, 1863-07-12
Cl)ifogo Gribn11e.
MONDAY, JULY Is, 1858.
r-r SITUATION AND PROSPECT.

:tcns their overthrow and ront must
. before they could cross thesrapid and |
7o1lcn Potomac, We have not jet reached
tic end Of this terrible struggle; and 1t is
well not to feed On empty ramc,s, md I'LL
ourselves with vain ani Erea' cSpes:a-
tons, ending in pain ard t'ss9eF uisap- !
ro,ntment, Cc1tainly, tic ga;as VIC hare
made in the last few weeks arc very great
Int. SO far as We can judge, there rcmnin
sill much work to be done, many sacri-
fees to be made, more energy, persevcr-
once determination, valor, and life to be
cxneuded before this conflict will close.
The foe is stubborn, fierce, and desperate;
tue great chiefs and leaders Of the rebel
lion are 50 hardened in their pride and
hate, and have their all 50 staked upon,
and bound up in the fortune Of the var,
that it isnot TO be believed they will think
Of yielding, SO long as any chance or hope
is left to than. They Will not give up the
struggle, so long as by any means they can
find the men and the supplies to carry it
on i; not, until they have employed every
resource Of military force, and every de-
rice Of fraud and craft to fill up their shat
tered ranks, and keep of, By desperate |
and bloody fighting the crisis so fatal to
all their hopes and ambition.
The experience Of this war, if We have
not forgotten, should teach us, that We
are too prone to expect far larger results
from both victories and defeats, than we
tind>to follow. We have been cast down
lower in fear and gloom BY the disasters
that have from time to time befa]len our
aims, than we should in reason have been.
We have thought the Union almost gone,
and the country nearly lost, We know not
how often, during the war; and full as
frequently we hare been sure that the
Conlederaey was now oyerhrown, and the
rebellion had received its death blow.
To have taken Vicksburg is q great
achievement, worthy Of a1l the enthusias-
tic joy, shouting, firing Of guns, and deep
thankfulness that it has caused in all loyal
hearts. But Port Hudson j. not yet taken;
the Mississippi River is not yet open;
wc know not how large an army Joe
Johnston has been able to gather; nor
how obst,natcly or long he may be able to
contest the further progress Of Grants
force, and prolong the struggle for the
possession Of the great valley. We have
no doubt as to what the end will be, but il
is not impossible that by bad luck on our
side, and good On theirs; our relaxing in
effort while they were maddened to fiercel
onset; or any of the unaccountab1e acci
dents 60 proverbially common in all wars
the end may yet be deferred long enough
to put our patience to severer trials.
It is grand to see the firm and stead,
columns that guided by Rosecrans hav'
swept Bragg's forces constantly befor'
them, and finally driven them through
gaps and across streams, and up the val
leys, till they have taken refuge in TIL
mountain strongholds. But Chattanooga
is an immensely strong place, and has bee1
fornidably intrenched, and it would be {
wild calculation to suppose it is going K
yield without desperate struggle, and
protracted siege Rosecrans is long way
from his base, while he has great AMI
manifold difficulties and hindrances Il
meet and overcome We believe he i
sure to carry his work through to tri
umphant issue; but let us not delude our
selves with too high hopes, or expec
greater things, and more rapid results an'
victories Than is right OF just to ask fror
mortal man, who must work out throug
abo1ious effort the end often long pos
poued.
It seems from the last accounts Of Il
fight at Gettysburg, quite doubtful ho'
much Lec's army WAS demoralisei
whether, far from being, badly beaten, i
did not, having failed to drive Meade ffo1
lis chosen position, FILL back to stror
ground with all his guns, and having e1
trcnchcd, and taken the defensive will n
be able 10 give battle with as great chan
of success as ever before. Lee is ab]
ad1oit, and willy. He has never yet lost
army, or endangered his cause by rashne
or want Of caution. He has great ferti1i
Of resources, great quickuess and vigor
action, and, although we deem him bad
damaged by the lust battle, and feel Il
utmost confidence in the va1or OF O
troops, aud the skill Of their new COZ
mander, yet We shall wait with anxiety f
the news of the conflict which seems no
50 imminent, And, il the worst had ha
pened to Lee which has been told, al
driven buck By our superior rforces, he h
turned on the banks Of the swollen Poi
mac, and is ut bay, we may L: sure tt.sl:.:.
will make a most desperate and stubbo
fight
Of the sure and final result we have
doubt. But let us not forget the mag 8
tude Of the conflict, the valor and reso'
ces Of the rebellion, and the many unf
seen contingencies and accidents Of bait
that have SO often snatched the Tlct&
from superior force, OF turned SUCCESS il
the most disastrous defeat The rebell
NAV not be crushed on the banks Of
Potomac, and swept away On its boil
torrent; it may find shelter for months
in the rocky Businesses OF Chattanooga
hold out, We know not how long, beh
the ramparts and bitches OF Port Huds
or in the swamps and bayous Of the Mis-
eippi; but its end Is sure to come. LIE
not deceive ourselves with too great
pectations, and, so, we may keep G
from equally great disappointment.
THE DRAFT.
All signs show that the Govc:nner
in earnest about the draft, and that the
cent victories Will prove no bar to its
forccmcnt. In Massachusetts, and ]
York tits already in progress, and wi
followed up elsewhere as fast as the
rollments are finished. This is att sh
he. The necessity is an immediate
and the crisis must be met. The old
rncnts, tattered and broken in the shot
battles, must be filled up and again
sent an unbroken front to the foe
ter than all, the military and political
ers Of the South, and especially the pc
of the South must be taught that VIC
hardly touched our resources get. II
full tide of victory there is the gre
daurcr. The strong hand Of the Go,