Maysville weekly bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1864-1866, 1864-05-19

Tie Telegraph Can Notbe TFusted--Its Cen
sorsfip : The Truth IN Relation to the Bat
Ties Terrible Destruction Of Life.
WAsHEGNToN- CRY, May IL, 1864
To the Editors of the Enquirer:
Entertaing the belief that you would like
to have the opinions and the facts in rela-
ton to the recent battles on or uer the Rap
.idap. as they are known to your old CORES
pondent, Cleveland have concluded TO
write you cnce more. l presume you are
aware that you can not rely upon the sele-
graph for the facts as the Government has
censor in all the principal cities, and partic-
-uIarly here in Washington is the CENSOR
ship rigid and severe. If a correspondents
of the Enquiries, or any other paper, should
attempt to send news of an unfavorable
ch aracter to the success of the army. he is
at once spotted, and from that hour the toll
egraph is closed against him. He is not told
that the telegram shall not be sent. but the
paper fails to get the dispatch. know this
to be the case 10 more than dozen instan-
ces. / have learned it from the employees
of the telegraph companies, You mu t De
pend for Reliable information upon the
mails. aud even they are not Away certain.
for there exists a we'll grounded belief that
letters have been tampered with in their
transmission.
From what can learn Of the late battles
am satisfied that from the day Grant eros
sed the Rapidan until last night be has been
decidedly worstsd in every conflict. losing
far moe men than Lee, and obtaining 20
advantages in position or other strategy to
compensate. Our advance into the rebel
territory has been slight indeed, not more
than IL or Is miles; aud if we should lose
all the way in a corresponding ratio. our ar
my would be entirely destroyed before it
reached Richmond. The rebels have fre-
quently been the attacking party, aud have
generally held the field until the going down
of the SUI. The fact OF six or seven Fed
eral Generals being killed, two or three
wounded and two or three taken prisoners,
while few eminent rebel officers have fallen,
is significant. Generals do not thus expose
themselves except when there is evident
danger of disastrous defeat and rout to the
army. Never in the annals of war has there
been such mortality among officers as IN
this campaign on the Federal side. In this
connection | cannot forbear expressing my
deep regret at the death Of the brave and
chivalrous Sedgwick, one of the very best
officers in our service-a gentleman for
whom l have long cherished the strongest
feelings of frien dship.
When the full details of these terrib
battles are spread before the country, not by
lying special dispatches aud bulletins, but
as they are, they will cast gloom over the
whole country. The destruction of life has
been fearful to contemplate. / have just
seen friesd who arrived an hour ago from
the army, and his description of the slaugh-
ter, the appearance of the dead and woun-
ded upon the battlefield is enough to make
the stoutest heart quail. and incline all men
for peace The stories of our success are
DOT kcown to the army. Dolly the most he
roic courage upon the part OF the troops and
energy upon that IF General Grant has pre-
vented an abandonment of the campaign
aud the falling back to the position across
the Rapidan. <.-..
We have lost nearly one third of our ar
my in killed, wounded and prisoners.-
Forty thousand is a low and moderate es-
innate, aud yet the heavy work of the cam
paign Is upon us OF this number eight or
ten thousand are prisoners, and three Gem
erals are taken with them. The strong point
oil Lees defense have not been reached,
and they will be defended with terrible te-
nacity.
Lees army Is we'll disciplined, and is ac-
tuated by the deepest hate TO the Federals.
It is fearful to think of the loss we will
suffer in the progress Of this campaigu =
The telegraph will tell you Of the early
fall Of Richmond, and as the public desire
to receive it, it will be accepted as fact
If I was more DESTROYS Of popularity than
of expressing an honest opinion and Telling
Won the facts, should coincide in it.
1t is thankless thing to express a, belief
contrary to that of the people generally; but
[ have always disciplined myself to over
look my wishes 10 considering what is or
what il not likely to happen. l am aware
that Grants army is immense. | have
high respect for his ability aod that Of his
nripcipai officers; but nevertheless am sat-
isfie1, from the natural difficulties existing
gainst him, in the character Of the country
in the difficulty Of transportation aud sub
sistance, that the campaign will be barren
of results. and that, like all previous cam
paigns against Richmond, this also will
prove to be failure. This opinion is shared
10 by many intelligent friends of the AID
who ave the sense and the
courage not to be misled by their hopes =
There are others who more than doubt
whether any real advantage would be gain
ed by the capture of Richmond if the he
-oism Of our troops and the pluck of Grant
should take that city, after asacrifce OF six
" or seventy thousand meo. 1t would only /
open another long line of communication /
% guard. 1t would give duration to
he war. We all remember the import
lnce attached to Vicksburg. Vicks6urg
,nce in our possession, and the Con
ederacy was sundersd, and the war was
practically over, was the cry of the super
icial and weak, who know how to create
rouble, bnt are as ignorant as children OF
be employment of proper means for the
of national difficulties. So it
would be with Richmond. The taking OF
t would havs no perceptible effect npon
he Duration Of the war, but it would nave ,
o be followed by new campains. to exhaust
he blood and treasure of the country. An
'thef Richmond would be found a few !