Year: 1864

The siege of Washington not quite as
long in duration as the siege of Troy, and
hardly as glorious as Derry or sarsgossa
has been at length raised, and there is now
a restoration of Communication with you
of the outside world, whose fears and anxi.
cites regarding the fate of the capital we
have been able to imagine. This morning
it was found that the enemy had with.
| drawn from in front of the deiences OF
Washington, and though they still show
pickets atlBladensburg and on the railroad
| there is good reason to believe that their
main force is marching towards the Poto-
mac, to make good their retreat with all
the foot that a week of uninterrupted plum
der has afforded them.


II.


1t is too early for US yet to make up our
minds whether VIC ought to laugh over the
deHouement of an affair more farcicsl than
tragical, or whether we should feel de-
yout thsrkfulness for great deliverauce.
There is enough that is droll to justify the
former, were it not checked by the rehec-
ton of how much there is mortifying aud
humiliating in the circumstances of this re-
bel raid. A great army is planted before tie
lines of Petersburg, where the vital inter
ests of the war centre; but the rebels, by a
movement of matchless boldness are able
for time to transfer the seat of war to the
north of the Potomac, are permitted to
roam through and ravage a loyal State,
and are able finally to throw the capital
of the nation into siege, and inspire 9th
ers than the faint harted with fears and
forebodings for its safety.


Now that it is over, one can speak with
more freedom thsn was erewhile allowable,
and hence it is not improper to confess that
Washington has for two or three days past
been more really "invested" than Richmond
ever has been. 1t is true the Potomac
river, a great natural line OF communica.
tions, has been open to us but our direct
and customary communications with the
North aud West have been, and now remain,
severed and this not merely by the dam
age done by the mounted raiders, bat by
| the fact that the enemy placed himself on
our communications, which, l believe, is
more than Gen. Grant has yet done with
respect of the communications of Rich
mond. Never yet, in all their invasions,
have the rebels attempted anything so bold,
aud although there can be no doubt that
Washington has before been in far more
real danger of capture than at any time
| y
have the rebels been able to make the cap
ital seem to be in so much danger and for
the first time they have won the eeidt-
whatever this may be worth-of an actual
| investment of the defences of Washington.
Cheap glory, but they will, no doubt, make
the most of it.


Three opportunities the rebels have had
of capturing Washington; the frst was
Immediately after Bull Run, the second was
after the defeat of Pope, and the third is
the present occasion. But the latter they
lost before even they reached the front of
Washington. Had they concentrated and
marched directly on Washington without
waiting for plunder, there is no telling
what might have been the result of Wig
| orous blow; but when they arrived it was
already too late Washington was safe,
not only in its circle of forti6cations, but in
the veteran defenders that stood behind
them.


III.


But this, and all other questions arising
out of the raid, depend for their determi-
nation on the capital point as to the de-
sisn of the rebels in the movement into
Maryland. And this again reduces itself
to single alternative: Had the Invasion
a strictly military aim, or was it underta-
ken for the purpose of Plunder, together
with such Incidental military advantages
as might be gained2 Although from pres
ent appearances, there is very little to in
dicate that the rebels entertained the for
mer design, aud almost everything to ndi-
cate that they limited their ambition to
the latter, yet there was much, even as late
as yesterday, to lead to the conclusion that
they were aiming at nothing short of a
transfer of the war to The soil of the loyal
States, and the capture of the Capitol
The force in Maryland were estimated even
by military heads at nothing less than
thirty thousand men, while it was asserted
that another column, consisting of the
whole of LOugstreets corps, was on its
way up from Gordousville. This view of
the matter was taken by the Washington
Star of Monday, when that journal made
the following declaration:


uTbe rebel army of invasion marched
down the Valley, 5000 strong, including
5000 cavalry, under command OF Major