New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1862-02-10
Neh Orleans Dailg Crescent
MONDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY 10, 1862.
ALWAYS DARKEST JUST BEFORE DAY."

=" 1t is always darkest just before day.n This is
an old and true saying, full of promise and cheer
fulness. We of the South are just now in the
darkest hour of our trials, but day will soon break,
and the sun Of perfect independence will soon
shine brightly upon our fair and beautiful land.
That all this will be realized in the not remote
future We sincerely believe.
The Fishing Creek reverse, the capture of Fort
Henry, and the raid of Lincoln's gunboats down
the Tennessee river, described in the telegraphic
columns, have had depressing effect upon those
inclined to take O. sombre view of affairs. This
has not been the case with US. We are just as
confident and hopeful as ever, although we are un.
able to comprehend the strategy or policy which
left so important sire am comparatively unde.
Tended. There may be something behind the
curtain of which we are unaware, but we must
confess that it Is all inexplicable to US. We do
not however place full faith in the kilograms and
think it more than probable that later intelligence
will put another face upon the matter.
The Tennessee may fall as rapidly as it has risen,
and when it begins to fall the enemy's gunboats
will have to make haste to get out of the river or
else they will be left aground, to become an easy
prey to our forces. In the meantime they may do
great deal of wanton damage, by destroying un.
protected property. They have peculiar talent
in that way. 1t is the kind of warfare they are
adopts in. In sheiling helpless villages and firing
farm houses they are proficient fet if they vent
ure on shore, unless with an overwhelming force,
we venture they will be badly whipped. Thus far,
they have been defeated on land in every action
that has taken place, with the exception of the
conflicts at Rich Mountain and Fishing Creek, and
in both of those their forces vastly outnumbered
the Confederate troops. With an army of hun
dreds of thousands they have won two unimportant
battles, and with tremendous fleets they have az
yet done nothing of consequence. Their prepara.
tons for land and sea operations have been on
gigantic scale, but the results thus far have been
sngularly SMALL The difference between their
promises and performances has been remarkably
great.
The enemy is gathering his strength for one
mighty, combined effort, on all our borders, both
by land and sea. He must strike, and within a
brief period. This he would have done long ago
but for the inclemeney of the weather and the
badness of the roads. As soon as the roads will
admit of the passage of armies the effort will be
made. He may succeed at some given point
but he will be defeated in majority of instances,
which will be tantamount to defeat at all. The
loss of one pitched battle would break the back
bone OF McClellan's combination, and the folds of
their boasted " anaconda " would begin instantly
to relax. To aid in bringing about this desirable
result all the assistance in men and means, that
can possibly be obtained, should be placed at the
disposal of the proper military authorities with the
least possible delay. The next sixty days will
bring forth mighty events, in all human probability.