Year: 1863

i but none more utterly vile.'" $50


II From the New York Herald ~ ,lo


The War i'm Virginia--A Uni0I


Victory near Manassas Move


mentS and Probable Designs


of General Lee.


The readers oil the Herald, who hay,


been antic tpating great battle near Cul
pepper Court House--the halfway house
from Washington and Richmond-will prob
ably be somewhat taken aback with the in
telligence Of sharp fight between an ad
vanced detachment of Lees army and a
portion of the rear guard of General Meade
on one of the old battle fields around Ma
nassas Junction, some thirty or forty miles
this side of Culpepper. We have first,
however, to admit the fact that our army
has fallen back from Culpepper to Manassas,
and then to congratulate the reader that at
Bristoe Station General Warren, of the
Second army corps, on Wednesday last,
gained handsome victory, including the
capture Of an entire rebel field battery and
some soven hundred and fifty prisoners
The scene of this engagement is not far
from the field where General Hooker, un-
der General Pope, last August year ago,
met the column of Stonewall Jackson and
handsomely repulsed it.


In connection with this victory of Gen.
eral Warren we are gratifed to say that in
all the sharp and sanguihary skirmshes
with the enemy in this retrograde move
ment of Gen. Meade from Culpepper to
Manassas, the enemy have gained nothing
in guns or supplies, and have failed in eve
ry attempt to cut off or cut up the outly
ing detachmepts of our army, and have
signally failed in the grand design of get
ting round to its rear or flank, as in the
against Gen. Pope. But still the
question is suggested, why this retrograde
movement of Gen. Meade2 or why this
avoidance on his part of a general engage
ment so eagerly sought for by the enemy?
We cannot answer, as We do not profess to
understand the strategy of the War Office,
by which we hvc no doubt Gen. Meade is
guided.


1t is probable, however, that this STRAIT
egy embraces these considerations; that
within twenty or thirty miles of Washing
ton General Meade can bring twenty or
thirty thousand more men into general en-
gagement than he could obtain at Culpep-
per: that the enemy, on the other hand is
weakened in the lengthening of the dis
tance over a desolated country to his depots
of supplies in his rear, and that thus, in the
event of his defeat. it may be followed up
to the complete rout and dispersion of his
army. We have no doubt that our Poto
mac army is superior now in every respect
to that of General Lee, and we dare say
that General Meade and the War office are
fully satisfied upon this point from their
numerous sources Of positive information.
We conclude, accordingly, that it is not
the safety of Meade, but the destruction of
Lee, that is the grand object Of this retro
grade movement Of the former towards
Washington.


But what are the objects of Lees ad-
vance? 1t is likely that, deceived BY re-
ports of the depletion of our Potomac Army
10 reinforce General Rosecrans, General
Lee resolved upon tho experiment of flank
ing his adversary, with the hope of catch
ing him at disadvantage and cutting him
to pieces. Failing in this design, Lee for
the present still gains the advantage of the
removal of his adversary some forty miles
further back from Richmond than he was
week ago, and if Meade can be detained
at or near Manassas a month longer, the
rains and the impossible muddy roads of a
Virginia winter will probably detain him
there till next April Thus Lee, with Rich
mond comparatively safe, may send off hall
his remaining army to reinforce Bragg; and
this, we suspect, is his ulterior design
The departure of Jeff. Davis to Georgis
betrays the vital point of the rebellion ant


his purpose to make all his other armies


and their movements subordinate to thu


army of Bragg.


As we understand the present situation
of the two hostile armies in Virginia, al
accidental skirmish may at any nomen


bring on general engagement; but We ar
rather inclined to the opinion that Lee ha
failed to gain a single advantage in favor {


a general battle that be is well aware {
) il, and that the initiative is now in th


hands Of General Meade. As for anothe
= rebel invasion of Maryland or Pennsylvani
We consider it entirely out of the question