Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-08-15
THE RICHMOND WING.
From the New York Times JULY 8Oth.
TIE REAL STRENGTH OF TIE REBELS.

There is doubt that from the most obvious neoes-
lily, tAs active force which The rebels bring Ia tho
Geld is now concentrated In Virgins, IL ia tbs battle
grouSd OF their own selection and upon which they have
naked their ALL We have it from the best authority
bat within that State they have at least l75 900 man,
rosi Of them well armed and led ky skii and desPe
ate CmcCrs VINO in defeat seir destruction ard
sgracs. Their army is composed of the very si!s OF
he South. Once destroyed cA20ot be replaced, either
men material Oily tmil portion OF It bas been
rsttrd om the class OF poor whites who TOO lslcss
nd degraded 20 be OF any TeaLce gh into the Id
10 out this immense host the 0ances the rebels have
zen completely exhausted Sc zu Of II gov.
FLment, forced loans and feeling OF haired ~ the
Norh have supplied the Tor sending into the field
army which can never be paid nor !ed nor cothed 70
iuairiein its efficiency or any length OF time,
sss decided success be achieved. Tais army never
vas nor ever will be. fit for action the present
oomont lis leaders thoroughly understand tier posi-
lop-thEt necion s ruin, aud that immediate succts3
imperative necessity That&bey acting upon ts's
ouviction aud necessity therecan be dCuO Indeed
sur dispatches from all qusrtets cebEIEi ths General
3u Is command have Teteitei iuIo Maryland before
ierorl Johnston Who has again sIpcarei ia great
orce UpGu hs old ground Ne. ports News is threaten
d with an imu.e d,ae attack We have not had time
am the movement OF The rebels westward TO attack
iens. RczencraEZs and Cox but confident such
ments haze been inside. In other words, he ne
lundred and seyentyfye trouaDd rebtL, nl,ased ior
Ii fear OF Immediate astsck thttr lnliD position,
Iurling tni5 Ndst tRalilhL
uppOred columns, and ril be good iotIUne or good
.sucralship II We DO not sustain another disaster.
Our recent reVerse, ana the information Which 1t has
1ped show the magnitude Of the task before US which
EtbtsGccessfGy 20 receive its aJ.Sk, and thon drive
his vast BODY OF It's 600 u, sDyrate aud well 1qlppsd
men out OF Virginia are Oug Immediate preparations
al al adequate 10 such trsk Does not the enemy at
present US IN numoefs and perhaps In APP
continent in Gd ,i,ion 10 occupying positions which
themselves fnFuesses' Congress, We know, las voted
10000 men for the war; with ample provision Tor Their
eqUuUent and cOmmissaTat but tine greater portion Ct
these are We b. called out and When they
10 through months of training and experience OF camp
v 20 NJ them for their duties Not moment 8 ouid
~ lost by Government in avaing itself OF the
placed 10 it, hands. We ough, be strongest when the
my strongest, which is at the present iusta. II
We IRE not row his match his battle ground
l moment is 10 be lost in making up our deficiency.
But il can, for the present, hold our il Viz
MIA can elsewhere present ourselves in oyerwhel-
force where the enemy Is weakest To sustain the
diht that Ssie the Southern States have completely
icu,ed henselves OF available men, as W. II as of arms
travellers recently from the South repor. tho collections
soldiers their route as mere scarcrows OF the most
nse able mateTS'; some OF them ulnrmed eGd the re-
,naindar hayirg nothing better than Old flint muskets-
rerson OF military experience, who has just come
from George, by way CT Alma, Chattanooga and
Nashville, reports that On the entire route he saw
two companies with percussion rluskets. IL Is
so well knoSu thai there u not Southern city,
ct even Ohate't'n, that might ho' ue cap'uIed
" a 81 oil naval and military force. Ia hc New Or
ear s. Mobile and Savannah lie almost entirely a; Our
mercy. We might lead ly nc out expeditions directed
ganst Il ese cities that would Instantly call southward
irconsiersblc portion OF the hostile forces now in
Virginia. even # went NO further than TO threaten
lacks Up to tsis time, our most Important arm. the
ayy hss teen lying almos! entirely iUe, The policy
have steadily pursued has relieved the reb .s from 81
ar o! moesslion attack except upon the very spot
,here they are relatively the stronger and VIC the
yeaker Let our Government lose uo time 10 coming TO
ne support of cur in Virginia by attacks upon the
uiaern Atlantic aud Colt ports. Such attacks would
~ an Influence "a lal TO 100 600 in tie fyd.-
lie this course is lsken le lime be lost in bringing
force In the field in Virginia which shall not only 70
eve from apprehension OF attack but enable u TO
v the rebels from the State, and, by 80 doing, TO end
the war.