Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-10-11

paEn from the RapldAz to abe south side Of the Jsnse
The rOuts from the Rapdan chosen 10 preference
10 that up the nlnsus as General Nssee ntimAsss,
because Mcclellan had chosen the latter and because
Lincoln had expressed preference for the former
Gan. crossed the Rapidan on the 4th of Nay last
According to General Nagee, his army, at that time,
vss e,tiruated variously At 100 to 10000 men. he
places it at the lower figure, and says that he after
rs received endorsements to the amount of OOo
and added Buffers army, 40 900 more. Under his own
eve then at the lowest estimate he had 205 600 men.
He estimates Seges forces at 80 O0O making 2S5 O00
On the first Of September Grants force, exclusive Of
saeridans (which is put down at 80 900, but which
know to have been reduced below the half of that
anouat) 50 600 men. OF course he had lost accord
ing TO Yankee accounts l65 900 men-mOrs than he
crossed the Rspidsn with on the All Il Nay. I'D he
net been reinforced indeed, he would have Loaf, &C
oOrdng 10 this estimate "a Yankee estimate too, TAKEN
Of eourse, from Yankee sourcss,) every man OF bis
Amy.
We doubt whether any army OF modern times ever
underHeat such tremendous curtAilment OF its num-
bers in the same space OF tms To find anything Ike
it va should be obliged 10 go back to Antquity-to the
destruction OF the Armenian army at O1rnth, to the
slaughter OF the PsrsSns at Pia'a Of the Romans at
Gam e and the murder Of whole German and Gallo tribes
by julius ar The object OF ali this carnage was the
cap,use OF Rchmond-a1 object Whiel Was absolutely
aad ignomiuiousy defeated al tue time, which has not
since been attained and which, so far as We en- Zee,
no nearer As.ainmens nov than Ii SIX msntls ago
The r,sul,s nave been GePlorAoly small A posi"0n
n.3 been cap ursG on the Weldon railroad, Ald FOr'
HARRISON vas abandoned o. our oWn msH Eisn AiHost
no sslstlres Tnese are al tas trophies that can b.
,hosn, in conpsnsAiOn for loss WGch the Yankees
acknowledge - have been lS5, 900 msn but witch We
nav well bsilsVe % have b9en grsAt-r,
Tas greater parE OF this enormous sacrifice could have
assu ready avoided. l. cost GEaE over 100000 men to
get hs army to the south aide Ct James river. BE
could have carried il shsgs WiiaOu tbs lOss Of map,
ay be geaslsishiF 10 mareb army By land seventy
nss in fee OF iuriops opPOsi ioB, Wners It Is
ssd 50 fshs Tor sysEy too5 OF greund occupies and
Il thus sSatug loses scores OF tnou AIds, 10 point
Haieh Ca hs reached Wisocu. lighting at al. Blu it
it De- Is tile ssrs1gsss gsneTAlship ever heard Of, from
she days OF Nimrod 10 thoss Napoleon. Ii the
Tho prAciass This sort OF generalsnip be great cap
Ain then the world hAs heretofore been in error With
regard 70 wtA. constitutes that character. Certainly,
AexAndeg, lnuiDsl aad ar Gustavus, TuEenEe and
Elgene, n, derrick, Napoleon and Wellington, were
20. great captains, ii Cast be one.
General Naglse makes "a estimate of General Lees
force aad his losses l. is from Yankee sources and
Grossly inaccurate General Las, for example, wall
smile when 10 Is told tina. he los. IS 600 men in the
campaign. The &c, is, TIA: no Csnpag9. vas ever
conducted vito such enoImlus disparity OF lOsJ. This
aross in part from the fact OF hgntng behind works.
where 10 we're measuraby protected. The Yankees {,
seeing the unparalleled slaughter Of their own men
supposed they were inacing corresponding loss upon
a. Whereas in point Ct flc4 we were osing net to
thei, Ave- General L,eI entire loss from the Rspidan
T. James River, inc uding the almost entire GesEruc-
ton OF General EiaAri J1hnsons corps, did not foot
10 20 600 men. Ilcredibs as this may appear it is
undoubtedly true have sseertsined from authori
y which cannot be disputed.
General Naglee gives Mcclellan before Redmond,
IS 900 me1, ald Us l75 600 1: appeared, upon the
examination OF the Assistant Scr, tary OF WaS, before
a committee Of the Yankee Congress, that Mcclellan
had drst and last The Peninsula, l5S 900 men. The
Confederate force opposed TO bin, never numbered
90 200 men. he has reso5t,d to al sorts Of lies and
quvooauons to get ever the shame Of bio defeat In
p5lt OF fact il vas due to two causes frst tie supe
flor VAlor o. our soldiers; and secondly the Superior
ability Of our Cameras. The absurd lie that We had
l75,eOO sers, Is an invention of Nee sllans We
vip ped Lin everywhere, in spite OF lis tupefior mum
oes, aud drove aim out of br.astworks which ne be-
loved to b impregaabe.