Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-05-07
05io Statesman.
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY
The Ohio Statesman Company,
SATURDAY MORNING, ---- MAY 7.
THE OPENING CAMPAIGN.
Movements i'm the West-JOhnstOn TO
Commence Operations Immediate
ly-A Scare mt ltichmond-The
Rebels IL Rejoicing Over the
Red River battles.

Rebels Rejoicing over the
Red River Battles.
tFrom The Worlds Correspondence
BALTIMORE, May 2, 1864.
DEVELOPMENT OF GENERAL JoHNsToN's CAM
PAIGN TOWARD THE NORTH.
1t is understood at Richmond that Cen
eral Grant has drawn largely upon the
Union forces in the West, in order that he
may have a sufficiently large army in Vir-
ginia for his campaign in the East. 1t is
believed by the rebel leaders that two whole
army corps have been recently withdrawn
from Gen. Sherman near Chattanooga and
sent East for that purpose, and that other
points in the West and even one point on
the Mississippi river have been greatly
weakened by the withdrawal of certain di-
visions and brigades, which have been sent
to the same destination. | have no means
of knowing, and | state you frankly that
do not know, whether such movements
have been made or not. / only know that
at Richmond they are understood to have
been made, and the particular corps and
divisions thus moved, their officers. and the
route they took in order to reach Virginia,
are said to be no secrets ut the rebel War
Department.
RESULTS OF FORESTS MOVEMENTS.
1t is said also that, in consequence of
these movements, General Sherman has
been so weakened that he will be compelled
to postpone his contemplated advance on
Atlanta; and the opinion is even expressed
that he will be unable to maintain himself
and keep open his communications at Chat
tanoOga, but will be under the necessity of
falling back to Shelbyville and the line of
Duck river, and possibly even to Nashville.
The recent campaign of General Forrest in
Western Kentucky and Tennessee, and his
rapid march just accomplished from Mem
phis to Holly Springs in Mississippi, and
thence to Decatur Ill Northern Alabama,
are 10 doubt the precursors of the grand
| aggressive rebel movement in the West; but
1t is regarded also at Richmond as an e: =
tensive reconnaissance in force. His cour-
icrs, whom he sent daily to the rebel capi-
TIL (for he would nottrust to the telegraph).
are said to have brought the most startling
and important intelligence in regard to the
military status in Tennessee and Kentucky.
and the state of feeling there among the
people.
GENERAL JoHNSToN's ARMY TO MOVE IAINE-
DIATELY.
At all events, it is believed by the quid
nuncs at Richmond that General Johnston
| is now ready to begin the movement which
was shadowed forth in my letter of the 18th
ultimo. General Sherman's whole force,
including all his detachments (even at
Huntsville and Decatur, which may have
been by this time gobbled up by Forrest),
is thought by them to be now, not over six
ty thousand men, while General Johnston
has fully seventy-live thousand troops
They believe that now is the auspicious mo-
ment for them to strike the blow which they
have been meditating So long, for the repos-
session of the whole of Tennessee and all of
Kentucky west of Lexington, and for the
| invasion Of Indiana and Ohio. The dispro-
portion between their forces and ours, in
the West, they say, was never more marked
than now, while the disaffection existing all
over Kentucky, in consequence of the forced
enlistmentS Of negro soldiers from the bor-
der States, will be equal to them to REIN
forcement of twenty thousand men and as
many horses. They think that Gen. Grants
movement on Richmond must take place
before the middle of May; that every avail
able soldier in the West has been sent to
swell his army; and they believe that the
guns that open his cannOnade will be the
signal for Johnston to begin his northward
march.
EFFECT OF THE RED RIVER DISASTER AT RICH
MOND.
The rebels at Richmond are jubilant over
their recent victories, which they regard as
bright harbingers of the result of the whole
summer campaign. 1t cannot be denied
(and indeed will soon be very evident at the
North) that our defeat on the Red river was
Il victory, the fruits of which they will COLI
tinue to reap for months to come. 1t is said
that in connection with this victory, ar
rangements are on foot by which the rebel
Generals in the valley of the Mississippi
will join their forces, eXpel all the Union
troops from Arkansas and Missouri, seize
and fortify st. Louis, occupy Cairo, capture
Memphis; and take such other measures as
will entirely close the navigation of the
Mississippi river. Their chief object and
great inducement in doing this will be to
again obtain control of the country west of
the Mississippi, particularly Southern Ar
kansas and Northern Louisiana, so as to be
able to make the productions of those two
States, and above all the productions OF
Texas available to the Confederacy.
PANIC AT RICHMOND.
There is a terrible panic at Richmond,
owing to the apprehensiOns that are felt
there of the capture of that city by Gener-
ais Grant and Butler; but it affects the
rebels in a different way from the panic
fore the battle of Gettysburg. At Rich
mond money is plenty, such as it is, and
business is very lively. The stores are
crammed with European goods, which ar
rive via Wilmington. The bill of fare at
the Spottswood House is quite as good as
that presented on the tables of the hotels in
many large interior towns IN the Northern
States. The streets are thronged with idle
promenaders. The ladies wear the richest
silk dresses and crinoline of undiminished
proportions. At night, the theaters and
concert halls are well filled. New plays
are brought out; new books are printed
and published; even new magazines are
issued and appeal for a share of public pat
ronage. in fine, if a panic exists at Rich
Hmond, its effects are not visible to the naked
eye. AS regards the ironclad vessels there,
and the distractions in the James river, it
will be very easy to verify the facts in re-
gard to their existence. Let fleet of IRON
clad vessels be sent up that stream to recon-
hotter. If they are not there, why have we
not sent a naval expedition to capture Rich
mond long ago? Richmond is not like
Charleston in this respect. If Richmond
can once be reached by q Union fleet, 1t is at
our mercy. But It cannot be SO reached.-
1t is utterly inaccessible by water. This
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