The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-02-11

TT ,sst3aY eSotsh4H ts..,...,H Gk. IL, fses
Tae gasai ,ssRn in Carolina.
Tad withia a day OF Two psst she capture
of Roanoke island by Burnside was consid'
cred a fcreyene conclusion. 4 feet OF nearly
y hundred saii and an army Of Rfeen or
twenty Thousand men, with guns Shd eqniF-
ments In prcfuston. were esteemed equal 10
she capture Of any exposed piece OF water
ts,nnd land like the Island In question. ba'
the brave Resistance offered for nearly two
.,ays by COR troops, and the hopeful terms IN
which they spoke Of their prospects, iea cur
reorls q, believe tina, the inland might he
held II has, howevcr. been Loot, and we are
oou,el,.a 20 resign ourselves to the conclusion
which dav or two of hope-we confess moi
stroug in oar own case--had unsettled.
Burnside has landed. after hard ight, on u
zeaeoard leland, not rs advan.ageously stua,
s-d. nor encompaased ~ as rich surroundings
eli country, as Beaufort. His object is sup
POSED by some to be Norfolk but if we are
=, hsiieye the recent ou.givings Of North err
tsarnsss his leading purpose ie to make de
tnonatra.ion against the Weldon and VII
sniug.on railroad. with view 10 cutting our
srea, line CT Southern scmma aie alton. That
thing seefns. fJT Tao present to be the especial
aim Of tho enemy in every quarter. His
leyeTnepts in Western Kentucky and Ten
uessee seem 80 have that single objec. for the
present IN view, and /. has been repeatedly
declares, by Northern jour nais that Burnsi,.e's
primary purpose is demo aatrasion upon our
railroad. Ii remains 10 be seen whether such
be his real deSg On, and with what success be
viii prosecute it. The experience Of Sherman
IN sivilar unje riaking may possibly be his
cwn
An assault upon Norfolk is the only object
next after this railroad enterprise, commeu-
snrate in importance with the magnitude of
ibe expedition. In such an unGerts king the
cuemy's vessels could he of little direct use.
The water appi caches to that city from North
Carolina are too narrow, tortuops, and easily
obstruc:ed, to ADMIT the use OF vessels, aia
al the enemy attempts hand attack ,tae cdaaoes
'u our favor Of repeliug him are TWO or three
~ one. The TeiusIou OF Norfolk would be
'ae work OF Aionthr, and c0uid only be eft.
sested ~ i large Increase Vi BQra.ids $ forces,
an incIessa wL.cA ;ae Yankee excheaueI Is
not aoIe u aGUrd for an operation street ching
through protraeled period. Nothing IA. All
Cali save ti4eir Treasury, and nothing eau keep
Inc war on foot, but rapid operations
, s.a4d decisive successes. Yet, We DO lot
wherein the Burnside ex petition promises
these results more Enthusiastically than Sner-
MANS did, which landed III November,
nearly three months ago
Measured ty its cost TO the enemy. no. even
the capture OF Norfolk tilt could bo effected
woula compensate him iof his OUTLAWS, anu
ttlls at last lis the tue standard by wAich bis
Successes should DO estimated. the South
Heed not expect and cannot nationally expect
'has these huge eApeditlons, i.tted CIT at liz.
Mense expense, Should tai to elect aay
achieve ment. Fifteen or twenty thogssu 10
men. landed anywhere upon cur seaboard
must eueeeed III getting POSSESSION. 1t would
Ire lille to expect Otherwise, ana intecite to
be discouraged by the fact. The true cousid-
-ra,lon In, whet:ser such Successes repay their
c,ot
Measured bc this standard the achievements
81 The Burnside expedition aie noi likely TO
IS very important. LIS cos tiNiiut Ua! rtth
Iess in the first instance, than tel niilI0ns Oh
dollars, and lis CHARGES every day are al least
:. quarter of q million, IL has been thirty ore
days prosecuting ies career, to the point OF
capturing Roanoke Island. a lea, whici, has
cost the Federal Government several millions.
independently Of the frs: outlay in the enter
prise. and the Losses incurred by the storm. Ii
the expedition should succeed in capturing the
whole Carolina seaboard, and even consid.
cradle elioe OF country besides, together with
Norfolk. still the fifteen M twenty millions Of
ke,ie raj money laid ont in the whole opera
ttah woald not be reimbursed by half.
We are not If .hcre W ho suffer discourage.
ment from occasional Successes of the enemy
The, have far overtaxed the resources Of the
North in bringing their prod:gious forces into
'he field. The effect nlay be 20 damage Us
considerably, but they are ds maging them
selves much more. The injury they infict
upou us Is local and rerneGiable tina, which
they bring upon themselves in debt a. nd taxa
slcr, is general, universal, and enduring. They
have chosen Il gigantic and expensive pro
grsmme, which mus break down, aud which
no successes, however great, can compensate
the cost of
rs~-