The National tribune., 1908-12-03
NATIONAL TR1BuNE

MIN, provfded he Is not found in a very
stIong position, where the naturai and
aIslI1clai obstacles are such tnat, WIN
hteilor thn @ or equal numbers on ms par,
the advahtageS referred to in reality
make him-my superior. This, OF course,
can only sbe tested or settled py an ao-
vance andg coming in contact with MN.
| Ihe Information as to the enemy
position and movements, as previously
reported, is vegy meager and contradlc-
| tory have still to rely On my own
judgment and reasoning, which is, as
before stated,T that he will be found
prepared to dispute the passage of the
Rapidan, Represented to. be very
strong line. for, defense. With my pom
toon bridges the probabilities are that
avoiding the fords, where. of course, he
VIII pc prepared to receive me, shall
be able to find some point where, the
| commanding nights being on my side,
with my artillery in position, can
force a passage, and the river once
passed, his line becomes untenable. To
| do this however, will require the whole
force L have at present. Indeed If 1t
were practicable, should desire an i'll
crease, as / shall have to leave in my
| rear large detachment to guard my
depots and communications.
TO conclude, therefore, in my judg-
ment, if there were no other considera-
tions than the relative strength and po-
sitiUn of the two armies / should favor
an advance. OF course, you and the
President will be governed by such
other considerations as may exist, and
your decision. when communicated. will
be promptly and strictly complied with
Presenting. for the purposes of this
paper, that it is decided not to advance,
the question then arises. What course
is to be, pursued? In your telegram of
2:30 p. m. of yesterday you indicate
holding the line of the Upper Kappa
hammock. I have to say, inlregard to
this line that ] do not consider it as
offering any-particular advantage, as
at low stages of water the river is ford
ableNp so many places. and with pom
toorf trains. which the enemy are
known to possess, he can cross where it
is not fordable. Hence il will be impos-
sible, supposiGg he assumes the defefl-
sive, to prevent bis turning my flanks,
or, as / propose to do at the Rapidan
forcing a passage at some point where
he can get the command for his artil-
lery on his side. This will. however,
in a measure depend on my strength,
which can only lie known after you have
decided how much of my force you will
withdraw.
There is one consideration to which
your attention is called. and that is. in
case ] do not advance, what probability
there is that you will be enabled to re-
inforce this army more rapidly than
the enemy will be his. Our past expert
ance has Snown-a a fertility of resource
md power over his people IN bringing
out men, which leads me to fear that
in this respect q delay will be more
advantageous to him than to us, not
withstanding the exhaustion and dis
content which it is known the war has
produced in his country. / shall not
y fs.4t r.aft-
cumstances till your views and wiSles
are sent to me.
Geo. G. Meade. Major General"
Useless Maior-Gencrais.
Gen Meade was quite anxious to have
Gen. c. K Warren, of whose military
Utilities he had the highest opinion,
promoted to Major-General, that he
might assign him to the command of
the Second Corps made vacant by the
wounding Of Hancock. None of the
Generals who had had command of
that splendid body Of men since Han
cock had fgileY had at al satisfied
Meade, and he Wanted the Second Corps
to be led Nby q man worthy of it. 1t
was Impossible TO comply with Meade's
wishes at that tfi,e for the reason that
there wers great many Major-Gen-
erals whoI,had received their promotion
early in the war for some casual sue
cess, but had lafSr proved unfit for that
high rank Tney had been placed on
waiting orders. with the expectation
| that lack ofqsrsfrployuTent would bring
bout their hresignations. But Major
| Generals are Ike other officehCtdcrs in
| few dying and fIone resisning. Congress
refused to make any mere Major-Gen-
erals while 1t>GEA men we-e not ern-
ployed, and II was out OF the question
| TO employ them. They had imbibed in
its frllstrength the Regular Army, ideas
as to their rank and dignity, and would
not think for an instant of entering the
service under men who mad once been
their juniors. Therefore, Gen. Warren,
like many other highly n1critorious Off
GERS, had to go on fighting and render
| ing good service at low rank and pay,
while these h-priced Major-G Generals
hung around washington, doing moth
| ing but drawing their pay and their
| breath. Failing thus TO get Warren
| promoted. Meade applied for authority
o break uD the Eleventh Corps. and
put the First Division into the Second
Corps, with Howard in command of the
corps. This plan seems to have been
frustrated by startling events in the
West, of which we shall speak later.
The New York Draft Riots.
The emissaries of the Southern Con-
federacy were active in all tho Northern
states from the beginning to the end
OF the war in starring hackfires TO en-
barrasS the Administration and aid the
iSecessionists. Wherever there seemed
chance 10 stir up the people against
the Government andthe further prose
cution of the war these en1issaries were
giciously active and quite successful
Nowhere did they find more fruitful
soil for their pernicious seed than in
New York City. A very large proper
ton of the people of New York were
unnaturalized foreigners, Who had little
attachment for the Union or even for
the State of New York or the United
States. New York had much of the
feeling common to ali great seaports
of independence of and antagonism to
the mainland. AT the beginning OF the
war Ferdinand Wood, once Mayor of
New York and afterward Representa-
tive in Congress, had actually proposed
the secession of New York from the
State and the United States, and the
city setting up in business as a free
city, after the manner of Hamburg,
Lubec, Venice and other great trading
ports. A large portion of the mercan-
tile, professional, banking and other
elements were English, who read Eng
lish papers, and considered themselves
yet as subjects of Her Majesty, Queen
Victoria, and who shared the English
aristocratic feeling in favor of the South
and of contempt for the people of the
North. The really loyal citizens of New
York had hard work struggling against
these adverse elements Orders for a
draft to ELL UP New York's o1ota
arouSed at once the hittarest hostility