Year: 1864

WITHDRAWN from his left and centre, and Score
tary Stanton now announces to the Northern
public that "the movement Il in successful
progress" 1t cannot, therefore, be contraband
to say that the base Of supplies at the White
House has probably been abandoned by this
time, and that the Army Of the Potomac IL once
moro in motion. Lees cavalry was on the
nerth bank Of tho James river last Saturday
night, and that day Grants cannon were heard
with great distinctness in General Buffers
camp. Grant was nearer to the james river
then than be had been on the CbickahominV.
He Is therefore moving towards that river. His
deliberate choice to adopt the James az line
of communication, and to open new base on
that river, will finally silence. it is to be hoped,
those doubling critics who urge that Mcclellan
only adopted such course under the pressure
Of defeat. Grant is then substantially where
Mcclellan was two years ago; but he is there
under better auspices. His initiative is too
apparent to be doubtful even to the dullcst
person. he has large aud we'll supplied
army, and If he has not the complete and
hearty support Of his government he is certainly
not directly opposed by it. There is no person
in Washington who dare order him to reiinquish
q base that he knows to be the best he can get


Grants movement to the James will perhaps
once more open the question Of rebel ad-
vance to Washington. Such an advance was
one of the administration bugbears in 1862.
Mcclellan. on the James, was not between
Washington and Lees army and therefore
Washington was Ia danger. Grant is now not
between Washington and Lees army, nor has
he been SO during the greater part of the time
since he left the Rapidan. He has repeatedly
lett the road to Washington open to Lee, and
Lee has constantly preferred to move away
from that city. There is no more danger that
Lee will suddenly start for Washington now
than there was that he would do so when Grant
began his southwark march from Spottsylvania
Court House. Ouly person saturated with
the Washington stupidity could suppose that
aside from the abandonment OF Richmond
General Lee would undertake a march OF
hundred miles, through barren country, with
the Army OF the Potomac in bis rear. No city
but Richmond is in danger with Grant on the
James river.


1t is now forty days since Grant crossed the
Rapidan river. The first hurrahs are done
with, the smoke has cleared away, and we be-
gin to see the more important events Of the
campaign in their true light. We see very
clearly that we have not yet gotten through
with the abuse Of administrative interference.
We see that the President, not satisfied with the
awful sacrifices of life that his political schemes
had cost the country in other campaigns, has
made greater ones in this. Once more the Pre-
s:dent has directly subordinated the military
necessities of the country to his political iu-
trigues. At the very outset OF the great cam
paign Of 1862 the President rendered our sue
cess nearly impossible by making Eve indepen
dent commands in Virginia, where there ought
to have been but one. He deliberately pre-
vented the success OF our cause FOR fear that
the popularity of the commander who should
take Richmond would be used as political
capital against his party.


By that act, and later ones Of the same ma.
ture, be crushed q commander who had the
ability to put the rebellion down. Then we
bad four commanders who had not that ability,
and for whom he had no fear. Under those
commanders matters got to such desperate
strait that Congress was compelled to act, and
called Grant to the command of our armies
In that choice the President could only ac
quesce. But he has already begun to employ
against this general the very tactics by which
he prevented the success Of o,E cause under
General Mcclellan, and with what effect the
present position Of the contest shows. Had
but admirable plan for the destruction Of Lee's
army, be would have put tie James river and
the valley columns under the command Of
stauneh military men, aud not under fiatuent
polite ans. With the valley column under
Hunter, and the James river column under
Badly Smith, the work laid out for those
columns would have been efficiently
done, and the campaign would have
been gIoriously ended twenty days ago
in the rout Of Lees army. But The
President forced upon him for the commanders
OF those columns men Of known and proven in
competency; men who, tried many times, have
failed always; men without knowledge or
common sense, without genius or Judgment,
without anything whatever but political in-
fuence. AS an inevitable consequence, neither
column even approached its object; we lost the
result of the desperate lighting on the Rapidau
by their failure, and our cause is still in the
balance.


Only the President is responsible for this.
He, by atrociously subordinating the cause of
the country to his personal advantage, has
again deferred our success, and If he s to 20 on
we see no promise in the future. Military &c
MUS is useless the dreadful carnage OF a month
of battles is useless-if politician.in Washing
ton may nullify all that is done simply to fur
ther party scheme. And there is no hope ut
all for success unless in some way the people
nan riae In their MIGHT and demand thai Cen