Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-10-08
Rebel News and NninI0ns.

been released from Libby Prison, we make
| the following extracts
.-s-s. THE FINAL STRUGGLE AT HAND.
| The final struggle for the possession OF
Richmond and of Virginia is now near This
war draws to a close. II Richmond is held
by the South till the first of November, it
will be ours iOrevcrninfr; for the North will
never throw another huge army into the
abyss where SO many. lie and the war will
conclude, beyond doubt, with the independ-
ence of the Southern States. Events have
made this city, in itself insignificant, the
keystone of the arch. Probably the last inn
mense effort for its destruction which the
enemy is about 20 make would not be attempt
ed had not Atlanta fallen from the hands of
Hood. But Sherman's triumph compels
Grant tOEflatch it or sink hitoinsignifcance.
According to their well settled custom, the
enemy proclaims the intention. Grant him
self, in a public speech made during his
late journey, has notified his country that
whereas Sherman has scOtched the tail in
Georgia, he was on his way to crush the head
of the rebellion in Virginia" What is of
more Importance, he has brought up the
James fity-five thousand new troops. 1t is
true that they will hardly do more than make
up the depletion of the last two months. 1t
Is also true that they are troops of the very
meanest deseription-the substitutes, the
crimped levies, the refuse of the Yankee
army. But they are not brought here now,
in mass, except to be employed Immediately.
The blow must be struck within the next
| three weeks, or it cannot be struck at all
Even success would be useless for the cleo
ton, unless obtained in the coming month.
But il is useless to enumerate tue proofs of
the proposition which no intelligent observer
can treat as doubtful, that the final struggle
for Virginia is about to be made below Pc
tersburg; and perhaps, too, in the Valley.
| Only one fear clouds the rejecting mind. 1t
is not the fear that our Generals will be
found unequal to their duty, or that our ar
mics are insufficient. 1t is "a fear arising
from memories of the past conduct of our
central military authority on every such
! crisis. Just when the scale trembeS, just
when the tiger is about to spring. just when
the enemy's columns are about to emerge
from the mist, that has hitherto been found
their chosen moment to disintergrate our
own force, and to attempt Insignificant con-
quests hundred miles away Longstreet
was sent to threaten Knoxville, while Grant
was about to bound on Lookout Mountain; ;
an army was Distinguishing itself before Lit
| tie Washing ton" while Butler was landing at
Bermuda Hundred; Breckenridge was order
ed out of the Valley while Hunter was enter
ing it. Recollections like these crowd upon
the mind and painfully Cypress it now. These
i species of strategy, so often occurring, is the
sole fear of the army and the county at this
moment But surely, at this time at least,
we tremble before shadows. Some personageS
ia history hare Jee7, styled aoorse than tie ar
ltdatgt, because Mey lcere ulteacta6le, but their
existence may be doubted. BY such stern
lessons as the Confederate authorities have
received, thew must have learned at least
this much. troops must be concentrated
in a country at stake, not sent out of it,
M'cLELLAS's PROSPECTS.
A long article on this subject states that,
notwithstanding the dissatisfaction caused at
first by McCLELLAN's letter of acceptance, the
Northern Democrats are uniting, and there
will be little or NJ. division in their ranks 1t
continues: sls=
Whatever may be the advantages as regards
the attainment of office, of SO ambiguous a
procedure as that of the Chicago Convention
in nominating two candidates apparently of
,ridely different principles, and one of whom at
least has been palmed off ON the sincere
peace men by dexterous piece of charla-
| tanisfn IL is unfortunate for the true inter
ests of peace that u policy of directness and
good faith was not adopted in place of one
fraught with future trouble. and uncertainty.
Had an unmistakable and decided peace can
ddate been selected, his defeat, if it had re-
vealed the fact of a powerful party disposed
| to peace, would not only have had a potent
| immediate effect, but would have tended
speedily to increase the desire for peace
among the people. d fer Confederate yicto-
ries Wo,ad hare ripeaed public sentiment Lin
coin, himself, thoroughly committed as he is
to the prosecution of the wal, might not have
| been deaf to the Outspoken demand of grow
ing sentiment The harlequin President
might have vaulted into the ring in the new
character of an advocate of peace, and finding
as little difficulty in violating his pledges and
eating his words as he has heretofore DONE
might have entertained the audience with a
series of clownish jests on the subject of
peace, as entertaining at least as those he is
| accustomed to make on the hOrrid realities of
war.
The question of the day having been blink
| ed by the opposition to Lincoln, it is profile
NAUTICAL whether their success or that of the
| present incumbent is most favorable to the
| interests of humanity. All sorts of crude
theories as to possible revolution In case the
Democratic party, are ventilated. They
scarcely merit serious consideration. The
oly yitdl question at present IS whose success is
least likely to proue an iasurmO10table barrier 10
| peace LincoL's election nor 1yOltLf6e looked
upon By himself as an approval of his cause,
would seem to spring from satisfaction with
the military position, and would strengthen
his determination. His election itself has
been urged as a military measure of no small
Importance. 1t has been asserted by his
friends that it would at once drive the South
to despair.
The election of Mcclellan, ont tie other hand,
at least opens Tie rag to neU Combinations
4" Pacie,acia y Jargiap," says the Spanish prov
eth. "Patience and shuttle the cards" n
nelc deal may perhaps prone propitious, Jaa tie
onl certain b7uaps are Tie Confederate am es.
FROM THE SHENANDOAH
There is no news, official or private, from
the Valley. There are plenty Of Yankee lies
| regarding the late battle in that quarter, some
of which we publish in another column for
the amusement of our readers. The Yankees
still claim three thousand prisoners, which
we are confident will cover our whole loss in
killed, wounded and missing. They admit a
loss of two thousand on their side-which fig
ure being multiplied by four will give the cor
rect number. Their repeated assertion that
our defeat was a complete rout" is of a
piece with their other statements on the
same subject We predict that when all the
facts of this battle come to be known, it will
stand out as The best fight and dte most orderly
retreat that Gen. Ec1iy has eyer made. We
will say no more at present, IL not beng erpe-
| cZie1f to f,1kJliSh all the facts