Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-02-18
A Forcible and Patriotic Summing
up Of the Progress Of the War.

up OF the Progress OF the war.
Letter Of our Minister residing n
PaFIs 10 the French Secretary o
Foreign Affairs. giE['.I
MONSIEUR LIZ MINISTER: In recent con
versation had with your ExcellGnCy. yOl
asked some questions 10 relation to The
population oflhe Southern States, and The
petition Of the several divisions Of oul
army. This, 10 connection with state,
nIent in your dispatch of the Both Of 0cto.
Der to bis Majesty's ambassadors at Lon
don and St. Petersburg, officially publish.
ed, induced me 10 make to you this CON-
muniCation.
Although that dispatch was addressed mol
to me or 10 my Government, yet it solinti-
mateIy concerns the latter that AN sure
shall be excused il | refer 10 it 10 Counec.
ton with the subject matter Of your con.
versatiou. do this, not with view to
any criticism, rthe exposition ofany opiu.
ions beyond those already given by me, but
, to correct so much as eau what seems TO
me mISappFehension of facts. | do this
in the hope that should the question pre-.
sent itself for consideration ia the future,
your ExcelleuCy may be induced to revise
your opinions as to the strength OF the
parties involved In the war now existing
in the United States. Your EECelIency
says there has existed between the bellig-
erents from the very onset Of the war 40
equality Of strength which has been almost
constantly maintained ever since; and after
so much blOodshed they are now in this
respect very nearly the same position as at
first, Nothing juSiities tue expectation Of
any more decided military operations at an
early day.
Ia answer to your questions in our con-
ference Of the lth inst, IendeavOrel, With
the aid Of map, 10 point out the districts
Of couutry occupied Ut present by the sew
eral divisions Of our army. II your Ex-
cellency can, from memory, recall these
questions, md compare them With the
condition Of things ut the very outset Of
the war, or even as Il has been within the
past year, you will find cause, am sure,
for grave doubt as to the accuracy of opin-
ion expressed in the above extract. A lit
tie more than year ago the whole Of the
Slave States south of the Potomac, and nj.
most TO the Mississippi, thirteen In all,
were in possession Of the insurgents, ex-
cept only small locality in Virginia oppo-
site to Washington; tract Of country In
the same State to the west Of the Allegheny
Mountains, Ia which there was mixed pos.
session; the northern parts Of Kentucky,
and perhaps Of MissOuri-with these eICep.
lions, they had undisputed sway OF the en-.
tire country ofthe South.
They possessedf ht the same time, the
Military Arsenal ut EIarper's Ferry, aud the
vast naval arsenals aud dockyards at Nor.
folk and Pensacola. They had, likewise,
possession Of the eastern shore of the
Chesapeake, Bay, which, in connection with
the command of the Potomac, gave them
cOatrol over the access by water TO Wash
ingtou, the capital Of the nation. They
have lost during the year the eastern shore
Of the Chesapeake and the command OF
the Potomac the city Of Norfolk with Its
Rrsenals md dOckyHrds, and the ncighbor.
ing country, and The dOCkyArds Of Pensa.
cola. They have lost all Virginia west Of
the AlleghGnies, Kentucky and Missouri
and part Of Tennessee, comprising, among
other points, Nashville, the capital, and
Memphis, tie commercial port on the Mis-.
siSsIppi
They have lost every port harbor and
forlification on the Atlantic coast Of any
value-thOBe ut Charleston nloHe excepted
from the Chesapeake 10 the Southern
point Of Florida, md thence around to the
Gulf coast to Pensacola. But more In.
portrait even than thls-they have within
Ihs year lost New Orleans, the great com
mercia metropolis OF tho South, with the
numerous Notifications established for III
defense. They have likewise lost the Mis-
sissippi, with every island mud river fOrtif
cation, save that ut Yicksburg, by which II
was defended. The river, which drains the
entire Valley of the West and cuts in two
the slave States from Cairo to the Gull, and
on which cOald tlOnt the uNvies Of The
world, which can neither be fOrded not
bridyCd, must forever separate the fOut
slave States and their contiguous terrific.
rieg on lie west side from those on the
east. ....... ....J..... ....
Tho loss Of the river was moro injurious
to the cause of the insurreCtionisls than The
loss Of many battles. Conscious that thil
would DO so, II was fortified, your Excel
lency will remember, not only ut its mouth
and below and at New Orleans, but At eve.
ry available point upward; yet, with IL
many Notifications, VicksOurg alone Gx'
ceplGd, has within thC year been lost to III,
South. The Tennessee and Cumberland
great interior rivers Of tue West, with theil
defenBes aud iortifcaiiong, have likOwis,
been taken alter u hard struggle, by tho mr.,
| mics Of the Union. Ia word, the insur
I gents do not now hold n foot Of ground
which they did not held early in the war
while The Ray Of tho Unon has been con
suutly advancing, aud now floats some
where on tho soil, or over tbs Qualifications
Of every slave State save one. Their ar
mics have Ia the mean time been driven
from 40 area Of country, embracing In the
Aggregate, not less Than 100000 squArt
miles, aud occupied by a population rang.
ing from ! 100000 to 2 ,OOO,OOO Of people,
But In wRr, equality in strength consists
not In these things only,
Permit luO, therefore, to remind your
E7cellenCy that while all tho inCipient Of,
t6rlT On tho part Of tho South to create Il
navy have been defeated and her vssseIl