Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-04-19

counsel with the Cotton States has gone
by. AS the very first outpost in the con
tlict-tRe Capital of the nation being on
our soil-Maryland must expect to be
the scene of the most startling and Sig
nifcant events; let her people lose no
time in thinking over a matter fraught
with the grayest interest. The letter we
have given means no less, and we are
bound to recognize the fnct- o. ly,ss
J Gan the Rebels bo Made Less FOrmId.
4 saf i1sLEHG Rble.1a1 . 5taEs ID,
IFrom the Philadelphia sAmerican.l 20
tits evident that the plans of the rebels
for final defence have been arranged with
ufual skill. and that they are, for two>or
three weeks to come, to present q formid-
able front along the line from Yorktown
| to Memphis, The force they now, have Mt
Yorktown is probably not less, than the
greatest and best ever at Manassas, and
it is fur better .eutrenched.a The ipepin-
sula between the York sand James rivers
is naturally admirably adapted fo~ de-
Tense, while Manassas was Verteuable,
being easily flaukedT On both sides; and
Having no grounds for entrenching on
its low plain. The peninsulnr line of de-
Tense might be flanked if we had possess
sion of the James river. but the lion in
the way there is the EMerrimac and its
fgunbdats, which are daily brought out
to menace any movement we may con-
template up the river: 1t is useless to
deny that this aggregate position that
ijof the land forces and the, Heet-is not
the most desirable or most pleasant 1t
may very soon become necessary to con-
slider by what other approaches the rebel
forces may be met, and whether it may
notbe better to try them in the field in
stead of giving them the best of positions
to fight from behind Notifications long
since begun iprobablyinow thorough
ly perfected. 9t8. ssj pasa -
1t is not for those who 2 have NO official
duty in the premises to say how this as
pect otdifRcnlty may be changed for the
better. Itis probably intended at some
time to give the departments of the Rap
lpahHuuockand. the Shenandoah something
to do; but the rebels, who know our ope-
ratious far better than our citizens do at
this distance, are evidently making no
preparations to meet any other movement
than that we hoped to make in the direc-
ton of Yorktown. They gather all their
forces from other points without conceal
ment or hesitation, and they seem to be
perfectly safe in doing so. ut Is easierfor
them to block our game on the peninsula
tthan at any other point, and they have
reason to be abundautly satisfied with the
choice welhave made of a place for the ad i.
vance. ut certainly appears desirable to
give them occupation at as many other
points as possible, and 70 engage their
attention as early as possible in the three
4 other departments into which Virginia is
divided. Even Yorktown and Norfolk, as
well assRichm0nds may be taken in the
rear from the direction, of, Z, the Rap
pahannock, or from the valley of Virginia,
Tor even from the Mountain Department
If the forces in these several columns move
forward, they converge in the rear of
bRichmond,1 ati distances less than half
those tFaversed by the army columns of the
bwest alteatly,t and repeatedly. Why is it
impossible to move in Virginia. when Mis-
kso1ri, Arkansas; and sTennessee Gare so
beasily ,trAYerSed2 Why. is a. distance of
fifty miles over the r0adS Of the bestipaFt
kbHI Virginia more formidable thani one of
Ave as.hundredIimiles in aaWestern. State :?
bThess questions must be eansWetad by some
ea4lyl lemonstrRtipn of eyigOr,ldr tue tavor-
able season will pass without the; posses-
sion Of Richmond or.Norfplkp and without
breaking the military strength Of the .Eeb-
el9s la q;saslGs al hai4..G1 :. irrsiTfl7
| VI course al are aware that the early
FkNG NPEbueEn
Eline now held, by the rebels ends the wa
ptdcticlIly. y They are playing DESPERATE
stake, and playing it with energy and skin.
They Concentrate forces with ehvia6ie f4-
pidity, and assaiI us. with desperation when
FpoliCy demahds that they should take the
offensive in the field. If they were tliyf-
I Ided into ttnahy separate armies, and met
always by superior forces, as we might
) meet them, the result in every case would
be satisfactory; but 81 they are permit tted
TO form ntwo complete armies, while We are
4 'I-divided into many, they give us heavy losses
and dearly Bought victories. oThey ti6s,
be compelled to divide, and fight divided,
> Iur lose thSisa best cities and most impoFtS6i
l.posttiohs.2 If Cofinth Is held BY eighty
thousand of them,'Eo protest Memphis from
/, one side, let Memphis Be detailed from Che
: TfYer: IfiRichmond cannot pc Hphrosehed
Eby way OF Yorktown, 1et II be tried BY oht
Tor nb6tha ajof 'theo iHtefiof approasRes!a "a
Ehundfed batteFiescah give them Something
to do, even at long rang in fr0dt Of YORK
/. ft0wh, but our force IN the ehtnsnla Ii iles
Il pthah half the disp6sable force east OF Iii
: EBlHe Ridge and not more ihanA third u
9 tth6tfu,an Virginia e2a9 =: y etE sstg-irii9
It The Pteseht condition Of affairs, nS7a
q and military, at Fortress Monroe aud Vicih
q ity, is one that 1t is high time to amend.I