The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-03 00:00:00

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

(From the Times' Correspondent.)
NEW YORK, March 21.
The prospects of the Confederacy grow darker
and darker. Sherman marches unopposed through
South Carolina, and commits atrocities on the way
which history will hereafter blush to record, but
which, in the mention made of them in the daily
pages that reflect the passion of the time, excite no
other feeling than wild approval or the grim delight
of satiated vengeance. It is asserted by some who
claim to be Sherman's friends, that he not only per-
mits but commands the perpetration of these ruth-
less acts in South Carolina, in order that that State,
above all other States -of the Confederacy, may be
punished for the prominent part she played in pro-
voking and organising the rebellion ; and that her
fate may serve as a perpetual warning to North and
West, as well as to South, of the danger of seces-
sion and of the fearful retribution that will follow it.
In North Carolina it appears no such horrors are to
be allowed, and the war is to be conducted on
strictly military principles. But both of the Caro-
linas promise to be speedily relieved of the devastat-
ing presence of this modern Attila. His object is the
possession of Richmond, and the stand which is to
be made against him at Raleigh, if after all General
Johnston should be strong enough to confront him
in a pitched battle, will have one of two results. It
will either drive him back to Wilmington, if resist-
ance be successful ; or, if unsuccessful, will remove
the last obstacle betwixt his conquering army and a
junction with Grant for the final onslaught upon
the Confederate capital. Admiral Farragut and
Porter have, it is whispered, taken their departure for
Fortress Munroe and a fleet of at least 20 iron dads
and Monitors has followed them, to be ready at
the critical moment to force the passage of the
James, and lay Richmond in ashes if it valises to
surrender. The siege of Mobile is also spoken of,
though it would seem under the circumstances as
if that city were scarcely worth attacking by the
one side or defending by the other. The whole inte-
rest centres at Richmond, and in the efforts of Sher-
man to co-operate with Grant at Petersburg. The
only question earnestly discussed is whether Gen.
Lee, for military reasons, and considering the obvious
danger of being forced to capitulate by famine, may
not have already commenced the work of evacua-
tion, and taken all measures for transferring the war
to a new focus at Lynchburg, and a new field in the
far interior of the Confederacy.
However suddenly the lurid kaleidoscope may
shift, however unexpected or startling may be the
issues of battles and the mutability of the fortunes of
war, there is little or no idea throughout the North,
and especially in this city, that the South can pro-
tract the struggle for another month. It is held that
the last message of Mr. Davis to the Southern Con-
gress was a virtual offer to surrender, provided that
Gen. Lee and Gen. Grant should be allowed to settle
the terms of reunion. Even if Mr. Lincoln refuse to
entertain the proposition and insist that Gen. Grant
and his subordinates shall continue to fight, until
nothing more is left to fight with, it is argued that
the result will be practically the same—that in the
one case the war will close without further carnage,
and that in the other it will be brought to a violent
and bloody, but none the less speedy and satisfactory
termination. It is edifying, though in no respect
gratifying, to note that as the prospects of peace ap-
pear to brighten the friends and lovers of peace ap-
pear to diminish in number. Thousands, if not hun-
dreds of thousands, of influential people have waxed
so fat on the spoils and contracts and the immense
expenditures of the strife that they dread the too
sudden cessation of hostilities, lest peace should draw
in its train worse evils to them than that of war—
the evils of a financial revolution, and the consequent
crash and disappearance of many a colossal and ill-
gotten fortune. The rapid fall in gold-50 per cent.
within a month—has filled them with tribulation,
and brought unpleasantly near to their vision the
shadow of a fast approaching bankruptcy. In ad-
dition to these are the zealots, the doctrinaires, the
war Christians—the friends of a strong nationality,
and consequently the enemies of State rights and
State sovereignty, who do not desire that the war
should end by means of any compromise on the
question of slavery, or by the re-establishment of
the old Constitution. They desire that the United
States should assume a distinctive name and become
for the first time in their history a nation " one and
indivisible," composed of provinces, not of States,
and governed from a centre, like Great Britain,
France, or Russia. A third party, composed of
leading Democrats, with a large following—both
Americans and Hibernians—look with ill-concealed
disgust upon the conquest of the South, and cling
to the opinion that a war against a foreign Power,
in which Northern and Southern armies would
unite, with Lee for the generalissimo and Grant as
the second in command, would tend to obliterate
from the minds of the Southern people the bitter
memories and animosities of four unhappy years,
and help to build up a truer and more thoroughly
American nationality than can be constructed out of
the political, social, and philanthropical elements of
New England. The favourite idea of this party is
immediately on the restoration of the Union, by the
surrender or defeat of Lee, to declare war against
the Emperor Maximilian. Wild as the project may
be considered in Europe, there can be no doubt that
it would be exceedingly popular in America. Already
the indications are numerous that there would be no
need of large offers of bounty-money to raise an
army for such a purpose, and that a blow in this
quarter would send southwards a swarm of soldiers,
to which the present war has offered no parallel. A
move in the direction of Canada would also be popu-
lar ; but as the Americans believe, not only that
Canada is theirs as soon as they are ready to ask for
or to take it, but all things considered, it is better
worth having for the honour and the glory than for
the profit or advantage, the Mexican venture has far
greater charms in their eyes. Mexico, the land of
gold and silver--the richest country in the world, if
Yankees could only develope its resources--Mexico,
the beautiful, the romantic, the very name of which
has a fascination for American youth, with which
to cast spells and work enchantments—is the goal
of their ambition. To vindicate the Monroe doctrine
—to oust a parvenu Emperor—to show to the awe-
struck world that the Yankees can not only crush
the most gigantic rebellion ever known in history,
but that the vanquished and the victors can join
hands for a common purpose and crumple up a fo-
reign foe with less than a tenth part of the trouble
it took to subdue a domestic one—such is the dream
of the moment amid a large portion of this excitable
and unreasoning people. The American Goths have
no particular desire, unless for mere bravado, to
overrun the Finland or the Lapland of their conti-
nent. They turn their eyes towards Mexico--the
sunny Italy of America—and long for the pretext
or the opportunity to burst forth in an overwhelm-
ing torrent. upon the lovely regions they believe to
be the destined inheritance of their race. There is a
dark side, of course, to this bright anticipation. It
depends for its realisation upon the conquest of the
South, and the willingness of the Southern people
and armies to take shares in the venture. What if,
before the South be conquered, France, which 90
years ago did as much or more for the independence
of the States as the armies of 'Washington, and
which less than a year ago established the empire
of Mexico, should recognise the Southern Confede-
racy, send its fleets to break the blockade of the
Southern ports ; and that France, Mexico, and the
South should enter into an alliance offensive and
defensive against the North ! That possibility is
the drop of gall in the intoxicating wine of their
present glory; for, though the multitude may
be insane, the leaders are not quite so blinded
by presumption and success as to doubt that an
unprovoked war with any great European Power,
such as France or Great Britain—even if the South
were first conquered--would be exceedingly perilous
in its conduct and uncertain in its results. Such
a war, however, is one of the possibilities of the
future. The statesmanship of Great Britain and
France will do well to look it steadily in the face,
and be prepared to confront it.
In comparison with these great events, accom-
plished or pending, all minor incidents are of small
interest. It should, however, be recorded that the
draught has been suspended in New York, after
being carried on for three days, ostensibly for the