The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-18 00:00:00

MST.

RACING FIXT'

Nottingham
Winchester l9
Southampton .

Brighton 2
Brighton Club
Lewes
Huntingdon
Wolverhampton • ... • • 9
Reading
Egham
Dover .. lB
Sari.

Weymouth 1
Baden-Baden
Warwick September 6
Bridgwater 8
Leicester -. 8
Doncaster

OCT

Bedford
Edinburgh and Lothians _

Club - . 6
Newmftrket Second Oct. 10

Oxford .. 18
Yarmouth
York August
Plymouth
Lichfield
Devon and Exeter ..., 30
Stocktcn
Derby
DUEL

Brecon .. 19
Riohmond . 2O
Royal Caledonian Hunt 21
Monmouth 22
Manchester Autumn
NewmarketFirst October 27
121711 i.

Lincoln
Kelso ....
Gloucester
Newmarket Houga on 24
ISMER.

Nova:

Vroroeeter Autumn .... 1
Shrewsbury Autumn .. 14

Leamington &War. Hunt 22

IRISH.
SZPTZMIIIIi.

Curragh 6, 7, 8

0 CTOBBE,

Carragh

A Confederate View of the " Situation" in

America.

(From the Index.)
The turning point of the eampaign, both in Virginia and
Georgia, is now come. It is no longer a question whether

Grant shall capture Richmond this summer and Sherman
advance his outposts to Atlanta. But it is a question, and
a very[serious one, for the Lincoln Administration whether
the Federal army in Virginia is not hopelessly crippled so
far as any forward movement is concerned, and whether

Sherman's forces are not in imminent peril of destruc-

tion. And yet all Mr,Stanton can do at such a crisis is
to preserve an " eloquent " silence—a silence, the mute
terror of.which proclaims far and wide through the North-
ern and Western States the failure of their last hope of
enslaving the Southern Confederacy. In our last issue we
ventured to anticipate that if Grant attempted to extend his
line by his left with a view to the semi•investment of Pe-
tersburg, he would be severely handled, and the event has

az yen craft, C.rant ate ad-
vance upon the Petersburg and Weldon Railroad, and that
the Confederates under Gen. Hill, slipping in between the
2d and 6th Corps, fell upon the rear of the former, and coin-

pletely broke it up, capturing and putting hors de combat

not less than 6,000 men. The check at once put a stop to
any forward movement, and Grant's whole army fell back
upon its intrenchments on the eastern side of Petersburg.
Thus, its extreme left resting on the Petersburg and Nor-
folk line of railroad, and its right on the City Point line,
Grant's army occupied the position rather of a besieged than

a besieging force, and was obviously far more intent upon
securing its own communications than assaulting Peters-
burg. Indeed the whole efforts of the Federal General seem
to have been directed lass to the capture of Richmond than
to cavalry raids in Southern Virginia, as if the destruction
fer 24 or 48 hours of a line of railroad would produce a panic
in the Southern capital and compel Lee to retreat. In fact
the Daily Hews is so delighted with Grant's " masterly in-
activity" as to found its only hope of ultimate victory on those
cavalry raids, and to compare Sherman's critical position in
Georgia with that of Lee in Virginia. But the difference is
obvious. Lee's depot of supplies is Richmond. The town has
been supplied for a siege. It contains within its limits all the
requirements of a powerful army ; it is abundantly provided
with water, it has immense ironworks and other manufac-
tories, and if Grant remained 12 months in his present position
unless he was able permanently to hold the lines of railroad,
he might fer all practical purposes be drilling his men at
Bull Run. How slight the damage he can do to the rail-
read communications at Richmond must be, is shown by
Wilson's cavalry expedition to the Danville line. This force
is reported to have destroyed 20 miles of the road, but on its
.return le attacked by the Confederates, finds the way back
to the Federal camp barred by a strong Southern force, at-
tacks and is beaten, and finally compels Grant to despatch
an army of 30,000 men to its relief. The engagement seems
to have taken place at Beam's station, on the Petersburg
and Weldon line; and according to Federal accounts
General Wilson was unable to accomplish his purpose.
But the despatch of the 6th and a portion of the 2d
Corps will hardly improve the "situation." Already
we hear that the Confederates are moving in the direc-
tion of the Federal rear ; and it is quite possible that the
attack of General Hill'e corps will be repeated, and that
the 30,000 men sent on to extricate the cavalry may
also find on their return a strong Confederate force
barring the way. Certainly the Federals' are very
unfortunate in their cavalry expeditions. Sheridan
failed to reach Gordonsville, or to reinforce Hunter ; and
we now hear of his disastrous retreat from West Point to
the James River with the admitted loss of upwards of
1,500 men. If Wilson's cavalry corps meets with similar
treatment, the raids of the Federal army in Virginia will
speedily coma to an end. But, for the moment, the most
dangerous enemies of the Northern army in Virginia are
the heat and the drought. Men and horses, it is said, are
dying by hundreds of the fatigue of a campaign carried
nin such weather. Water was not to be had ; the am-
bulances were hard at work all day carrying the sick to the
ne
rear, aid in the hospitals men were dying in crosva'trivlka.
army of e.eterans would become demoralised byetreP
What
tions, superVening on constant defeat in tbeunfiaer Grant's
can be e:cpectea or hoped of the raw troops

PbYeri', faintest prospect of
command ? d or ig on the point of
Hunter is
success, we um? say the_ stahmeebalkhi .0
his force, but with
I )sal aiAdy 1 li
tnaog ih,Ca hi;
eene escaped ceda Grantrwd:t shil:118::::Ift of
and large 1 I w s
numbers of
the loss of 13 piece:' °e`niet::inhi2e2trmacikle,B and
men. The Cosifederate,
' are
to reach as yet
ditisAtlanta, has
a place of safety.
. Generals WIL
.1.. enesaw
tcgsb:thtlee a-;'ntt some Mountains,s,ooo men, uncertainsherm an, thatafte r hoad has
come to 'a halt in Iron 1 1
after having lost 8 gran ,
re-
ported to be retreating leler and Forrest are
in his rear with powerful cavaL7 forces ; and if
'a true that Sherman has already commenced his
retreat, it is possible that m ithin a week or two we may hear
of the greatest disaster that has occurred to the Federal
arms. In New York and Washington the "situation" is
winning to be appreciated. Mr. Chase's resignation,
gathiedettoorbey 1
when he has plunged the North into illimitable bankruptcy'
is 6 months too late for his reputation
and his country—
while the fluctuations in the price of gold :2etoken a state of
things that can only precede a grand crash. Pa the whole
-
we are inclined to think that within the next fort.,:thtl de
cisive and highly satisfactory news may be expected from-
both of the great Confederate armies.

----- ____
The accounts from the manufacturing district.;
for the past week have been again satisfactory. At
Manchester there has been an increased inquiry cot:
both cloths and yarns, and prices have been steadily
maintained. The woollen trade of Leeds, Bradford,
and Huddersfield has been seascnably active, whila
there has been an augmented demand fot lace and
hosiery goods at Nottingham and Leicester. In the
hardware districts of Birmingham, Sheffield, and
Wolverhampton there bas ben little change of
importance, ~,z,
..7.