Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-04-05
9ailn empire.
The Cam mpaign Rgai
as Compared with VIeksburg.

lFfom the LouisFlue Journal
II appears to be the general impression that
General Grant having taken, OF decided to
tqse the immediate command of the Army
Of the Potomac, will go speedily forward to
attack Richmond There is also very ex.
tensive impression that he will certainly cap
ture the city The public faith in regard to
this matter rests very much, IT not almost en-.
tirely, upon the deep confidence felt in Gen
eral Grants sagacity judgment, energy, and
military genius. We have as much confidence
in these qualities OF the distinguished Lieu.
enant General as any one can have, and yet
we confess that we have some unpleasant mis-
givings as to the capture OF Richmond.
We al know how much time and toll and
life it cost General Grant to capture Vicks-
burg Yet Vicksburg was defended by only
twenty-nine or thirty thousand troops, whilst
General Lee can, if necessary, have between
two and three hundred Thousand for the de-
fense Of Richmond. Besides, Grant com pete-
ly besieged Vicksbnrg in front by means Of
the Federal gunboats upon the Mississippi
and in the rear by a large army extending
from point on the river above the city to
point on the river below, but he can have no
such advantages at Richmond, there being no
river at the latter place except the James,
which is commanded by the rebels, and egress
from the city being free in all directons.--
Grant may gather two hundred thousand or
three or four hundred thousand men in front,
but even such a force, advancing to direct
attack on Richmond, would in all probability
be driven back from the treble or quadruple
lines OF powerful Notifications, forti6cations
within Notifications, constructed upon the
best principles Of military engineering and by
the incessant labor Of large army of men at
work for three years, and at work still Rich
mond is fortified far more formidable than
Vicksburg was and yet we must remember
that all Of the three or four terrible assaults
made by Grants veterans upon Vicksburg
were bloody failures 1t is true that FEEDER
al army might be sent in the rear Of Rich
mond to cut of reoel supplies from that city,
but the James River would still be open near
ly or quite to its mouth, and, unless the flank
ing army should be tremendous in numbers,
more tremendous, in fact than we could we'll
render 1t, Lee, with his whole force, could per-
haps, make a sudden and overwhelming dash
upon il; for the two Federal armies the one
in front of Richmond and the other in the
rear, would be too wide apart to cooperate
with each other or even to know each others
perils and needs II seems hardly possible
that, even with our immense resources, we can
furnish two armies, each able of itself to cope
successfully with the vast army that General
Lee can gather at the stupendous stronghold
Of Richmond. There does not seem at pres
ent much if any alarm at the rebel capital
If there we're good deal more, we should like
the indication.
We have suggested these considerations in
the hope of preventing our friends from being
over sanguine. If there is any truth in mill
tary maxms, Richmond could not be taken
by force three times as great as that defend
ing it.