Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-10-18
The Flankiug Operation.


paragraph:
The Mobile Advertiser publishes letter from Capt.
Ben Lane Posey, which contains the following striking
paragraph upon the advantages and disadvantages OF
thanking and being hanked. he says: "Sherman's
move was a very desperate one, ana was last 70,
sort. If It had failed be would have retreated Had
Ne remained at Atlanta, Shermans movement would
have nayed itself out of its own weight cannot
derstand this morbid fear which West Point man have
of being hapked or hav ing their communications cut
off Communications are necessary Tor Two purposes
only: to get raions and ammunition, ana 70 get rein-
forcements The way to obviAte such necessity u 10
have all your army together already; have 1t large
enough for the purpose and have, with it all needul
supplies; have little more than the enemy has. Then
LET him flank He ia then in our rear aud We are IN
hls rear We in the heart Of our country anu near
our suppes Toe enemy Is In motion-has MA suppnes
to haul in wagons dirt roads, which roads We COM
uAnd BE Is four hundred miles from nome, ano mas
ess 60 eat than We have. Who Will starve hrstI VINO
eau stay longest? say then, that cannot understand
this morbid fear which West Point men have Of being
hlnked. II Alnking is so dangerous TO us' II 10 more
80 to the enemy, and why don's We Try it on them
We know nothing Of the art Of war. We presume,
however, H. ike every other art founded upon com
mon sense. Now, We do claim to have ttA' OF that
article and i. teaches US that 0sptAn Possys remarks
are very much to the purpose. The alarm which the
West Point man has for his tanks reminds rs OF that
mania which prevailed With the Russian army Just be-
fora the battle OF Auslerliz and which consisted IN
st,ributing all military success to certain "obLque
movements" which movements. We presume, mean
a,pkiRR" They tried one Of these movements, as We
a. know, at Aussri.s, and we ali know, likewise, what
became OF 1t.
Before this war, q .uk meVemtn!s we're regarded as
extremely dangerous 0ae Of NapOleons maKims is 70
this tf,ct: Never make flank movement in the pre-
so c, of en- enemy who is III position" The reason OF
Ibis oautonafy advice is GENTLY obIioue. TIE Gen.
e. al Who att,mps a flank movement nee !ssAry CT =
poses his own AInk and the Iisk Of having it at
t.cIed while he ia on tina march. The occasion upon
vh CD he fret enuIcated it. is significant l. Is at the
cose of chapter on his rsmRIks upon the campaigns
Of Feederci the Great in Whicl he has just de- orbsS
the bAlte OF Hol n. That battle was loss a. eVery
reader OF history is well aware, by an attem1.
20 e1 cate this very ma, u Ivre frederick
passed his Whols army along the iront OF D4unS for
s4e purpose Of turning his rigdi ak. He WAS sud
denly attacked, while in the nils: OF tbs ma e lyre
and in spite Of the bravery Of mis- troops completely
rou ed. Tlriy yeAis later, the Au3trans attempted
the same thing with Bonap Ire at Casiglone in aly
With the Ike result. A st more memorable erample
was that OF AuIseri Z. Tnis time whole army was
almost entirely destrOyed-killed, wounded captured
d owned or dispersed never to reunitr. AsSaAmanca
Mumont suff,red mos. overwhelming defea., from
att IN 1iing the same ma eiv[e against Wellington.
l. DEED in Europe it considered before the ligh
of lhs war shole the upon them tina. the
neral who A!temp ed to make march, that IT,
march to turn snemy's flank, placed himself in
nd nf Ia.a III
examples any ,neral that should have sustained ds
ieA. in oSussq isn,s Of su,h q movement, would have
run the rik Of q severe Judgment from q court MAJ.
.tsL
TIL, Russians and Alsirsns at Austerliz attempted
20 do the thing which Sherman actually did do at A.
ANA The Sttemp., in their case, brought on the de-
t. uccn Of their army. 10 Shermans case il brought
on the defeat of his ensmy's amy. There must have
been wonderful difference in the manner in which the
MAJ cave was met by the French Emperor and the
Confederate General The Russians and Austrians had
b. en- Induced to believe that Napoleon was retiring be
fore their overwhelming numbers, and was anxious to
gs back to Vienna, in or Ter to put the Danubo be-
tween them and himself. They determined, therefore
10 Gu; him # from The V.nns road, which was on his
right, by attacking and OverpOWerDg that wing Of hs
Amy. Accordingly, they made flank march with
their left constituting nearly third of their army, fer
this purpose having their centre very weak and TIER
right not 60 strong i: might have been. napoleon
70 Ifset their purpose left his right comparatively
weak giving drscons for it to hold out until he could
r.Geve il. Ha concentrated the main bulk of his army
upon his CENTRE and when he found that the enem, .
If had executed their long flank march
and were engaged with his right he united
al his centre in grand attack upon the fesble centre
Of the ales 1t eutirey rousd, cut down or dit
"a in half al hour. 10 then, with his whole M ted
centre foJw ID in the OF ths ali,d left wing Al
tackled them while engaged with his right, cat them
down, took them prisoners, or drove them into the
iEks, and then sent 900 CuiIassiers to attack their
right, which retiring 6ShtiI g. in INK and rear
sherman like the Aes tried to cut of his adversary
ON q road aud be seat his right for that pur-
poie, to much greater distance but he was neither
laLen in .nk he Otherwise disturbed a. far as
We eau learn until he aivedon the spot where he was
20 operate.
TIE very name OF A.nk movement raises supersti
tiou1 terror in Generals it seems to u.s. Tney have
bat one way to check il and that is to fall back AMI
get out of the din iuly. At least do not know that
they have attempted another unless tbs attack of Gen
LIE upon Giants lnk at the Wilderness be an e1csp.
ton.
PARTICULARS OF The MURDER OF YOUNG
CRIrTENDEN
We are permitted to publish the following letter re-
a,pR the particulars Of the murder of young Orittcu-