Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-05-23
WHERE NEXT ?


next take. will they make final stand and
give battle at Richmond or have the means
Of still another retreat been provided If
the latter, where will they goi The
new strategic point to which they fell back,
with such flourish Of trumpets, from Man
assas, have either proved as untanabe as was
that Of Manassas and Centerville, OF they
have not yet reached the new lines from which
they promised to attack the Union army
and not only drive them from Virginia, but
follow up their retreat by direct invasion Of
Maryland and Pennsylvania. The "on to
Richmond cry Of the North was to be met
by ION to Washington" and even "on to
New York by the ever promising but never
realizing victorious march Of the rebel hosts
These illusary promises have all served their
temporary purpose Of inspiring confidence in
the waning cause Of the rebellion but re-
cent events must have placed new aspect on
their affairs, if not entirely dispeled all hope
Of successful resistance. Instead Of driving
the Union army from Virginia, they have
themselves been driven from one point after
another until from every part of the State
they are making all haste towards Richmond.
Defeated there, and the State is lost to the
rebellion. Where next will they go;
/ We do not believe that the rebel leaders
entertain any hope of successful resistance
to the occupation Of Richmond by Gen Nc
Celan. But they seek to delude their soldiers
into the belief thst when once before Rich
mond, there will end their retreats and de-
feats. Gen. Lee ordered the evacuation Of
Yorktown because, as they said, much bet
ter line Of defense awaited the army nearer
to Richmond Gen. Hugar assured the cti-
zens Of Norfolk that his only reason for eav-
| ing that city defenceless was the necessity Of
his presence with his army to aid in the de-
fence Of Richmond, and intimatiug that his
absence would be but temporary. The prin-
cipal part of the rebel army at Fedricksb burgb
has also been called back toward Richmond
and Gen. Jackson, in his retreat from the val
ley Of the Shenandoah, is falling back to-
wards Richmond. 1t would seem, then. that
Richmond was regarded as the Giberater of
of the rebels in Yirginia,-the final stand
point where victory was surely to crown their
arms.
But with all their sef-assurance, there is no
Disgusting the fact that every precaution has
been taken to guard the means of retreat into
North Carolina and East Tennessee and, to
render the transportation by railroad as per-
feet as possible, the greatest exeriions have
been made to form junction by railroad be-
tween Danville, Va, and Greensboro, ~ c.,
giving them railroad connection with the
South as far as possible from the possibility
Of interruption from any Union force which
might be landed on the coast Of North Caro-
lima. The railroad to East Tennessee, also,
has been sedu!ously guarded, that their re-
treat in that direction should not be cut Off
The rebel Congress have long since adjourn
ed and left for safer quarters Everything
belonging to the rebel government has been
removed and doserters from the rebel army
lately arrived at Washington, assert that jeff
Davis and his privy council are far away from
Richmond, with a good start ahead Of the
Union army.
In the mean time Gen. McClellan's army is
within sixteen miles of the rebel capital on
one side, with Gen. Woors forces working
their way from Norfolk to the railroads lead
ing into North Carolina, and our gunboats
are on the way up the James river to cut off,
if possible, the retreat of the rebels across
that river. Gen. Mcdowell and Gen. Banks
hold the lines on the north, and are prepar
ing to push forward to aid in the final CON
quest Of the city. Thus is Richmond nearly
surrounded, and every means Of escape cut
off, save by the two railroads above referred
to. That they will be able to hold the city
against the contracting folds Of the Union
army that are being tightened around them,
we can see not the least possible chance If
defeated, the whole army must be captured,
unless they can succeed in crossing the James
river. and by burning the bridges effect their
escape to the South.
But supposing this is successfully accom-
/ plshed, what nexti What new point can
! they tall back upon, or where can they better
/ make stand The whole coast line, from
1 Fortress Monroe to New Orleans, is in our
possession for it is more than probable that
I before this time Mobile aud Pensacola have
been captured by Com. Porter's gunboats.---
Their supplies are cut off, and those on hand
are but limited. What can they do; There
is no other conclusion than that the aband-
ment of Vrg MIA will prove the breaking up
of the whole rebel campaign. A defeat at
! Richmond, land a retreat from there will
prove as disastrous as defeat and another
at Corinth, must prove the entire squelching
out of the rebellion. We look confidently
for BOTH and for the speedy return Of the
insurgent states to the protection of the con-
stitution and laws of the United States.
p. S. Our dispatches to-day announce
that the evacuation of Richmond is rapidly
progressing. Once aAoOt on the constantly
contracting sea of uncertainty, where can the
confederate government and rebel army find
resti They are both without chart or com
pass, and drifting at the mercy of unfriendly