The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-02-03
Rifhmonn pispattb,
MONDAY MORNING. ...rkB. 3 1851
$aeeess csFta1n.


with vehemence at the possibility OF toe enc
my's ever possessing Richmond, Columbus
the Mississippi valley, Charleston savannah
and other threatened points For tue" 'Ho
invading a1my's great super'ori.y J" ""
cal strength has no terrors. Ahey arc an
cowards. AZ evidenced by the oatt'es Oh
ne.hs, Manassas. Lccsburg, and other places
WHARF victory has perched on the Southern
.,.,,.ra The valor Of one Confederate sol.
,,;er renders him equal 10 three or four of his
enemies. as proven by the many contests in
which All immense disparity of numbers in
favor of the invader was no obstacle to our
success. But this course of remark usually
reaches an antithesis. If these assertions
stonld prove erroneous; ifRichmond, and other
important places, should unhappiy fall into the
power of the Northern army, then all is lost,
or nearly so, the cause is desperate, and all far
ther efforts in its behalf may be lIercuean
exhibitions OF vaor and determination, but
must prove uuavaiiag as regards the estat.
lishmens OF ctr Independence. To some, such
view of affairs may seem deserving OF en-
enlargement as productive Of confidence i'll
our cause, and as an incentive TO our soldiers
to defend to the last, places of sucn great im-
portance bnt it ia not the true view, ana
hence the old precept not to seek coed end
by improper means. the W iedom of which the
experience OF mankind has proven, must be
Of prime authority here. Ia the first place, il
is rot true that our previous experience i'll
this war will Justify the superstition that, in
all future tattles, we can safely allow tho
enemy to outnunber US by three. OF four 70
one.
This assertion does TO injustice to on
soldiers, nor is it impoli tic TO make it. The
history Of war proves tina. long aud careful
training may make good soldiers out Of very
indifferent niatefiei, and that the effects OF
individual cowardiee may be obviated when
men act in large masses. Therefore, while
tho valor, zeal, and determination OF our men
will undergo no diuinution, the ability OF
the Northern armies to cope with them
may be greatly increased by the careful
instruction which their officers hsve been
bestowing upon them; and future Manassas
may cost us mora trouble and be biOodier
battle than the first. And in the second place,
the supposition, entertained by the class to
which we have alluded, that the fortunes of
the CoDfederacy are staked upon Richmond
Columbus, or Knoxville, ia erroneous, and
were it generally received, might be injurious
in its effects, should the uncertain chances of
war deprive us Of any of these places In
fact the South is possessed Of no place of cital
importance; no place, whose possession by
the enemy would deprive US Of the power Of
resistance Were the enemy 10 advance to
Richmond were he to capture Charleston,
Wilmington, and Savannah should he sue
coed in driving US out of Kentucky and Ten
nessee; and if he We're able to execute his
plan Of etfe citing junction of lis armies from
the west and the seaboard; still we woui1 be
unconquered. Even if the enemy were to cap
ture thousands Of our men and arms aud almost
all our artillery, still our success would be
sure.
Our policy would he to keep our armies
Ia large masses, concentrated; and our militia
organized everywhere i'll guerrilla bands
would play havoc III the ranks of the foe
The terrible effectiveness of this latter W eapon
can be well appreciated when We reflect upon
the injury it has inflicted upon the enemy III
Northern Mssouri--a small territory, isolated
and separated from the rest of the Copfede-
racy. Aud yet, with troops in every county,
martial law everywhere, and by the exercise
of every cruelty and outrage, the enemy has
not subdued the country. Organized bodies
of troops and regular warfare are of no more
avail against these bands of determined Cit.
xens than against Indians or Arabs. Thus
the power and authority of the Federalists
could only extend over the territory compris
ed within the circuit Of few miles immedi
ately surrounding their various bodies of
troops Should they attempt to spread over
and secure the country, they would fall victims
in detail to Cur large. concentrated armies
Such being the situation of affairs, finally our
success would be effected by two causes: the
great extent Of our territory, rendering it in-
possible for the enemy to overrUn all of it;
and the immense expense hich this mode Of
warfare would entail upon the North.
That the great extent of our territory lie the
primary and true basis for a belief in our in
vineibility, cursory examination Of the rec
ords Of history will easily prove. No coun-
try in ancient or. modern times comprising an
area of even half the extent of our own, and
inhabited by brave, united, and determined
people, has ever succumbcd to an invader not
It's superior ia the scale of civilization or war
like spirit. Alexander's conquests extended
over all the then known world, but the great
Macedonian warred on sove1egns, not on
peoples, and the latter received without re
pugnance the change of masters.
No nation ever withstood the arms of
CDsar, but the Romans were FAX superior 20
all their antagonists i'll warise spirit and in
civilization. In modern times almost every
nation Of Europe fell under the dominion OF
Napoleon; but several causes, which cannot
exist in our Confederacy, contributed to this
result. These were the French revolution.
ary spirit, almost AZ powerful weapon in
the hands of Napoleon rs his armies; and the
divia!on Of Europe into many independent
States, Of which fscs Napoleon 80 skilfuIly
avsilsd himself ~ to cause it to produce its
legitimate fruit, the ds,trustion Of all unity
or concert Of action for the common defence.
His plan was ~ conquer the nations in detail
Whsa he hs selected his victim, he would
ally - many powsrs against it Us possible
By means 81 seductive promises, and BY the
adrsit stirring up Of old fsuds and jealousiss
others he would awe nto neutrality
Thus, BY an able persecution of thi,
plan, nearly all the various countries of
Europe were, successfully, subjected to his
seeptre.
But such plan could not operate
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