Year: 1861

lie New Ork ITlOuHeOt uecuaN ui1heS TIE
following comments upon the defeat of the
Federal forces at the battle of Bulls Rum


The worst apprehensions of the anxious friends
of the present Administration were realized yes
terday by the news of the great battle fought and
lost on Sunday A million Of mel, overhowing
with patriotism and painting with ardor for the
fight, have been eager to join the glorious hosts
uphodng our flag and the cause of our national
existence. Money without stint has been ready
to flow at the demand of our Government as the
waters gushed forth when Moses smote the rock
All that could be desired, in men and means, to
secure crushing victory over the rebel troops
has been impatenty awaiting the beck of the
powers that be at Washington. But strange
paralysis has seemed to have hold of the men in
authority. An l-timed and miserly anxiety about
the expense to be incurred; blindfold trust OF
the gravest responsibilities in incompetent hands;
an inexplicable rejection of the offered cavalry
and artillery; a tardiness and ineficiency of pre-
partition; and fool hardy and inexcusable under
estimate of the strength of the enemy-these
have prevailed at Washington, until they have
made shipwreck of our grand heroic army.


Tha: quadruple the force which we had might
Just as well have been in the field, no one denies
nor doubts. What apology the Government has
to offer to the Inundated and astOunded country,
and to the friends-so uselessly bereaycd-of the
wounded and slain, we can not conjecture; but
whatever il may be, we are quite safe in the con-
clusion that it will be found altogether INSULT
cient and unsatisfactory.


We have fought and been beaten. God for
give our rulers that is so but il is true, and can
not be disguised. The Cabinet, recently ex-
pressing in rhetoric better adapted to love let
ter, fear of being drowned in its own honey, is
now nearly drowned in gore; while our honor on
the high seas has only been saved by one daring
and desperate negro, and he belonged to the
merchant marine The "sacred soil' of Virginia
is crimson and wet with the blood of thousands
of. Northern men, needlessy shed. The great
and universal question pervading the public
mind is: "Shall this condition of things continue?


decimated and indignant people will demand
the immediate retirement of the present Cabinet
from the high places of power, which, for one
reason or another, they have shown themselves
incompetent to fill. Give for the President
capable advisers, who comprehend the require
ments of the crisis, and are equal to thsm; and,
for the army leaders worthy of the rank and file,
and our baunsr, now dropping, will soon float
once more in triumph over the whole land. With
the right men to lead, our people will show them
selves unconquerable.


Onward, then, to victory and glory but let
not those who hold places of responsibility dsre
gard for day longer the means requisite to sue
cess Our Government is instituted and intended
for the general good; and no private interest or
personal ambition should be permitted to remain
an obstacle to the achievement of that great oh
ject. The people will insist upon new heads of
Executive Departments; and then upon a half
million troops and the best qualified and ablest
Captains, Coonels and Generals whom the coun-
try can furnish. All these must be had, and
without delay.


The New York Herald of the same date, com
ments upon the defeat In very similar spirit. 1t
says:


Our rejoicings over the promising victory at
Bulls ru were premature. That promising VIC
tory turned into n disastrous defeat. .


This damaging reverse may be readily ac-
counted for First, our Administration appears
to have been strangely ignorant or incredulous
concerning the forces, positions and defences of
the enemy at Manassas Junction; secondly, Gen.
Patterson could and should have detained and
cut up the rebel Johnston with his twenty thou
sand men in the valley of Virginia, instead of
permitting him TO slip off and join tho army of
Beauregard. In failing to push forward and
bring the retreating Johnston to battle. Patter-
son turned over to Beauregard twenty thousand
men. and Mcdowell practically lost the services
of twenty-five thousand. With regard to the ig-
nOrance of the Administration of the strength OF
the enemy, it would appear, from numerous re-
ports, to be largely attributable to the confidence
of Gen. Scott in the superior strength Of his oNn
forces Our own opinion is that our noisy and
fanatical and foolish politicians forced General
Scott into this thing against his superior judg
msnt. Whatever may be the truth in this 10
spect, it is manifest that the Secretary OF
War and the whole Cabinet have been UNEQUAL
to the exgeneies of the crisis. and far behind the
spirit and liberal patriotism of the loyal States.


We now perceive, what the Cabinet should
have known in advance, that in making this late
march upon Manassas Junction we should have
hal Il


the route from Centerve to the redoubts on the
Potomac river of fifty or sixty thousand men, in
stead of reserved force of twenty thousand
stretched along a line of ten miles from Airing
ton Heights to Alexandria. We know, too, thai
even u month ago we might have had in front o.


Washington one hundred and fifty thousand mer
instead of fifty thousand. But the Secretary o
War has refused the services of infantry, cavar,
! and artillery regiments and companies exceeding
perhaps. hundred thousand men. imploring tC
be accepted into the armies of the Union.


The whole responsibility in the end falls upoI
! the President of the United States He can no
/ fail now to comprehend the dangers and dutie
! of his critical position. Washington is in grea
! peril. Ii occupied by the enemy it will require
vast outlay of money, means and men to recove
| {; but if held by our forces for only few days
/ it may he saved from the revolutionary couJ
| d'etat The salvation of Washington nov
becomes the paramount duty of the administra


ton, the loyal States and the loyal cities an,
/ people of the Union. Let us hope that thos,


Notifications on the south bank of the Potomac


wisely constructed, under the direction of Gen


eral Scott, against the possible contingencies of


reverse, may prove sufficient to hold the enem,


in check until an overwhelming Union force cal


be thrown into Washington. Let us hope tina


General Dix will be able to keep Baltimore ant


Maryland quiet meantime, and the column o
General Patterson under General Banks. will b