, 1863-06-09
4 REBEL VIEW OF THE SET.
EATlUT.


|
now rngtng around the bluffs Of Vlcksburg
II il tue most nomentous, and perhaps, the
b1oouicst fight Of the campaign This year. Il
| Grants daring attempt fail, aud Ills army be
| destroyed, or evcn driven Off with such rlen.
tiful carnase aud havoc us our batteries arc
now making fu the ranks, tlen the Mis- s1sslp.
! pi ard all the West arc ours for this season..
| If fIiclsburE unh.ppils fall, the war is only
| beginning. But the worst effect of that dfsas
ter would assurcdly be- the revival Of that mis-
rzable outcry for utting and tamperiug with
the great Eorts1wcst-rcuniou with several
to The Northwest.
VicksbuTg, as we hare good hope, will not
fall, and cannot fill. We have there fluc
army, brave to desperation, and led by able
commanders. Every motive, every passion
that can cAa1t soldiers to the point at which
men conquer or die, is there present; patzio--
ism aud pride, the need If Sustaining Il well
won renown, thirst for public and f,r private
Vengeance upon the desolation Of the land,
the lncendiaries Of our towns aud cowardly
opPrtseols of unprotected women aud chill
d1en, all stir and m1daen our men to daring
deeds, and give zest to the work Of whole
some slaughter. Pember.on Is noh1y sustain
ing Lis fame and ours; and with johnson aud
his gathering rtinforccmcnts tn strike In ut
the 1noEent OF fnte and finish the terrible
strife. it Eay well be hoped that. with Gods
blessing on our army, those most formidable
armatnents Of the enemy, By land and water,
will be ruined. overwhelmed and sent to per
dision.
Yet, If It be fitted, that In spite Of all human
ya1or and devotion can do, Ficksburg and its
defenders should become the prey Of our en-
envy, then indeed will come The ting Of war.
Then Ihe also viii come the political crisis.
Whatcver Of cmbecility and dfaint-heartedncas,
and downright latent toryism and treason ex-
lists in this Confederacy, will At once receive
new accession Of weakness; many will again
begin to cry out for an "1onorable peace" :"
as they will call It, BY means Of submission
now raging orer our country with fire aud
sword Tie doctrine Of the necessary unity
Of the Mississippi Valley, from Lake ftasca to
the Gulf Will be again revived by political
| Eeographcrs of feeble knees If tile Miss
| issirpi River were something different from
all other rivers, as If there were any more
| unity OF continuity in its shores than in the
! chores Of the sea, IS If the Great West
/ had right to our country because the
| water flows from their lands into ours; all
this sad nonsense, which is nothing but a
| cloak for treason and excuse for coTardice,
land ngain. And then the Northwest wou1a
not listen to our offers and overtures, If such
should be nude. With the possession OF
| FickEburE and Port Hudson, they would fancy
themselves assured Of the whole Mississippi,
''r conquest; and they would no longer dream
| u E5t3p1uR IL " IL OuI pOilL1Eldu5
Of Tennessee and Mississippi should, then,
renew their helpless talk OF giving favorable
| commercial treaty to the upper States Of the
| river, as an iDducemept to than to separate
themselves from the Eastern States aad erect
:. confvdcracy Of their Owl, such offers would
he received with contempt The issue would
he presented pure and simple, naked aad pc
ncmp:o1y. submission or subjueation. And
| subjugRtioo means determination.
| Thus, Vicksburg Is ut this time pofat not
| only Of strategic, but also Of political import
auce. While our flag flies defiant over the
ture to raise its hand; no man will dare to
breath one word Of reconstruction IL
| whole or in part. All will be good Confeder
ates. The cause which Is supposed to be fill
ing and sinking, is the one which is likely tc
be abandoned by the towards and betrayed BY
the Traitors To the cause that prospcrs VIC
are always as true as steel.
For this reason, the result Of these Virginia
Elections, or of any elections, Is By no means
| If 60 deep political Significance as the result
Of those battles around Vicksburg. All the
gentlemen elected the day before yesterday
reso!ute Confederates, whether they be late
or original ones. II any of them have uncon-
eciou.1y lurking within them some relic OF
tenderness for. the old Union, some unde-
ilued la,,kerlng after peace By total or partial
reconstruction upon any terms whatever,
.'hono1ablc' or Otherwise, the successful de-
fence Of Vicksbnrg will help to obliterate the
'net tinge or taint Of such anti Confederate
eentiment. This Is not said in disparagement
| Of thosc who hnye left the Union reluctantly
md ut the last moment but who left It
then forever, and hare since maintain
cd on many bloody field, tho soe'
creignty If their States agalnst IN Invading
| enemy. We find it impossible to conceive
for example, that men like Colonel Wlckhaul
Who has led Virginia regiment through twe
| years Of desperate war in defense Of Virginta't
right to seccde, or like Alexander Boteler
| whose home has been desolated by invading
harbarians, and who has ridden by the side o
jackson thu ough the campaigns which Illus
trate his native State, and gemmed it all owe,
with fields Of glory like an emperor's shield
should ever contemplate the possibility o1
any compromise Of Virginla'e Sovereignty Al
ali. under any circumstances or any pressure
f-Vicsshurg or no Vicksburg; Yet some ther'
who would see Ia the fall Of Vicksburg AZ
occasion, perhaps even reason, perhaps the,
might even see m honest and patriotic reason
for drawing back from the extreme measur
Of our proud position, and listening to com
promise, aud M honorable peace" We ds
assure them, 1T such there be, J that they ar'
in the wrong. Compromise there can b
none; nor medium. This confederacy has be
fore It one Of two things-either to conque
its full and separate Independence by battl'
and victory, or to yield itself conquered, ant
drag the bitter doom Of an Oppressed na
sionality," under the basest Of masters;
naked, bound, scourgcd "Ciuderella Of na
r.onS;;'' object, at the very best, Of the world
| contcmptuous pity.
There are few, it may be hoped, who ar,
not now up to the right mark, prepared j.
this mattel to make The right decision. A.
any rate. We pray Johnston and Prnlberton
and tie yet Maiden City Of the Bluffs.