June 19, 1863, The New York Herald
Despatch of Mr. Thomas M. Cook.
ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, June 18, 1863.
The situation and intention of the rebels begins more and more to be developed, and we gain a clearer insight into their plans and purposes. There is a very large room for doubt whether any considerable body of the rebels have yet passed beyond the Potomac Northward. Indeed, it is quite certain that the movement into Pennsylvania and Maryland up to this time embraces only some five thousand cavalry, supported by perhaps a single division of mounted infantry and a battery of light artillery. With such a force they are enabled to move with great celerity and strike rapidly at seemingly distance points.
Washington is not so easy a prize to them as they imagined. They will not get into the national capital without more desperate fighting than they have hitherto made.
I can only say that our camp is not idle. Gen. Hooker is watching General Lee as closely as Lee is watching him. I think I may venture the assertion, that in view of the shape affairs have taken, the danger is about over. By this I do not mean that no greater damage will be done by the rebels in Maryland and Pennsylvania, but simply that no more rebels will venture across the Potomac than are now there. These will undoubtedly do all the damage they can; but their numbers are so small, and the popular uprising so great, that there will be no great difficulty for the militia to drive them back; and the Army of the Potomac may be relied on to make their retreat up the valley more difficult than their march down has been.
Their main force of infantry is yet in the Shenandoah valley and about Winchester. They have quite a large force scattered along the valley higher up.
It is evident that the rebels have been checkmated at the outset at their invading campaign. They calculated on impressing the national authorities with the idea that their whole army had crossed the Potomac, supposing that then the Army of the Potomac would be immediately sent up to Maryland, leaving this road open for their conscripted reserve force to make a dash into Washington. But in this they have been completely baffled.
The heat still continues intense in this latitude, and the absence of water occasions great inconvenience and even suffering. If we could only have a good soaking rain to fill up the little streams and the springs the effective strength of the army would be doubled.
Our cavalry met a force of the enemy at Aldie, in the Kittoden Mountain, yesterday, and gave them battle. The enemy’s force was principally cavalry. Our cavalry was too much for them, and drove the rebels back, taking two entire squadrons.