The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-04-17
The News.

The news received by the Kathleen continues
to be very cheering. Not only have no reverses
been met by the Union forces, but advances are
reported on every hand. Newbern and Beau
IorI, anu II IdvG the mnUIo Iine vi the NORM
Carolina sea coast, are now in possession of
Burnside, who probably before this has moved
inland far enough to take possession of the
North Carolina Central railroad, which passes
through Goldsborough, which is the principal
means of transport between Virginia and the
Gulf States. The possession of this road will,
in a military view, be of the vastest Importance,
as it will check the movements of the Rebels,
and most effectually divide them.
In Florida, several places have been captured,
leaving the Rebels no foothold in the Eastern
part of the State. The Governor of Florida
advises the Rebel troops to evacuate, and he will
probably have to advise himself to follow suit
soon.
travelling theatre of war down out Of Tennessee into
Alabama and Mississippi. and the shifting = stands
of the rebels of the great valley are now fixed at
Corinth aud Decatur, on the Memphis and Charles
ton Railroad.
The defenses Of the Mississippi above Memphis are
still sustained, but with speedy prospect that - Island
No. 10" must be evacuated, for the bombarding by
our gunboats results IN a terrible slaughter Of those
who hold it. In Virginia, our army is unable to
come up with or find the vast array that a few weeks
ago fr"wned back upon our lines, and had not
stopped talking of marching on to Philadelphia. To
the west of the Blue Ridge, Banks and Shields
Divisions are crowding jackson southwark. Near
Winchester, eight thousand of our men whipped
fifteen thousand of theirs, then marching on TO Stras-
burg occupied it.
Ii is thought in military circles that New Orleans
is ours. 1t will be rare sport these next few weeks
watching the last desperate struggles of the Confede-
rate leaders, as they labor not so much to oppose the
Iuion armies ne IN make terms with their own cheate
and indignant victims.
In a review of the position of affairs, the
New York Herald of the 22d of February, has
the following. which possesses general interest
For a month or more after our disastrous battle of
Manassas the people of the loya! States were troubled
the safety of Washington, and apprehen-
sive of an attack upon it by the army of Johnston
and Beauregard The efforts of the government,
then, we're necessarily directed, FIRST to the security
of our national capital. and secondly to the plan and
men and the means of a grand cOmpI extensive cam
against the strongholds of the rebellion.
While thus employed on our side, the hopes of the
rebels we're strengthened. not only by our apparent
inactivity. but by their accidental or incidental VIC
tories of Springfield, Belmont and Lexington, Mis-
souri,, and by the bloody tragedy to our troops Of
Balls Bluff, on the Upper Potomac. Ii is true that
against these reverses we had secured a full equiva-
in our naval victories of Hatteras Inlet and
Port Royal; but, considering the vast means employed
in these expeditions, the rebels still consoled themselves
that, not having captured any important Southern
We had accomplished little or nothing.
We had done nothing TO take away the Northern
h humiliation or the Southern prestige OF Bull Run
and meantime the rebel leaders had some reason to
expect, upon short notice, the powerful assistance of
England. Thus they have been encouraged 10 pr
for resisting a well equipped Union army of six
hundred aud fifty thousand men, and a naval force
IF war-ships and gunboats which alone would be
squal in this war TO a IT sisting army of two or even
ihree hundred thousand Southern men, with their
Inferior artillery. But consulting these facts, il re-
luired no prophet TO foretell the consequences, with
his great Union army and its cooperating naval
orces placed in position around the whole defensive
line of the rebellion. from Missouri to Virginia, and
rom Fortress Monroe down along the seaboard TO the
,utleis of New Orleans. The revolied States were
hus reduced 10 the condition of n beleaguered city, (
md a break in its defensive line at any point would
the way TO the citadel itself
This defensive line was broken at Somerset, Ky,
md in those later and sill charging Union success
1T Fort Henry, Roanoke Island and Fort Doneson
sc have only a fuller developement Of Gen. AcClel-
: encircling combinations. The rebel leaders have
hey now discover that, with our absolute command
{ the water, exterior and inland, We can cut them
Il even from their railway communications. Hence
heir late great railway protecting the camp at Bowl
ny Green was abandoned when they saw that the /
of Fort Donelson, in opening the Cumber-
and river would give TO us the most convenient mil
way TO Nashville. With the evacuation of
Bowling Green, however, and the loss of their prin-
iral defer ces on the Cumberland. they have placed