, 1863-04-08
Ul)ifaqo Qri>u1tt.
SIEGE OF VECISHy'RE.

.,
S1EGE OF EEC1SRs'HG.
The situation Of our army at Ficksburg
is one Of great solicitude to all who know
the difficulties that have been encountered,
the little progress that las been made, AMI
the Tcmotcncss OF the probability that the
country will be electrified by Gen. Grants
SUCCESS Nc ncctl not disguise from our
readers the fact. ii'at up to this time all
the plans (ard they arc many Of those
in command have failed; and that
the prospect for triumph at last
is far less f:ttcring to-day than
twas six weeks ago. We do not by any
means despair: The taking Of the place is
vital necessity Of the war; and taken 1t
must be, Mt whatever cost; but we cannot
conceal OUT anxiety lest, at the end Of six
weeks more, we shall he obliged to confess
that Gen. Grants unequal to the Task that
has been assigned him or that lis isfcrccistoo
small TO cope with tic obstacles that nature
and tie enemy hasc interposcd between
our army and the accomplishment Of the na-
tion's wishes apprchend 10 aggressive
movements en- the part Of the besieged,
which will involve the destruction Of oar
forces; but the day is fast approaching
when, in these pcstilcatial swamps, our
men will encounter foe whose attack,
though stcall1y and noisclcss, will be lnoEe
terrible than any sally, no matter how des-
peratc and infuriated, that the beleaguered
garrison could make. Wo mean that sick
ness will, as scon as the sun gains more
power and the waters, now ut their flood,
begin to 1eccdc, commence its work +;
thai, before the fcye.s and diaThnas of
which lard labor, grc..t exposure and bad
dict, added to the nliasm of the region,
hare planted the fatal seeds, whole regi-
ments will disappear Is if under deadly
fire at Itiut-blank range; and that, ere the
Government is warned Of the facts-in-
deed ;.,mcst hcio:c commanders cin real
izc the real condition ofthosc under them
the country will learn that it has no army
that it has mcltc! away and disappeared
like enc Of the unstable and oozy is|,nls
III the river upon the bank Of which those
tcns Of. thousands aTcnow encampcd. 1t Is
to this apprehension, which must be ever
present to the mini Of a prudent general,
that We must attribute the reports that
make their way up the river, that the cx-
pediiicn is already a failure; and that deep
dissatisfaction is felt by the men, and por-
tentious dcsrondcrcy by their officers. To
it must, perhaps, be charged the other ru-
mors, that General Grant, without COZ
fessing defeat, has resolved upon change
Of plan; and that We shall have not
long to wait before we hear that the new
strattsy, involving ctler moles Of attack,
and new and untfied rontcs, has been
crowned with glorious success. We pay
no attention to stories Of either class; but
hope On, knowing, if VIC do not succeed to-
morrow, or next week, or next month, and
even il this army is wasted, that Vicks.
burg will surely fall. Tusuppose aayt thing
else, is to admit that tic whole war has
been fruitlcss, and that the Government
and the country must girc up the contest
in disgrace.
It must not be supposed That the excr-
tion, the loss Of men, and the sq1enderine
Of resources arc all On one side. The enc
my has no sinccure in possession, and
though tie national pride may be huuili-
ated, and the national expectation bitterly
disappointed in the present lailure that NC
aprrehcnd, it is something to know that
the enemy has suffered quite as much, if
not far more than ourselves; and that if
our army should lie compelled to suspend
active operations 10 await reinforccments
and recruit its exhausted strength, it will
advance again to the attack Of foe whose
resources are well nigh exhausted, and
whose last achievements were long ago
sent to the field. So, whatever the immc-
diate result Of what now seems so painful
We may he sure That the enemy, consider,
ing his weakness AMI his impoycrishmcnt
has 1t:st i;!z' mere ,ls-n til: party Of attack
and tia: whether tic siege is followed by c
capture or rut, the end Of the rebellion and
lie dissolution If ;lc CouGdcrac; is l,as:-
cncd thereby. In view Of these obvious
facts, let the Coprcrhcads Withhold their
rising cxC.tation until they sec the end.