Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1862-02-05
An Interesting Statement of the South
ern Situation

ern Situation
For the period uncerttia in duration
: whether Of days, weeks or months. the
season commands Il truce. This is trne
; Winter. The first campaign is ended
and time has come when it is no longer
unsafe to review results an consider with
candor the situation of our affairs
| The campaign has been strictly defen-
sive We have gained nothing, for we have
attempted no gain. That we have lost
comparatively little Of actual territory
during the latter six months is due only
to the difficulties Of invasion in n new
/ country like this, the necessity for the
| time To prepare a half a million of soldiers
the courage of the Southern volunteers
and the individual cowardic4 Of the
Northern n1ercenarics. 1t is however, un-
deniable that the defensive policy. besides
the moral strain Of an army that awaits
repeated and endless attack. and the cx-
haustion Of a country which is the scene
OF war, has @ivcn the enemy an uninter-
rupted opportunity to prepare gigantic
host and to arran-e 1t at leisure Tor the
full trial Of relative strength, when the
seasons permit the resumption Of hOstIli-
ties
While the political leaders # the South
have been rcposing in dreams OF approach
captains Of engineers have been expcnl-
ing their remarkable scientific ingenuity
in the erection Of works as wonderful.
and almost a extensive and quite as valu-
able. as the Chinese wall, to resist invading
forces from @iven direction, tAe enemy
has gradually, and at leisure @aJhered up
their immense resources. and concentrated
their tremendous energies to envelope the
Conlcdcracy with their armies and fleets
and to penetrate the interior from some
one OF many alternative points. Although
they cam now do nothing, they have their
general programme in perfect order for
execution when the weather changes in
the face Of superior forces wherever we
look, whether to the North, the East. the
West, or the South itself General Svd-
ney Johnson has to strain every nerve to
prevent the military as well as rcogrGph-
zeal heart of the country from slipping
out Of his grasp. Gen Joseph Johnston
and Beauregard are held -, the Potomac
as in vice \ gigantic armament is
ready to attempt the descent Of the Mis-
ssSippi and their fleets on the Atlantic
scacoast and the Gulf arc tCO freshly before
the public attention to require remem-
brauce such ar the fruits Of policy
purely defensive Without even the hest
fancy which would come OF Il possible
interruption the enemy has thus sur
rounded the Southern ConiedeIecy, and.
if permitted to repeat often may be
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aron,G ms and emf i tlr,n.rb ~ cnnynrr
rr,r defensive in5o am offensive war and
+,.onsror tbo s.enc a. least a parf or
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o-.a .-int-,nI tL,+ \ Kenturkv. Ir
The t9rtcs that s,.c arr. Ii.nar.ine r. four
CORNERS -cr The continent ever, daz- to
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hin, ~ ,.,,,,,,,,r Will, some ,.o.siI,ilit}- of
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n,ioI,+ InrI h,.l. tba .,r,.,,- In t.ont ~ him
-. 7,rasan+ ami ,,a,a-,.a+, 4ba ~ra+a Of
nL! Tie att.inn,c5t Of tbis o},ioo+
,,-I-,ll re,1,r ,v7rthIoss oI the ulanS or
IL, a.,,,,. Tho rir.la of tbe or,,;as
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entire arranromont. Inv which We suffer
now and dr,.5d .eraat disasters in future.
v 3ld he immediately reversed.
We have point.l +, the General com
nondin., tbd Canr.dar,+a G,rccs IN Ken
rpol,v ae tho parson "a ,.i-m this huzi-
noss' 'sIn9Id Lo entrusted because he IS
the only one in nosifion 9t this point Of
the aa1oa f. undertake. nm advance ON the
enemy With nrobabilitias Of success. even
r. sufficient for,as could be allotted to the
n-Ia,.s N natural Obstacles oncumher
Ills na+b rs in r}a ,l~a. Of Polk and Beau
.,.,arI 4 concentration of hi. troons
~. o,,,,,ln,-od ~, tha sc,coo-4 aud at 9th
-, ,,,infs ,-boro M vital l,lo,r can he oi
~. -, -. .o.o;,.ol ! Iii th,t i noes
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