The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-08-24

SAo6 s iasrs Of small quantities.
Tn Wan NEwx-The news Of this
morning il indicative Of serious work
pear ct hand At Charleston the enemy
sssing the damage sustained by Fort
Sumter q fort which our batteries Of
guns greatly inferior to those now used
ky the enemy, silenced in few hours,
from their thousands Of p0ndrous ms
eileo. had demanded the surrender OF the
city. and of Morris Island. Gen. Beau
rsearyrs reply was worthy Of him; The
eneny understands from it that Charles
ton Is not taken, and that he has much
more digging and bombardi2g and fight
ing TO do be1ore he can take it, If he ever
takes Il 1t oil, which is altogether impro-
babe. Let Sumter be RACED to mass of
rubbish there yet remain obstacles far
more serious than Sumter in the enemy's
way. II he gets Charleston at all it will
cost him dearly; and when he does he
will moro likely conquer q city in ruins
The Southern Confederacy, We believe,
has brought itself to- the determination
not to abandon cities upon threat of the
enemy that unless they are given up they
will be shelled--simply TO save the
hoassst 1t is found to be only giving up
comfortable quarters to the enemy, while
al Of our own people who remain in
them are prosecuted and abused like dogs.
Mono Of their rights of property are re-
spccted, while personally they are not ac-
corded the ordinary usages of humanity,
much less those of common civility and
deeency. All eyes are upon Charleston.
She is far VI from falling, and triumph
or fall. we know that her defenders are
about to illuminate our history by anotl-
er chapter that will excite the admiration
Of the world. Her example will BE in
valuable to our people and warning to
the enemy, who will have a fearful ad-
monitor Of terrible resistance they must
continue to meet in their wor of invasion
and subjugation of the South.
The Southwest is becoming again the
theatre Of interest. Rosecrans is said to
Be advancing upon Bragg; while in the
West Burnside is pressing upon Buck
ner, who holds East Tennessee. This is
probably all the better The effect of
our campaign beyond the Potomac and
the loss Of Vicksburg is that the enemy
presses us, and it is when we are pressed
that we achieve results worthy of the
cause and the nation. The danger Of
too much success on our side has always
been too much confidence and the re-
lapsing into carelessness and apathy
We grow listless, and our men pine in in
activity and die rapidly from camp dis
eases. Fewer would perish ON the battle
fields ofan active campaign
The enemy has suffered heavily of
late. At Gettysburg his loss was greatly
more than ours; at Vicksburg and Port
Hudson his loss was greatly more than
all the men he captured from us in those
places. Nor were his losses terminated
with the capture Of those places. Dis
ease-yellow fever and camp fever-has.
been rapidly killing his men ever since
The movement Of Rosecrans-if he has,
indeed, begun a march-is one ofdesper-
alton possibly. The immense losses
from disease in the Federal army may
urge him to do something at once before
his army is too feeble to hold its position,
much less to advance.
A week or two will bring us, we be-
1ieve, news to cheer us. There is no
good reason now for dependency; for
the situation since this time last year is
not much altered to our disadvantage
A single victory in the Southwest will
recover much that we have lost there.
The strong position in East Tennessee
can hardly be lost TO US. Here in Vir-
ginia the enemy is further from Rich
mond than he was last year. Should
Charleston fall he cannot make Roadway
into the interior, and will only be able to
close that place as port of entry.
So the situation brightens, because it
shows signs Of activity, and that is CRATE
full to the brave Confederate soldier. We
have always gotten along better when
the enemy showed fight than when he
delayed his movements We have gene
rally repealed his attacks successfully,
while we have not failed to attack him
when he gave us the opportunity. We
have carried his field fortifcations-he
has never, save very partially, carried
ours. Let him come on then-our men
will meet him cheerfllly; and they will
beat him, too, unless the programme of
past campaigns is greatly changed for
the one just coming.