Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-07-21
The Successes Of the Union Armies.

At no period since treason fired the first gun
at Fort SUMTER and in its madness and folly in
augurated civil war, has the cause Of the Union
and the Constitution, the cause OF the Republic
as it was made by the fathers, looked as hopeful
as 1t does now. Victory has followed victory
wherever the Federal armies have moved The
grand success of Grant at Vicksburg, and Of
Banks at Port Hudson has opened at last, and
now without any reserve, the great Mississippi
River from its source to the Gulf, ard the com
merce of the Northwest has again that open
channel to the sea. This cuts the rebel Conied-
eracy in two parts, completely isolaiing the vast
territory west Of the river from the Gulf and
Atlantic States now in rebellion. tstops COM
munication between these two parts, prevents
tho transmission of supplies from the more fer
tile west to tho needy commissariat at Rich
mond, and leaves Texas, Arkansas and w estcrn
Louisiana completely OF our mercy.-But this
is but a small part of the fruit of these great
achievements. Grant has not only taken vicks-
burg he has destroyed rebel army Of nearly
10000 men since he crossed the Mississippi in
May and commenced his march on vicksburg.
lilo has taken from this army oil its material Of
war, its arms, cannon and ammunition. In this
time he has captured nearly if not quite 300
pieces Of artillery and 10000 prisoners, besides
the great number of the enemy put hors du com
bat in his numerous battles. lie has destroyed
mills, nayy-yards, steamboats,, rams, aud all the
formidable preparations Of the rebels up the
Yazoo river for an activeriyer campaign against
our Western ieat In word, he has, 30 far as
any thing more than guerrilla warfare is con-
cetned, put an end to the military power OF the
Coniederacy in the vicinity Of his operations,
leaving scarcely enough Of the rebellion alive
TO form the nucleus, il let alone, Of any serious
disturbance. lie has beside this, released his
own army, larger, better appointed, with more
artillery than ever before, and flushed aud tri-
umphant with its brilliant successes, to hurl
itself upon such forces of the rebels between
Vicksburg and the Gulf as may have the rash
ness to stand IN its way, or be too slow Of foot
to escape it's swift and iirelcss marches. Already
this army has smitten Johnson again and again
and is rapidly scattering and destroying his
army, now the only rebel force Of magnitude
west Of Georgia.
Although Banks successes since he com.
menced his campaign, marching from New Or.
leans to tho investment Of Port Hudson, have
been less magnificent they are not less complete
in themselves, and hardly take less important
positions in this great Western and South West
ern campaign. The army from New England
and the East, moving up from New Orleans,
have met and shaken hands with the army Of
the West moving down from Cairo, on the
banks Of the Mississippi, and the old Stars and
Stripes now float on the tide Of that inland
sea oil commerce from the Likes to the Cult.
Further East Gen. Rosecrans has pushed back
and conquered the rebel forces under Bragg
and with his old yigor and success is finishing
up the campaign in his department lie ha,
cleared oil Middle Tennessee OF traitors, and il
now seems impossible that the rebel army ia
his front will not be scattered or destroyed
And in the East the cause of the Ualon, /,
brighter than ever before. The Army of thu
Potomac has won splendid victory, and giver
Lees army, the best Of all the rebel armies, I
stunning blow at Gettysburg. And if THU
victory was not made as complete us we coulC
wish by the utter destruction Of Lees army
10, US not therefore depreciato it, but estimat
it at wbatlit really was a severe and disastrous
defeat of On army entirely confident of victory
an army. that has at the first opportunity, re
treated across the Potomac, and is making al
haste TO put as grea, distance as possible be
tween itself and the Army Of the Potomac.
And from Charleston we get tho good new,
that an advance is once more being made
on that fountain head of treason, that Oul
troops have already gained firm foothold on
Morris Island, from which Fort Sumter can b,
reduced, and are gradually and surely, by lane
and sea, drawing closer 10 tho doomed city
We believe that this attack will DO successful
and that soon the old flag will take It's pac
once more on the walls Of Sumter, and float VI
disturbed In the harbor Of Oharleston.
All around the skies are Frightening. Tn
rebels are being driven 10 their last refugees
The Government is stronger than before II