Washington telegraph., 1862-01-22

condition of the roads, render active cpe-
rations impossible during the winter The
recent brilliant victory achieved by our
arms at the battle of Allegheny Mountain,
may be considered the closing scene of
the drama in that quarter
All the indications seem to point out
that the West is for the future TO be the
field of active operations that the great
battle field of the present war are to be
upon the Prairies of Missouri aud in the
valley of the Mississippi The demon
stratlons along our coast are, in the plans
Of the enemy, not meant for serious at
tacks, but merely :eints to divert forces
from the main point of attack, to harass
and plunder, but with no hope of perma-
nent conquest. 1t is not likely that any
effective advance will be made by the in
vaders against Tennessee, or by way of
that State against the cotton States That
such has been the plan, and that the plan
has failed: there is plenty of evidence.
The dupos of Line In who attempted to
carry out their part of the programme by
burning the Railroad bridges, with the
hope of deterriug the advance of the
Southern forces, have met their well-de-
served fate, AMI their insurrection vii
soon be crushed GU. They have found
to their sorrow that the promises of Fede-
raj aid are not to be relied upon, and they
have been again deceived, and some of
them are deceived for the last time. All
the passes Of tn. mountains are in our
possession, aud the forces which threat
ened them have be compelled to dis
astrous retreat. During the winter the
attack cannot be renewed. Thus. in al
most re"A=y direction, the Gulf or Cotton
states are secure lcr 'ha present except
from predatory border and coast warrlrr,
in which, thous'i prisoners may b. taken
aud property destroyed on both sides. yet
no iin 2ressi0. will BE- ma lc on the real
strength Of either. But along the Mis-
sissippi the las: effort Of the Federal 60
ernmcnt Is to be md, and that, it is
clearly evident that the ch lpte of eve t.
is not over for the season. For uIe thu
far has favored III there One most sue
cessfu and glorious batile has been fought
and the march Of the invader has recoled
His operations in VI Missouri, undertake" IN
conjunction with his march down the Mis-
sissippi, have likewise resulted in failure
But we may not hone for long cessation
of operations, Judging from the Immense
reinforcements of men and money bein.
collected, aud the vigorous preparations
going on in that quarter. In that direc.
tion now are all eyes looking for news Of
important events. One gigantic struggle
is to be made by the enemy for the pos
session of the river, that great artery
which sends the life blood of commerce
aud prosperity through SO mtuy States OF
cur own and their Confeieracy-on more
effJrt to obtain Its control from its source
to its mouth, and thus cut our Confcde
racy in two. That effort filling, as it
surely will, there will b. no serious or i'm .
portant warfare until the Spring opens
another campaign. In the meantime there
is hope that Reason will. resume her SWAY
in the North-that the hopelessness an
folly of their war of subjugarion will be-
come evident, aud better counsels will
prevail in the Northern Cabinet.
The time will soon come for summing
up the result of the campaign, aud the
balance will be found to be largely ou our
side. Though we may have gained nc
ground by military operations though
We let slip the opportunity of dictating
peace upon the enemys soil, yet we have
been successful beyond our most sanguine
pectations in our war of defeu ce-the
only war we have at any time professed to
wage. No substantial advantage has ac-
crued to the Invader from his possession
of few sand banks and islands on our
coast, his victories have been barren of
results, and their cost far outbalances their
profit to him. Nature itself DEGREES that
now we shall have opportunity for prepa-
rations, and it behooves US with resolution
and confidence to take advantage of the
breathing spell thus afforded us, and to
put everything in order for more active
and vigorous operations hereafter, when,
let us hope, that the defensive policy will
be abandoned. and the war, with its mise
ries and evils, transferred fronn our soil CO
that of the enemy. at. ss.-5 .
On Saturday last five Yankees were
captured By some soldiers belonging to the
I'd Tennessee Regiment. 1t seems that
the prisoners Cor three of them, rather,
having imbibed little too much of the
ardent, concluded to come near enough to