, 1862-01-25
Che Gtibune.


1t Is impossible 10 oycrcslimatc the value
Of the victory at Mil Spring. in Kentucky,
provided Gen. Thomas las the means Of
following it Up with quick and rapid blows
upon tie rear positions Of the enemy. The
forces of Zolheofer, lsspiritcd by the un-
expected resistance Of the Yankees, whom
they were taught would run after the
first fire, broken and lisorganizcd by their
defeat and the death Of their leader, cannot
soon he rallied: and having lost their ar
tillery, baggage wagons and con1ulissary
stores, they will be compelled to retire be-
fore our brave boys, and leave the "gaps"
and "passes,' which they were set to guard,
open or but poorly defended. II, then,
out Of the ten thousand men under
Thomas and Shoepd, enough can be spared
10 take advantage Of the victory won, We
may expect that tic rebel nest at Bowling
Green viii be disturbed, and that even the
stronghold at Manassas will he in con1mo-
ton. The prize to be gained is the pos
session Of the great trunk railroad running
in G northeast course through Tennessee
into Virginia. over which tie army at Ma
1sassas receives large part of its supplies.
This once in our possession at knoxville,
The rebel line, which now stretches from
Columbus to Fortress Monroe, is broken,
and the two extremes Of their army are
divided calamity, seen from a rebel
stand point, that cannot be oyerestimated'
II this case, they have not only to fear the
destruction Of their forces in detail, but the
compulsory abandonment Of their strong
positions on the Potomac, by the i,npossi-
bi}ity Of furnishing the daily supplies
Which their 200 900 men require.
We shall not, in view Of the obvious facts
Of the situation-as plain to the rebels as
to Gen. Mcclellan and Gen Buell-be sur
lrised to hear that strong movement is
being made from Manassas to Knoxville OF
some other strategic point along the line Of
the Virginia and Tennessee road; and
that,leayirg $4,000 men before Washington,
the rebel leaders will transfer the active
operations from the Potomac to the valley
Of the Cumberland, and make 4 daring at
tempt to force Buell. out Of Kentucky, and
carry the war across into Indiana and
Ohio. This, or descent upon our
forces at Beaufort, or upon Burn
sides men lis soon as they
land, seems to be a necessity that the now
scared but boastful leaders Of the revolt
cannot avoid, unless they are foo]hardy
enough to brave the fate that awaits them
if they remain inactive where they are.
With the line Of communication with the
South cut off at Goldsboro, and with the
Tennessee road interrupted at Knoxville,
the rebel army, opposed in front by supc-
rior force, ready to take advantage Of any
movements out Of tie intrenchmeuts that
SIX months labor have made impregnable,
would find itself compelled to choose
between starvation, q fight against
odds, or surrender. We dare hardly hope
that the sagacious leaders, who hare thus
far baff1ed all our efforts, will permit them
selves to be thus cooped up without strik
ing manful blows to open the communica
tions without which they are lost Hence
we say, that this Kentucky victory is bu
the first ofa series Of grand movements tia
will have quick and perhaps decisive ef
feet upon the progress Of the war Let IL
sec now what Gen. Thomas will do!