The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-06-18

blutts OF Nicksburg. IL Is the most
momentous, and, perhaps, the bloodiest
fight Of the campaign this wear. II
Grants daring attempts fail, or his army
be destroyed, or even driven off with
such plentiful carnage and havoc as our
batteries are now making in the ranks.
then the Mississippi and all the West are
ours for this season. IL Vioksburg I'M
happily falls, the war is only beginning.
But the worst effect of that disaster
would assuredly be the renewal of that
miserable cutlery for counting and tam
pering with the great Northwest.
Vicksburg as we have good hope, will
not fall, and can not fall. We have there
fine army, brave TO desperation, and
led by able commanders. Every motive,
every passion that can exalt soldiers TO
! the point at which men conquer, or die,
is there present; patriotism and pride,
the need of sustaining a well won re-
n0wn, thirst for public and private
vengeance upon the desolators of the
| land, the incendiaries of our towns and
cowardly oppressors of unprotected
women aud children, all stir and madden
! our men 10 daring deeds, and give zest
| TO the work OF wholesome slaughter,
Pemberlon is nobly sustaining his fame
and ours: and with Johnston and his
gathering reinforcements TO strike in at
the moment of fate and finish the ter
rible strife, it may we'll be hoped that,
with Code blessing on our army, those
most formidable ornaments of the enc
my, by land and water, will be ruined,
overwhelmed, and sent to perdition.
Yet, it it be fated, that in spite of all
human valor and devotion can do, Vicks.
burg and its defenders should become
the prey of our enemy, then indeed will
come the tug of war. Then also will
come the political crisis. Whatever of
imbecility and faint heartedness and
downright latent toryism and treason
exists in this Confederacy, will at once
receive a new accession of weakness;
many will again begin to cry out for
can honorable peace" as they will call
it, by means Of submission to one sec
ton of our invading foes who are now
raging over our country with fire and
sword. The doctrine of the necessary
unity of the Mississippi Valley from
Lake Itasca to the Gulf will be again
revived by political geographers Of feeble
knees-as If the Mississippi River were
something different from all other rivers;
as if there were any more unity or con-
unUity in its shores than in the shore of
the sea, as il the Great West had a
right TO our country because the water
flows from their lands into ours; all
this sad nonsense, which is nothing but
cloak for treason and excuse for COW
ardice, would be echoed and reverberated
over the land again. And then the
Northwest would not listen 10 our offers
and overtures, if such should be made
With the possession Of Vicksburg and
Port Hudson, they would fancy them.
selves assured of the whole Mississippi
by conquest; and they would no Longer
dream Of escaping it by treaty. If Oul
politicians of Tennessee and Mississipp
should, then, renew their helpless talk o
giving favorable commercial treaty {,
the upper States of the river, as an in
ducement 10 them to separate themselye
| from the Eastern States and erect Con
, federscy of their own, such offers woul,
be received with contempt. The issu
would be presented pure and simple
naked and peremptory OF
D subjugation. And subjugation mean
determination. .t
Thus Vicksburg is at this time a pOin
not only of strategic but also of politi
cal Importance. While our flag file
}, defiant over the Great River, no party 0
3 compromise can venture to raise its hand
no man wi dare to breathe one word 0
reconstruction" in whole or in part. Al
8 will be good Confederates. The caus
q which is supposed 70 be failing an
= sinking is the one which is likely to b
abandoned by the towards, and berayo
by the traitors. To the cause that ros
n pers we are always as true as steel.
n For this reason, the result of thee
= Virginia elections is by no means of 8
10 deep political significance as the re
y suit of those battles around Vicksbur,
A | All the gentlemen elected the day befol
~ yesterday, are TO day, we hope and bt
lieve, faithful aud resolute Confederate
70 whether they be late secessionists {
en- original ones. If any of them have III
v, consciously lurking within them TO
,o relic OF tenderness for the old Unlol
. some underlined laundering after a piaC
= by total or partial reconstruction upo
any terms whatever, honorable"
Otuch HAtNI wv HuNOSoHluA ubleuh6
ee Vicksburg will help to Oblitera,e Il
ed last tinge or faint of such anti Coz
on federate sentiment. This is not said
disparagement OF those who left u
'' Union reluctantly and at the last M
M ment, but who left il then forever, al
e. who have since maintained, on many
he bloody field, the sovereignty of the
!. States against an invading enemy.
W find it impossible to conceive for e.
DIV ample that men like Col. Wiekham, VI
ire has led Virginia regiment through {,
years of desperate war in defense
Virginia's right 10 secede--or like Ale
AID ander BOteler, W nose home has been des
led lated by invading bArbarians, and W
If has ridden by the side Of Jacks
through the campaigns which illustri
se' his native State, and gemmed il all o.
A. with fields of glory like an Empero
on shield--should ever contemplate the pr
a sibility of any compromise of Yirgini
Ia sovereignty at all, under any circul
stances or any pressure--Vicksburg
10 no Vicksburg. Yet some there are, Of
meaner type--pray God they be few
who would see in The fall of Vicksbl
mo- an occasion, perhaps even q reason, p
OBJ. haps they nigh even SEQ an honest a
a. patriotic reason, for drawing back fl
the extreme measures Of our proud pc
the ton, and listening 10 compromise,
the an honorable peace" We do ass
them, Of such there BEL that they ar,
the wrong COmDrOmisR there can