofconsiderabe depth.