North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1864-05-11
The Battles on the Rspidan.

Vnlie We are II YET Witnout accurate ue-
tails of the battles on the Rapidan later than
Thursday night, there are still several sal
lent facts that are worth calling to mind in
connection with the news we publish else
where. In the first place, it will be noticed
that after crossing the Rapidan, our army
was formed IN line of battle facing toward
the southwest, while the rebel line of battle
faced toward the northeast Frederick sburg
was, consequently, almost in the immediate
rear of our army while, in the event of
victory, General Meade's forces could reach
Richmond quite as soon as General Lees
The rebels occupied substantially the same
position as they did last November, when
General Meade did not deem 1t prudent to
attack them at Mine run. There are these
differences, however, that in the battle Of
! Thursday last the rebels seem to have taken
| the initiative and attacked General Hancock's
(Second) corps with great fury, so as to break
our line and inf1iet upon US, if possible, q fa-
tai defeat. Their object teeTs to have been
| to press the right Of our line az we'll as the
center, so as to drive our army back from
Germanla's and EIy's fords. This is very
much the same maneuver as that which was
so successful in the battle Of Charlottesville
and which came SO near running our army on
that occasion. 1t will be remembered that
Stonewall" jackson outhanked our right
wIng and drove 1t back on the river to with
| in two miles of the ford. Lee has endeavor-
ed to Lerform the same feat on this occasion,
but unfortunately for him 81 Stonewalp
Jackson 70 longer lives, and he hailed
Ii has so far been the peculiarly of all the
battles in Virginia that, while the onion ar
my was ostensibly the attacking force, they
have generally tough what IS ter med a wait
ing battle that is, after the attack was open
ed the rebels themselves sunied the init
atiye, and disconcerted the movements Of
our forces by the rspidiiy, earnestBess, and
vigor Of their own aggressive demonstrations
This has had bad effect upon the morale of
the Army of the Potomac, as it has rarely
been handled with directness upon the field
OF battle. South Mountain and Antietam were
exceptions to the usual run of our battles, as
on both these occasions the Union forces not
only initiated the attack, but kept it up
Gettysburg was defensive fight Freder-
cksburg, notwithst andlng the crossing of
the river by the Union forces, was fought
defensively on the other side. Even Gener-
al Hooker, with all his reputed dash, after
he had crossed the river, settled down and
ntrenched himself, but suffered an iguou,in.
GUS defeat, Notwithstanding. Lees tactics
the same in this last battle but his right
arm, Stonewall" Jackson, was missing,
and he failed. Indeed it is remarkable that
crowned any of the various movements and
battles of Lee.
Fridays battle, so far as we can learn, was
not decisive The enemy on this occasion
seem to have foug hi within their line Of in
trenc chments at Mine run, and repulsed the
Union forces whenever an attack was made.
On Friday night, however, if we read the
reports Alright, LEE retired; but with the or
ganzaton Of his almy intact. We are safe
in saying that nothing but the simple fact of
LEES r,tiring can give the Union for ;es any
claim TO d victory. They seem to have been
unable to achieve any decided superiority on
the field. This was doubtless due to the ma
ture Of the country which is very heavily
timbered, and Of such nature that artillery,
which is the strong point Of our Amy, could,
not be used. The fight was an infantry one
in which the musket aud the bayonet only
conld be used with effect Hence, notwith-
standing the desperate character Of the strug-
gle, and the fact that at least two hundred
thousand men were engaged in this fearf1l
shock of arms, we only hear Of some twelve
and missing, the carnage would. Of course,
be far heavier were ii possible TO use artil
lery with effect in that thickly wooded re.
gion.
| Like all the graf battle Of the war, this
! conflict, il seems, extended over the whole Of
two and part Of another dav. In Europe bat
Ties are nearly always decided by one days
fighting but the conditisn under which ar
mics meet each other arc very different there
! from what they are in this country. An
English or French army in the woods or
swamps of Virginia could not bc handled at
all according to the rules which obtain in
European warfare. They would be as de-
fenseless against and American army as were
BRADDocK's regulars against the Indians
The topogra ply of Virginia has repeatedly
saved both arAies from annihilaton. Judg-
ing by the experience we have had, if LEE
was able to retire during Friday night, he in
all probability saved his artillery and stores,
and maintained the organization of his army.
| The nnrsnit with AN arrny which had haan