Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-06-22
inc miIitarr s-,tnatlon.

AOou. Two years ago Oenefat oc0tt Statteu
athc grand army of the United States on its
march southwark, by way Of Virginia. to "hold, |
OCCUPY and possess the property and places be
longing TO the Government and to take care
that "the laws of the Union should be faithfully
executed in all the States" Since that we have
a succession OF battles, of greater or less extent,
with advances and retreats innnmerable, and not
less than half a million men have been lost to
the country in all ways. After s. much endeav-
or, in what position is the warT
Practically we may now consider the rebellion
as represented by about three hundred and fifty
thousand effective sold;~-s aside from its ar
mics the rebellion Il D.. atty, and those
armies are consequent, he rtevjectire points.
They are in the field 1T F-eue.i rksburg, Peters
burg and Staunton. in Virginia; at Goldsboro and
Wilmington, IN North Carolina; at Charleston, in
South Carolina at Savannah. in Georgia; at Tai
lahassee. in Florida: at Monticello. in Kentucky;
ut Knoxville, Shelbyville and Chattanooga, in
Tennessee; at Madison. Jacksonport and Little
Rock. In Arkansas; at Mobile, at Port Hudson
aud At Vicksburg.
Though we have thus named eighteen points.
the force at come Of them is quite small, and
might, for any Importance TO the points them
selves, be smaller; for the whole struggle Is now
concentrated really In FIVE theatres of operations,
and the theatres of primary importance are fewer
still: for the positions at Goldsboro and Whining
ton are merely the acknowledgement of a weak
ness there, and the positions at Petersburg and
Staunton are of equally small account-certainly
the latter. Marmaduke's position at Madison, in
Arkansas, and Pegram's at Monticello in Ken
tucky, both depend, like the fortunes of the cele-
brated Guppy, upon circumstances over which
they have no control" Those positions will be
fought for OF other fields. Fredericksburg. Vicks-
burg, the centre Of the line between these two in
Tennessee. and the position at Charleston (which
practically mas be counted as one with that at
Savannah) are the great points, the points at
which the war appears to cdlminate. In fact,
the rebellion nav be regarded as drawn up on
one immense field. II faces to the Northwest,
and its rear rests upon the Atlantic ard the Gulf
of Mexico. Lee holds the right above Richmond:
Johnston and Pemberton, between them. hold
the left AT Vicksburg; Bragg and Buckner hold
the centre: and the reserve, under Beaureeard is |
al Savannah and Charleston, ready to be sent
anywhere, and in a position to guard the ap
proaches in that direction. il indeed this reserve
has not already been sent elsewhere.
Against the Rebel right, ms thus indicated, we
have hitherto directed our maiH effort neither
well nor wisely-not for any good reason. since
il Is not a decisive roint. either geographically
or strategically In this we have been governed
bv a vague notion that we ought to take the en-
emy's capital. But the Southern States are no
France-they have no Paris. They have no cap
ital except as they choose TO name a town as a
place OF assembly, 81 ineT rulers hic0uOnO
was probably designated MS the seat of govern
ment to invite advance in that direction, and to
keep the war rs much "a possible in Virginia and
out Of the States more deeply interested in the
contest. As for the prestige we might gain by
the capture of the enemy's capital, it is not an
equivalent for the loss Of sixty thousand men;
Yet with the Bull Run campaign. the Peninsula
campaign, Pope's impotent attempt. Burnside's
repulse and Hooker's horrible catastrophe, we
49, ,os - l,,.t H. r.,r -, the ottAr.rf oH1
still the Rebel right is essentially where it was.
All that we have done against it has been to
the advantage of the Rebels, and the prestige,
which was more TO them than to us, is all theirs.
Against their center we have had more success.
By the operations in Western Virginia, and from
the capture Of Fort Donelson onward, we have
pushed il, with varying fortunes, to the Northern
line of the Gulf States. and il rests not far north
of that Every great battle fought there has
been cOmpletely IN our favor. Hooker and Rose
Grams now respectively watch these points on the
right and center Their business is to stand still,
perhaps to thIeateu-but above all TO hold fast.
Hooker is perhaps soon to be tried again. lt is
for him TO see that the Rebel right, under Lee.
does not advance into the free States and achieve
the success by which il expects 20 balance the
disaster that is to fall upon il in the West. Rose
Grams, who is a hard fighter, with a sOubriquet,
and who has plenty of brains, without pretense.
will do his part with quiet tenscity.
Upon the Rebel left we begin our operations
well with Captain Nathaniel Lyon, who would
have closed up matters in that direction very
shortly if he had been given the entire command
there But the romantic tastes of the period had
to be pandered to. and Lyon. who was not at all
romantic. gave way to Fremont. who was. Then
followed an avalanche of errors. Fremont was
swept from his official feet at last, and the enemy
was driven from Missouri. beaten at Pea Ridge,
and row stands at bay by the "City on the Hill"
where he holds with almost the power of despair
his last point on the Mississippi river. General
Grant has thus far acted against Vicksburg with
great bOldneSs and ability. Let him but continue
his campaign in the spirit IN which il has so far
been carried on, and Vicksburg will be ours, and
the rebellion will lose by that blow, half of It's
already small territory. Banks operations
further down the river-though for the present
dwarfed ia public estimation by the apparently
greater operations of Grnt-are nevertheless of
the first importance, as in any event they deprive
the rebellion of an immense territory aud of great
material wealth. Grant. however. has in his
hands the great game in the Southwest. Let
him but win. and Resecrans and Hooker mean
while hold their places. and from The hour when
Ficksburg is ours we may date the downfall OF
the rebellion. Charleston and the position IN
East Tennessee will then. with Richmond, be the
points of Importance, and the great Southern
Confederacy will be reduced to a convenient size.
Already we have achieved n great deal
Maryland, Delaware and Kentucky assured;
Missouri, Tennessee aud bali Of Virginia re
deemed; Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and half OF
Florida essentially in our possession; n slice of
North Carolina ours. and Mississippi M the bal
lanee-such are the results: and yet The miseri-
BILE partisan sponters tell their audiences that We
are no nearer to the end OF the war than we were
two years ago. From the glaace we have given,
any one not blinded by party zeal may see that.
though feMer br, iiaRt Victories have been gaiuesi
than we're expected. We have mule steady and
great progress towards the accomplishment OF the
objects OF the war. aud are now in the position TO
strike a blow that will do it more harm than any
one blow has yet dome
So much for the territorial aspects Of the situa
ton; but, as we have said before, the Rebel arm
les are now the important objective points. Here
also our progress mas been great; for the rebel
lion in this respect il in such . position that at
any one Of the three points, fright. left or c%entre)
we are able to strike almost at it, life: and the
overthrUw OF a Rebel army at one of these three
points Nonid now be vastly more disastrous to
the rebellion thin it could have been at this time
last year-[N Y. Herald
The President Responds To the Al
~ bany RESOLUTIONS
We certainly wish to treat the President with