The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-05-06

Just now no movement could be made thai
would inspire . greater degree of hope and
confidence in the public mind than . union
Of the armies of Generals Grant and Rose
ca in the important central field Of opera
tons occupied oy tno i-ssO-- For the mast
three months, Gen. Rssecrans has been stan
ding on the defennivs, because his force has
not been sufficient to enable him to push his
way into the heart Of the Gotten States, And
sever all the lines Of communication between
the eastern and western divisions of rebeldom
On the other hand, Grant has been making all
kinds Of abortive demonstration against Vicks-
burg. But suppose he had been successful
what them Why, simply this: Psmberton
would have evacuated Vicksburg, as Beaare-
gard evacuated Corinth, fallen back, united
his forces with those of Bragg, and made ter
rible reprisal by crushing ROsecrans, recaptur-
ing Nashville, aud perhaps pushing an over
whelning force through Kentucky to the Ohio
river.
What is needed now is the capture of armies,
not cities, not fortresses. But let the armies
of Rosecrans and Grant be united. and short
campaign would suffice to pat the National for
ce, in possession OF all the great lines of rebel
communication, including the Mississippi
The following sensible remarks of the New
York Herald on this subject will commend
themselves to the mind Of every thinking man !:
Ii is these divisions and subdivisions of our
forces at many places which so weaken our
movable armies as to enable the enemy in al
al A.. -
superior fierce against Us, with hardly half our
aggregate number of soldiers in the field. Let
the government leave to take care of them
selves, all unimportant towns and places cap
tured from the enemy, and look simply to the
subjugation Of the armies Of the rebellion. and
the work will soon be done. Napoleon Bona
parte did not hesitate TO leave towns and cities
and strong fortresses behind him, while aiming
for the main army Of the enemy, the destruc-
tion of which he very well knew would give
him possession Of the enemy's country and ev.
erything in it. BY this simple system of war
fare. and only by this system, can this rebel
lion be put down.
The rebels hare bOastingly told us, and re-
peatedly, that We may take Charleston. Rich
mond, Vicksburg and Mobile, but that while
they have three hundred thousand soldiers in
the field they can still maintain the war
these rebel strongholds are only important in
proportion to the rebel troops, the artillery,
factories and warlike stores and lines of COM
munication which they cover. Corinth. while
the army Of Beauregard was there, was desi
rable place Of Capture; but siser his evacua-
ton with his troops, artillery &c, it was of no
account But all these rebel strongholds NAV
be turned by the simple programme Of two
great armies. one east and one west. striking at
the main armies Of the rebellion by interior
lines instead Of operating around the edges of
Q great circle.
We rely upon the practical common sense oil
President Lincoln to try this plain and infalli-
bic system in the Southwest; for surely. after
the anaconda system has had two years Of trial. |
and has been found to be advantageous only to
the enemy, We may hope that in this impending
campaign it is to be abandoned PittsIuroI |
Gazette