The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1862-02-28

- Ths story of this winter will read
.,vn.,.iy 10 an. student Of our history here
as,.r will no DO able TO conclude that our
any actually went into winter quarters, or
roty From the time when the roads became
virtually impossible in the fall to this mo-
ment, not week has passed without some
"strong indication Of "torwar,i movement; :"
but here the army is, still posted in way
not materially different from its old lines
Ii has been declared with emphasis, that
there would DO no winter quarters, but regi.
ment after regiment has huttcd itself, and
accommodated itself to circumstances. The
public were long in constant expectation Of
some great movement, and have been disap-
pointed. They finally seemed to discover
that nothing was in progress, when series
Of successful blows began, which has sudden
raised the general expectation to the highest
point. The government has apparently acted
upon the plan OF preventing the rebels iron
reaping any advantage from the inactivity oil
the season, by never intermittinS its threats,
although these threats were perhaps i'm
possible Of execution. The result has been
that there has been no remission Of anxiety,
expense or labor in the rebel lines; no time
for reorganization, for recovery OF spirits, or
effective preparation for the spring, Relying
upon numbers, the government has made this
a contest Of endurance for these months and
there is the best Of reason for believing that
in this the Union has been victorious.
A dispiriting and trying winter for The
rebels, closes with q series OF movements in
which they are generally worsted, whether
they attack or are attacked. They begin to
find their whole boundary lined with Union
posts; the ooadoR drawing more and closely,
and their communications threatened in
manner which must be speedily reducing
them to the necessity Of eyacuating an entire
tier of States. The winter which has pro-
duced these results has been used to good
advantage. though it has failed to bring us
to that great advance for which our people
long. And we apprehend that hereafter it
will be held to have been well employed, by
a skilful escape from the difficulties which
seem to forbid military movements at such a
time.
The failure 10 secure some such signal ad-
vantage as should serve TO convince foreign
powers Of our certinty OF success, is the only
point in which the winter can DO held to
have brought less than was to De hoped. Ii
may now be seen how critical was the danger
from which the country escaped by its sub
mission in the affair OF the Trent. Time was
thus gained which is TO carry Us forward to
the very crisis Of tho conflict. The arrange
mcnt OF that difficulty enabled us to tide over
this winter OF inaction without foreign CON-
plications; and although the spring, 1t is to
be feared, may bring US to matters less easily
disposed Of. 1t viii also bring US to what may
be anticipated as a final struggle with the
rebellion, for which the winter has prepared
the ground in way which is almost beyond
all hope.
But do our people realize that we are in
deed atthe threshold of the crisis Of the war I?
That the destiny OF the nation, so fur as can
now be seen, is to be fought out in the next
hundred days? Let the government be carried
fairly over that time, and we shall be beyond
all fear Of fsrcign difficulties. Confidence in
our own strength, united support Of our
leaders. hard fighting and theQuick improve
ment OF advantages will make short worth
with the rebellion, in the position in which
il now stands. A repulse at one point may
DELAY hut IL cannot defeat; IL may call for
patience, but not for the surrender Of hope.
A few short weeks Of such spirit and endur-
ance as we believe our people TO DO capable
of, will no bring US to an end ofthe dangers,
which threaten from continuance of the
preseut appearance Of independence main
tanned by the rebel States.-BOston ADJ.
Tax yrTF. DAVIS MESSAGE. One might judge
that this document had been written with pen
of brass Ca a cake OF ice, II IS 80 bold, cold
and unlikely To last out the summer. The
bariibood with which the writer comments up
ON ''the long course of class legislation Tor the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Of the North, In face of ms
assertion elsewhere that the rebellion was
caused by the success, for the hrst time, OF
sectional majority; his affected lamentations
over the abriicmcnt OF rights under that Con-
stitution which had done his best To utterly
ruin, and his solemn references To the hsppi-
ness OF the rebel States. and peculiar speci-
mems of braxen utterance equal 20 any occs-
sion. Jasa As though every Northern city did
not have its SCORES Who have been glad to dee
with their lives only from that happy land,
and xho are waiting 20 60 back under that
Acknowledged FAC which, according to DAVIS,
covers such multitude OF enormities! But II
would only provoke wrath for nothing to re-
view in detail the many shamelessly false de-
clAra,ioo OF this brief document, which was
m.nifcstiy written tor foreign eyes.
But its mournful, forcboding tone Will not
esrane the most casual reader. Two or three
times IL refers TO the reyerses which have over
taken the rebel arms, as II the subject would
not down ut the writer's bidding. Its appeal
20 foreign nsiions sound like vail, and all
the illusions 10 the future arc tinged with sad
ness. jefferson Davis Is By no allowable use
of speech "grest and good mar" but this
message plainly shows that even his moral
nature is wrung by the hard eIigeneies OF his
position. lie has undoubtedly beeo me desper-
ate. aud will now press ON in his bad career To
the bitter end, but IL h charitable 10 suppose
that there rests often upon his inner nature the
shadow Of the dread conviction that t would
have been better for him had he never been
born.-BostOR Journal.