r being forced to retreat before overwhelming
forces across the Blue Mountains, a course, according to all military
men, involving the total destruction of General Potty's force. Piffle's
whole corps, with the heavy artillery, continued its descent on the left
bank of the Sandusky river, while Potty, dashing through Scarlet at the
hand-gallop, and among the cheers of the populace, moved off along the
Grierson road, collecting infantry as he moved, and riding himself at
the head of the horse-artillery.

NOTE.--General Potty was an airy, amiable, affected creature, the very
soul of bravery and levity. He had risen rapidly by virtue of his
pleasing manners; but his application was small, and he lacked
self-reliance at the Council Board. Piffle called him a parrot; he
returned the compliment by calling Piffle "the hundred-weight of
bricks." They were scarce on speaking terms.

Half an hour after, he had driven the fore-guard of the enemy out of
Grierson without the loss of a trooper on our side; the enemy's loss is
reckoned at 1,600 men. I telegraph at this juncture before returning to
the field. So far the work is done; Potty has behaved nobly. But he
remains isolated by the retreat of Piffle, with a large force in front,
and another large force advancing on his unprotected flank.

_Editorial Comment_.--We have been successful in two skirmishes, but the
situation is felt to be critical, and is by some supposed to be
desperate. Stevenson's skirmish on the 11th did not check the advance of
the Army of the Centre; it is impossible to predict the result of
Potty's success before Grierson. The Yolo column appears to meet with no
resistance; but it is terribly committed, and is, it must be remembered,
quite helpless for offensive purposes, without the co-operation of
Stevenson from Sandusky. How that can be managed, while the enemy hold
the pass behind Mar, is more than we can see. Some shrewd, but perhaps
too hopeful, critics perceive a deep policy in the inactivity of our
troops about Sandusky, and believe that Stevenson is luring on the
cautious Osbourne to his ruin. We will hope so; but this does not
explain Piffle's senseless counter-marchings around Scarlet, nor the
horribly outflanked and unsupported position of Potty on the line of the
Cinnabar river. If General Osbourne were a child, we might hope for the
best; there is no doubt that he has been careless about Mar and Yolo,
and that he was yesterday only saved from a