We are glad to observe that what we long ago suggested has at length been done by the order of Gen. McClellan, that there shall be no more firing on the rebel pickets, unless it becomes necessary to resist their advance or return a fire commenced by them. That the barbarous practice of picket shooting, which has hitherto prevailed in both armies, is to be henceforward discontinued will occasion general satisfaction. The wanton and heartless manner in which individual soldiers have sacrificed human life, without any object calculated to advance the interest of the army to which they belonged, was a reproach to us as a civilized people. It was a form of murder that could exorcise no influence over the result of the campaign, and one utterly inconsistent with the laws which regulate modern warfare. All that we have now to look for is a similar order from the rebel generals, and there is little doubt that they will willingly respond to that of McClellan.
The New York Herald, New York, NY