Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-05-09
TIE L GNDON 7YMEs on TIE AMER
TlIAN 1FAR,
rprer the London Times, March III

treat. Resolved upon doing something Tor'
thv. oe their enormous preparation, the Fcds.
rails, besidcs keeping at bay the besieging
army mt Washington, have simultaneously
blockaded and attacked all the porls of tie
Southern States invaded the Border States,
sent expeditions up the Tennessee and Cum
berlard rivers end down the Mississippi, occu-
pied Nashville, tho capital Of Tennessee, slid,
ss it were, taking advantage Of the Confederate
panic, have turned the flank OF their army on
the Potomac by crossing ii Harper's Ferry
and occupying the country Oh both banks Of
the Shenandoah. On tho LIST OF this month il
was ouGaeatly believed that the long expect
cd advance of tho whole army OF the Potomac
was to take place, in which case TIE Contsds-
rates, it Was hoped, wclld soon have to choose
new capital and headquarters. With tort
night always between US aud the seat OF war,
we cannot venture to guess what may have
happened since the receipt OF intelligence
which bodies i'll for the brighton hopes Of the
Southern cause 10 the sste OF things VIC
have described zero arc At once tbs clements
1T a crest success and Of great reverse. TIC
Northern press compute their forces st three
quarters OF a million mou in arms, amply pro
vided with all the weapons 81 war, IN good
trimming and courage, and we'll piacsd all round
their foe. Tho ocsan, the doop Day, the wind
ing channel. the nsyigsbie river, the railway, I'll
carry the Federal soldiers and guns in one vast
circumference round the beleagaored South, a.
once surrounding and penetrating, hlcckad'ng
and dividing. The very idea Of such u wer i:
American, plultitudinous, vast, and a. much ct
appeal to the imagination rs to tue actual hrun'
Of arns. According to tho las; Message Of TIC
newly installed President OF the Southern
States, it was felt lhst they we're ou.num6ered
and reduced 20 mn extremity in which nothing
could save their cause but the resolution not &c
be bestsn. Unprepared, comparatively few,
with c less population, ard suttasing just thel
the period Of furlougbs aud re-en:ls;uensi
they bad been taken sc disadvantage, ano
had suffered serious Losses. Strangely to Eog
lish eyes, Mr. jefferson Davis feels equal con
csrn for the loss OF For, Donaldson, with
5000 muu ana a prccoas s!are OF erns,
ammunition and supplies, md tie Island
CT Roanoke, commanding the entrance Of
The river of that name. These arc hi
mi;ted to be disasters, and are ascribed
10 tho superior NUMBERS, wcalt:,, aGd oppottu
mites Of tus North. Indeed, the confession OIL
defeat is SC thorough and Gnreserved that il
comes as 4 sort Of surprise to aad ii followed
BY tee determination TO isEi 10 tie last drefi
Of blo:d II is clear, however, that the Con.
iedeTa!as fecl the oveTpo~er!ng numbers o. tea
North, their rapid reintorcemca:s, their ready
command Of supplies, and ,nCir ubiquitous
appearance by sea end by lard. Same Of their
expressions recall those. 10 which Roman his
torisns OF the later Empire spoke Of the North.
49, al nar =
States; aud oven that Far West" which
rnenT OF us rememher 10 have heard ol rs nsI
invaksd 10y the settler, is nn~ penpted with
hordes ready 10 burst out upon the South -
This is an illusion which must soon disappear;
but for tho present it adds to the terr0rs Of the
invasion, sgsirst which the Coutederatea, under
Bcauresard, were preparing to make Sand
ST ! position of Some importance, rejoicing in
the name Of murfrecsborough, forty miles
South OF Nashville.
What must naturally occur to any European
who has read asiage page OF military history
is that tho progress If hundred thousand
meu, ever 81 well equipped and COMMANDED,
into country which rcckons its distances by
hundreds Of rules, may be very ike lighting
the aic or l,sbiSg tee waves. From Nash
vile, east, seuth and west, for at least five
huocred miles all ii Southern interest and
feeling There Is 10 divided allegiance or
,reao5erY there. Blu. tho oonditicn vi tho ccuc-
try makes INVASION at once easy and Ineffective
The population is sparse indeed, compared with
European nations. There arc wildernesscs
10 DO trsyeIsed, forests to DO penetrated,
sVaI0ps 20 DC wadsd through, and even
Indian settlements to DO crossed. Aefnrc
the country can be conquered in any sense
Of the word aud the cEi; result must De
thai for every tnau Of the cvGquering army
there will still be hall dozen ready to defend
the soil. The invading army may conquer
where i! stands aud g, where it will; bu;
when i, begins 10 break up, to occupy, To rep
the fruits Of tho coreueat, aud 10 put itsel, in
the place nf the Original! proprietor, then it
se-ns 10 disappear in the imnensity Of its
own TASK. In oihec Fosds mo conques. OF
sucb country, in any real seasa OF that word,
seems an impossibility, so long as tho occu-
pants are animated By the feelings which
nobody denies to the South. Tho incidents Of
!ne war bring ,his our, even while they expose
he difficulties OF the Southern cause. The
troops which for these ten m,n.hs have bl!.
lad the immense numbers and wealth Of The
North ars l-clothed i'll fed, i'll armed, i'll hnus
I'd, aud ili-nppointed in every way. Through
al this winter they have slep. on the bara
g.ouad, with few and scant? meals, paid with
Al almos. vslu=ess currency, unable 10 shrTd
ard With The oldest ,nuskoIs and
lowing pieces Yet they Eight braveiy, by
the admission Of their foes. even when, as ut
Fort Daneiaon ard on ils coast, it was under
4 shower Of shells which they could not re
turn. When such Is Inc spirit, what is the
hope Of their conquest, aud oau the North
really expect 20 srojugaie them aud reduce
.nern 10 virtual defsaaencyp They have
only to hold uui, and they know they must
osst the North c. the game Of abstinacy. Thc.
stand on their own soil a,d daiand tneir own
bones. They can 10 this chesplY enough,
put war which IS cheap to :hen vii! 30 ruin
,us 10 the invader, who brings his men and
MS material OYER thousand miles, as We
ound 90 our cost il thu War oi Independence,
md assH in the u! fostunata quarrel Of 1913
ID.
Lot US sunpoae, however, great plan sue
:essfully carried out; ;.si: a million of Federal
soldiers established in the best s,ratrgicai
points of the S2u;h; ,he harbours. channels,
:;vors, railways, forts, all occupied in farce.
md the Coniedefatcs nowhere in any number
% sicc alarm. Then cones tho far more sari.
Jus question of tho political settlement. Tins
BEST pe:ple in the States. ana the wsest PEG.
pie here, all look &c an atnicsbo separation as
he only possible solution Of the diff :ulty, ana
he only way to heal the breach OF feeling
they fundly hope that the successes OF the
North may give il the opportunity Of making
errus somewhat moro sgroeably and ulora ad-
than was possible after i,s pre-.
'ious disasters. But i, is one thing to topp
or success as the saeans Of eaciication, rpd
another thing 10 use it for thas purpose. Tine
4 nerican hear! is very susceptible Of victory.
md the smb.ious hopes which it leods We
rave to consider now what conquering army
md Government are likely tc be content with,
md that remains to be seen. With tho tide
If victory there GENES often tide of AFRO.
,aace which knows not moderation. Even
he most moderate claim, ascribed to the