Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1862-04-17

The telegraph brings us considerable amount OF
something, whether it be good OF bad, reliable ef unre
LIABLE readers must decide for themselves It ap-
pears to be certain that the enemy about to make bis
greatest effort on the Southern Peninsula Of Virginia.
His forces are gathering around Hampton Roads in
immense numbers and his fleets threaten Norfolk and
Yorktown, while the peninsula ITSELF nowhere over f
tee miles wide in its lower part is at one point only
seven miles WIDE Washed on one side by the james
River and on another by the York and rounded off at
its lower extremity by FORTRESS Monroe, which looks
into Hampton Roads on the South and West and the
Chesapeake Bay the North and East, the Peninsula
offers to the invaders opportunity to avail themselves
of all their and advantages Their forces no
longer the Potomac, and the Confederates
have approached Alexandria without seeing foe.
When the battle does come off it will be fearful one.
for the stake is enormous being nothing less than the
fate of Virginia. Having taken months to prepare,
having assembled such force the world has not
since Napoleon advanced into Russia, Mcclellan feels
that him defeat would be ruin while the Confederate
soldiers and leaders feel that only their fate but the
fate of their country is saked upon the issue, and they
cannot afford be defeated. The contest long
be deferred. The of terrible battle may startle
US at any moment. We trust that people pre-
pared not only to call upon God to defend the right but
under Cod to defend it themselves, with brave hearts
strong arms, and sufficient numbers.
Wave Richmond all thy banners wave,
And charge with all thy chivalry
For not only the fate of the temporary seat of gov
ernment, but of Eastern Virginia, and than
that trembes In the balance. We presume that Pres
dent Davis himself will be on the field as be has init
mated He will share the fate Of his soldiers in life on
in death, in victory or defeat The New York Herald
thinks that the drama is to close with bloody
tragedy of surprising grandeur when Mcclellan is
be rewarded by the capture Of the Confederate Cabinet
and Congress The boastfu confidence of the Northern
press and authorities is something that affords very
strange contrast the dismal universal howl that arose
after the battle of Manassas last July, and the impartial
observer may we'll be puzzled to decide on which of tie
two phases of character is entitled to the largest
OF contempt
1t will be seen that the Federal papers claim great
victory at Pit'sburg they call the battlefield of the
sixth and seventh instant They admit loss of TWEEN.
ty thousand, and assert the Confederate loss at
thirtyfve to forty thousand. That they admit their
own loss to be larger than it is, cannot suppose in
deed their claiming victory, shows that they will lie
to make good showing. OF our own loss, we have no
official report but it is not ever one sixth of the amount
stated by them They will be certain to pour down all
their hosts to endeavour to change their defeat into final
victory Renforcements pressed forward and Gen
eral Halleck, their commander in chief west of the
mountains, has gone to the of action Bues fall
appears to be confirmed also the defecin in por-
ton of the Lincoln army at Nashville. Thank God
Beauregard is not dead