The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-05-28
Rebel Threat of Invasion.


have been full of hints and mensces-dark and
omnous hints we'll as open and ferocious men,
aces-of an aggressive movement of their East.
ern AID Western armies, in the direction of Ma
ryland and of Kentucky. The pressure is paric.
ularly great for ar advance of Lees army. his
is not only urged in the Richmo journals, Lu,
they pretend to have knowledge that it is on the
very eve of taking place.
Jeff. Davis does not usually permit his organs
either to announce pr lected movements of his
army, or to discuss them and the freedom with
which these announcements are put forth. might
be thought to throw doubt on their truth. But
our Government, we b. Iieve, is in possession Of
other information beside this to the same purport
Information in the handwriting of a Con'ede.
rate officer, of projected rebel movement into
Maryland and Penn,y lvsns. The rebel theory is
that by the end of this mo tn, or lhereab uts, our
army will be so weakened by the loss of the two
years and nine months regiments that it will be
feasible for them with body of $4,000 or go 600
men, to make sudden march northward, through
one or more # the passes of the Bue Ridge
down the Shenandoah Valley, anu into Maryland
BY this means it is supposed they would draw
Hooker's army up to Washington for its defence
and thus Richmond would need but small force
for its defence 1t is true that the rebel army lost
prodigious proportion of its men in the battles
of the first four days of this mouth but, by call.
ing in outly ing detachments, they could probably
still bring together an effective force of fifty thou.
sand men for an offensive movement, and yet
leave twenty thousand to de fend Richmond.
There are two or three remarks suggested
about this whole SCH me-
|. The Government could easily prevent its ex.
ecution by occupying with proper force one or
two strategic points in the Shenandoah Valley,
and one or two of the passes of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. There are forces under Gen. Miroy,
forces around Washington, in Baltimore, and
elsewhere, that could be used for this purpose
without weakening the Army of the Potomac.
2. Another means of aiding to prevent the
rebel movement would be by activity on the part
of our forces on the Peninsula and in North Car
olua. Let them ceaselessly menace the region
round about and back of Richmond, and thus
keep active in defence of their capital as Large
part as possible of the rebel army
3. We would sa, in regard to the rebels, that
a movement of invasion on their part would be
really and truly movement of desperation. The
Contederacy and its army are being killed by
inches-or rather, ty much larger measurement
than inches In every section OF the South the
~NoS'"
on the edge of the last ditch. With shattered
finances, short supplies, blasted hopes, dismal
future, with the West almost wrested from their
grip, with our armies In the heart OF the Cotton
States and our flag waving in every State, with
Slavery, for which the war is waged, tumbIing to
pieces, the rebels eau see no prospec. of success
but by maniacal rush in the direction of our
Capital where they might wrench victory from
fate and enforce peace.
4. The loss OF Stonewali Jackson will operate
seriously to the detrment Of the rebels, il they
entertain any reckless project of invasion. 1t was
he who took the lead in every daring and despe-
rate rebel movement of the war; and, so for, we
know of no man in their army possessed OF equal
skill, intrepldity and righteousness as there is
none other who has ever undertaken such work.
We believe, on the ole, that if the Virginia
rebels should undertake a movement of invasion,
il ~lbe for US the opportunity which, If properly
seized and ueed will enable 10 not only TO check
them, >hsryo capture Richmond. ann,hilate Davis
arm, and b.ng the rebellion to a close.-.M Y.
.Tmts. n.at-