The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-04-10
General Greeley VS.. General Johnston.

General Greeley VS. General Johnston
1t is worth noticing that while General
JOHNSTON has written long letter 70
prove that the Confederate army could
not have captured Washington city I'M
mcdiately after the first battle OF Ma
nassas. the New York Tribune has takei
the other side of the question. The Ir'
b,tne, indeed, writes as il 1t regretted the
failure to advance upon the capital. Gen
eral JOHNSTON shows, 1t admits, several
"lame reasons" why the pursuit cous. .
not have been carried into the ci'!' ~. :.
none why IT should not have been p'.',1
We are almost compehea
that the present generation alu 'n." pv',
w. - chem. will continue to hold
"''. ncess of the Confederate cause
'na' MAJ, have been assured by an advance
, Wan" washington city in the wake of the
.oa,;nc army. The North then was as
thoroughly demoralized and as totally IN
.o,area 10 carry on the war as the South
MAS four years afterwards, when G neral
rvr surrendered. The army with which
NrCrglIAS fought his battles the next
rsar was not then in existence. Congress
;,lccd passed, after the first battle of Ma
nassas. the act which authorized the rails
ing of that army. General McCLELLAN's
report Of the state of things at the time
when General JOHNSTON supposes WASH
;ry,on to have been impregnable shows
matters in an entirely different light.
That report, as quoted by GREELEY,
,enresented that sin no quarter were
"tbe dispositions for defence such as
"to offer a vigorous resistance to re-
"spectable body of the enemy; that the
par,hworks on the Virginia side were of
tho slightest aud most trivial character
and that there was nothing to prevent the
Conftderatcs from occupying the heights
and Smelling the city from across the Pc.
tomac. But, above all, there was totally
demoralzed soldiery defending the city.
The President had made preparations to
leave Washington with his Cabinet in case
our army advanced; and Congress would
have stampcded like so many wild horses.
Their example would not have been lost
upon the army; and the result would have
been the capture Of Washington and Bal
timore, the possession of Maryland, and
government without capital. "But
"even," says GREELEY's paper, chad it
"been impossible for the rebels to follow
"our routed army into Washington, that
"waS no reason why they should not have
followed and harasSed us as far as they
could" The following paragraph is re-
markable:
The story that 4 number OF fresh Con-
1eG"ra,e regiments We're recalled from the
pursuit in consequence OF 4 false rumor that
or: forces were moving upon Union Mills he
General JohnsIonl pronounccs faisehood
Uai General Beauregard states il very dis
tmctly in his official report, with minute
ness OF detail which leaves no room for doubt
iAs lis correctness
We must admit, on the contrary, that
car army did not lack much of being over
come. "What might have been DONE"
continues GREELEY, "could the panic rout
'haye only been stayed for half al hour
what years Of battle might have been
"sparei had our soldiers only known that
ebay how near they were to victory-it is
hardly worth while now to consider"
Both of these, however, will forever re-
main disputed questions; and it is not pro-
fitable 10 discuss them.