Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1863-09-01
RIGHTS.
RICHMOND WING.
TUESDAY nOaNiEa, sEPrKnBER l, Isss.
Letter from Mr. RiVes,

~ ,
patriot: in sentiment. Ia appearance, TOO, is tOrtu
paely timed sad cannot be without the happie-. eff
fact on the public mud Il would be we'll ii a copy OF
Il should fall under the eye Of every ciizeu Of The
Confederate States, and suee that Cur COiemPo
raries of the Press will gladly lid in giving the widest
circulation:
M DEAR Sal leara from you with eres. regret,
that some of our feoS-citzeEs good deal dis
coursged by recent events N our military Operations,
while YOU Yourself am 6li to see, rGta your sccus-
toned ersetness and buoyauey Of spirit Are We no.,
in some degree, the spoiled children Of that marvellous
good torture which, by the gr.ciOus providence Of
God has for the most part attended since the
meneement Of this gigantic co;Het: Aud have not
cur very successes long continued they have been,
asstrung on. minds Tor the discipline Of these
rsveres which none eau hope escape amid the mex
ossbe vicissitudes OF var:
When We recoleet not merely the ii parity O. nun
beers and material wealth betSeen and or alvena
res but that they in posse sion Of the whole army
and navy Of the Uuted Safes she creation Of the ont
efforts aud Contributions Of thu entire UaiOa for pc
Rod Of seventy odd yelsi that all those branches o.
manufacturing industry most essential to the opera ions
CT var had been lOag es:abl shed and in full activity
Wh them; and that a. the same time they bad the al
vantage Of open and unrestricted intercourse With the
rest Of the world supply any deficiency which might
exist in their resources; While At the commencement o.
the var, we had not ship or a soldier without
the munitions of iar or any existing establishment for
furnishing them, even 10 percussion caps and cut Of
from all foreign supplies BY the blockade of our Whoc
clast-the extent and magnitude Of what We have &c
Ia -. rnffv 4 .rs,k
ent to ourselves AS it is Of special Eouder to the other
nations of the earth With al these odds sg4ns; us
what long and dazziDg roll Of victories have We fur.
uished Tor the pen Of the future historian of the war
Yugiuia, embracing the seat of Government OF The
Coaederaey has been the selected object against which
Tie most Formidable and imposing enterprz Of the
enemy have been directed. How "lGme and 10 potent"
the conclusion OF all these Wanted expeditions so often
AID 30 ponpuOusy gotten up for the capture OF Rich
uoud aud tho subjugatiOn Of Virginia, let Bethel Ma
uassas, Leesburg, in the first year Of the Ear-the
plains of Williamsburg, she bloody panorama of bait
fields around the beeAgusred Capital the blaze of sue
csssiy5 victories With which Jackson lighted up the
Valley OF the Shenandoah from HAfpers Ferry to Port
R.pablie Cedar Mountain, Manassas again. the closing
ald overwhelming discontinue at Fredericksburg 10 the
s,eoad year Of the Ald the grand rOut after FOUR
DAYS continuous conflict, Of Charlottesville and
Maryes Heights, in the present year, followed BY the
enemy's third expulsion from the VaIley-et these
memorable fields with their solemn and truthful voices
tell
Dur ug tbs period too, the army Of Northern Yirsi-
uia under its utriOUs leader made two bold and sue
sui ncursions into the enemys territory levied con-
trbutiOns upon il; gave battle to his concentrated k
gions his oWn soil. crpgling aud inaic.ng heavy
losses upon him aud then returned leisure to resume
its attitude of calm defiance and proud invnoibity at
home. Such is general outline of the history of the
war the Atlantic side Of the COnfederacy Outskirts
and faguenary portions Of territory have in some in
stances temporarily aud reluctantly aba doned to
the enemy not jusIyng the attempt to defend them
the risk Of the central and more important portions
bat in has the heart or grand interior Of the
territory been yet penetrated.
IN the Valley Of The Miss sppi the course Of events
has been more ehsquered by alternate good aud bad
fortune. Springfield Columbus, Shiloh and even Mar
ireesbOrs noble successes for us Tort Donelson
COIiat New Orleans, recall the remembrance Of sad
disasters and TO these has been eceny added the loss
Of Vioksburg and Port Hudson. have no disposition
to eGenuate the gravity Of any OF these disasters But
looking them in their very worst aspect. there Is
nothing in any all OF them to give rise % feeling Of
dependency. The enemy is as far as ever from the
<saL object he had in vie1-the free and unmOiessed
paygltoeof the Mississippi Tor commercial purpose
la banks are still accessible for hundreds of miles, with
b our territory - saarpshOoers Snd movable bat
,eres that can ad will prevent the use o. the river BY
trading vessels, and esetuay nterdict it to all prac
.ieaI commerce. The Inhabitants Of the country are
more reused than ever ~ the Oursses Of the enemy
nd redOubled efforts will bs made 10 render his local
successes bodies to him w. have two po~eriul and
,ose armies under Johnston arG Bragg the eastern
de Of the river which strengthened daily both by
he Confederate CONSUMPTION and BY the zeaoss eoope
alton of the acent State Governments; while on the
zesern side of the river the euterprsiug aud in
imtabls commands Of Frics, Of Kirby Smith Of Tay-
or and Of Magruder strike wherever the enemy may
press Mt himself
When this situation is compared with the many IN
,yodable revorses and endless difficulties which our
brave ancestors had to encounter and obviously sur
n5pnted in their struggle for Independence, who does
not feel his spirit rebuked at the slightest thought Of
Encouragement under present circumstances Re-
collect the condition Of Washington in the second year
IF the war Of the revolution when after successive and
svere disasters Long Island at New York, White
Plains and the loss Of Fort Washington the Hudson
With Its garrison, he compelled to retreat through
he Jerseys, pushed" 10 his expressive Ian
yuAge 'frOm place TO place, till obliged to
he Delaware With less than three thousand men t for
llty" and the reluctant confession was eXtnred from
lis firm aud manly breast that unless "a new army can
V speedily recruited the game pretty nearly up
wen in this extremity there was no despOndency no
The pressure and magnitude of the |
hangers only supplied energies Of action aud stn
lated 10 redOubled C1ertiOn, aad in fes days the
brilliant achievements of Trenton aud Princeton re-
lressed the balAEcs Of victory.
In every period of the revolutionary eOstessa large
,ortion Of our territory overrun and occupied by
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