Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-05-10
The Yankee Victory at Fort DOneIsOn-An
English View


than at the present moment For ten mohIu'
they have been bOasting with faint voices, propA
esying without faith, threatening IN tIeulu'oUs
accents, and keeping up their own spfAs Oy
lashinc themselves into confidence winch Lhey
did not themselves feel. Against all their M lghty
preparations, and all their prodg2l e1PenaitaIe Ie,
thew had nothing 10 set oil but Two sigma!
reyerses. They were in a slough OF corruption,
uuparalleled even in the taithless east, and they
we're tr1mpeting TO the world what traitors they
had for generals, what paltToons they mad for
( soI3iers. what scOuudTeis they had for contract
o-s. and what mercenary men they had ior min
isters. They poured the proofs upon US IN such
I profrsion that We could rot COPY them. The
old ustr;ots who stood GlOOf from the passions
/ and the profits of the day, lost hope as they
| looked upon the whelming scene Of gambling
and chicane and they yearned for one victory
not as a prelude to conquest, but as a means
toward an honorable peace. This one victory
| has been given to their prayers. It substan-
tial victory, well planned, well won, and bravely
contested But, instead of using It as 2 basis
for peace, the sanguine noTtheners accept il as
an omen of entire conquest. Already they be-
lieve thst Nashville has fallen, that the South is
vanouished, and that the resistance of the Con
federste States must now dissolve. It IS all
over-"the rebellion is crushed"
Our difficulty in dealing with these matters is
TO estimate the feeling of the southern population
We know what happened soon after single
battle had placed Bonspsrte upon the throne Of
Spain, end after Napoleon had pronounced that
1t was all over" We know, also, hat hap
pened after Napoleon himself had reached the
capital of Russia, but we do not know whether
the planters Of the Southern States have the same
spirit which animated the Spaniards and the
Muscovitss It may be that these Tica men Of
the South, after all. may faint at the SIGHT Of in
minent danger 70 their possessions. The Roman
youth who had stood dauntless against danger
of mortal wounds fed from foe who had been
taught TO aim at their faces and it may De that
the rioh SoutheTner may quail before threats Of
confscst;on and the prospects Of the rnensce By
ing carried out.
OF these contingencies we cannot Judge N
Europe We must believe, undl events convict
Us of credulity that both parties sre equally in
earnest that the South is as determined to resist
as the North i5 to conquer; aud thet the deter
nination Of Presden: Davis is not more shaEen
by the capture OF Fort Donelson than the deter
1nination Of President Lincoln was by the route of
RulI Run II so, the excessive jubilatinH W Lich
rises al OveT ne Northern States st the capture
OF t6st fortress on the Cumberland r.ycr ls pre-
mature As : military operation At was most
creditabie 20 The Federal arms, and mC5. dam
aging 70 the reputation Of the South. Itappeara
not :niy was the feet st one time beatou of,
but that several regiments of the assaiing forces
we're once IL retreat, ami even IL flight
The c1pituiation does not, So far as we can
Judge frorr the northern version ct tlealFsig, ap
pear to have been at al necessary at tho moment
il occurred, nor until we receive the southern can
we understand how Is, 900 men came 10 surren-
der uncoudiioually 10 force which from its
very constitution, coGl1 not have pUrsued them
IT. their retreat through a difficult country The
catast. phe would seem 70 favor the ldea thsr 3
moral effect had been prOdCced BY the appear
ance Of the northern army n Tennessee, and
thai the Confederates were not quite certain
that they had { friendly and sympath.ziug
country open behind them This. however. Ia
ell II the southerners are ~ earnest, we cannot
aDpraise the success at a higher yaiuC than this.
Its intrinsic value towards the conquest q. The
Southern States is no more thar would De The
capture Of a fort upon the banks Of the Danube
towards the conquest Of Europe. The distances
are enormous, the intervals are not to bem.Ichad
over by volunteer armies. sn1 the capture OF
Charleston or New Orleans itse,. would il the
southarnars intend TO hold out, a5 but tho com
mencemeat Of the wa-
Let it be Remembered that ws TOOK al tlere cit.
les. and Boston and New York besides, during he
war of independence We marched three arnies
taking every city. until the sgentv population
closed behind us and cut of or communication.
We had nothing 70 conquer but tha Atlantic
coast, and nothing to meet but raw VOLUNTEER
levies and peasants in arms: and our generals,
although We condemn them by the event were
experienced soldiers Of good reputation IN
Europe We found, after a fair trial, that the
was impossible It was not 50
much the volunteers or the French IS the conn |
try which beat rs. We had much more des-
perate battle, and & much more glorious success !
at Bunker's Hill than the Federalists had d. Fort
Donelson, but 1t had no value iowa rs ta5 con /
quest even Of Massachusetts.
Tracing the late military operations 8l gne |
map it is evident that the recent victory guIy |
enables the Federal gunboats 20 20 up and down |
the rivers, and to supply the army, which Is now /
operating in Tennessee and penetrating into the !
So far it Is great advantage but aS /
a step toward the conquest OF the South-Ii tAs |
South Is determined to resist is but as the /
first milestone from London toward EIesor /
But though a small step toward conquest, tni8 !
success might be made very excellent excuse |
for peace. There IS an opportunity now for |
negotiations, which nigh; b concluded without |
leaving a stigma upon either side.
Beth parties have their victories to boast and |
If the u0Jtern is the lesser victory it IS also the
the purpose of claiming good boundary than at |
this moment. The letter we print il another col |
umn describes the FedeTahst force a. ascending !
the Cumberland river in a night which was hot |
as an August night IN New York This account |
of the temperature of Kentucky and Tennessee !
on the 18th Of February should teach the north |
srners to consider what II il likely to be two /
months hence and 10 count the chances Of their /
being able to retain their position during the |
spring and summer months If the North be |
wise it should make the moment of victory the |
of overture for peace The northern /
troops have achieved their first exploit but It J
would be well for the Federal government 70 re-
member that, although they have strained their
credit, pledged all their revenues, drained their /
treasury, suspended their specie payments, and !
called forth all their power Of fighting men they
10 net, after ten months effort towards the con
quest of half continent occupy an acre Of the
,nsIny's land which is ten miles digtant from the
yea or from navigable river
' SSanPe5ers % and "Ee8deFs.s'
From the Knoxville RestseT Of ths SOth gitl