The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-29
A GIGANTIC CAMPAIGN.

/ WAsrfNo4oS. Dec mbcr 2S- The capture Of
/ Savannah, which fvr, tic brilliant elimination
. Of ono campaign. opens another campaign, the
majestic outlines OF which mast loom up on the
mind Of any intel" gcn- s'ndeu. Of the military
map. The march from Atlanta to the seaboari
"A mcrch es lyre gs that Of NhpOlcon from the
NiCmcn 10 Nose wv /. impressive rather on &C
! count OF the wonderful kill aud success with
which an enterprise OF cormour difficulty was
worked out, than from any positive material
results spruging iv5-', from it.
b. fore Sherman could beg effective work, it
was n eccssary TIM. %. shosd secure base and
uont A oypH fCf Iis army. and in the execution
of his grand uoyy be uur5o'cly postponed all
minor On tlrpHsos uUNl he should have achieved
This.
Now Of all ayoi'abl. military lines on which To
establish o base for u0l'riUr operations, that Of
the Sayaurah IIyer is tbo very best Implying
INTO the Atlantic, its Lcal-vatcrs touch the great
Ccntfsl mouuioiu ridge dividing the eastern from
the weattru theatres of war, a glance mt the
map VIII slow that The possession Of this river
sewers every line Of railway communication be-
tween the A'lautiC So board states aud those Of
the Cult. Much has been p Iil about Che Dissection
of the CNufDUlrauy hu' AN il .L's line was held
by % Union force the South could hardly DO said
to he really reut in twain.
General shrIW7u has planted himself on this
line and is extending bis forces 90 "Aold, occupy
and possess 10. To effect thi- needs bat the cap
turo OF Augusta, and 20 viii, doubtless be found
that this Is his trst OBJECTIVE. The possession OF
Augusta will complete his command 81 the line OF
the Savannah, because 70 WI give him the lnJo-
rtor railroad, while irs vast material Importance
as the primc.celtre for the manufacture Of all
munitions ot war, will make its loss al IRENE
diabe blow TO the enemy.
Given the completion Of these prelimirarics, It
lies within tie next ten days and Sherman, turn
ing his face uorthward hua before him q success
sion Of cunqurtts dazzling enough to fire tile most
ambitious imag inatiou, and which are destined 20
aunibiIato the armed force u the Rebellion.
Shermau's t'f'3 mate object - nothing less shan
Lees amy, now held tight In Richmond by
j Grant. But between his present position and his
/ ultimate q, tiuNtiOu lie the Sgltos Of South AMI
NoItl Carolina. Nov Whatever in these sup.
/ ports the RebeliOn-w seaports through
/ which Contraband of war fuds entry frDn
abroad, or depots Of supplies for feeding the
/ Rebel fOTcs in virginia, Cr railroads and rolling
stock for the transportation of men and na'er.ei,
. or capital towns whose fall brings distra tOu,
/ Decentralization, and dsIay to the rebel i1uS
/ population, or "a, grOCs which tOrs the working
/ siuews of the RebglliOn-uIl leapTey 10 his con
/ QuerDg columns
FIom Augusta he can swing down on Charles
| ton, cutting every filrold on which it de lends
and euyelopingit as ne has cnyelupsd Savannah.
. This of itself will be porcntJus BLOW at the
. Rebellion for il will bruise The head Of the
serpent OF secession in Us nome ana natchnS-
place. But IL will nor DE all; ne VIII have ms
/ heel on that naughty state and on the stih necks
of its rebglious population, who will be humbled
and brought low. II our prisoners arc
still allowed TO remain within the con-
fines Of this State, they will be released !;
if hey are transferred further north, the teDcls
becoming unable TO feed them, as they arc
pressed upon by Shcrmgu's advance, restricting
The area from which they now draw subsistence,
will have to let them 20. Nor does North Caro-
lima lie less open to our arms. And hero we may
| confidently hope not merely for military con
Z 1uestg but for moral tTumphs. II Ortcr and
uv,tln 4 F,nf mi Ia II
they are able to do no more than reduce the forts
al the entrance of the water highway on which 1t
stands, which will of itself be "a great gain in
sealing it mp for blockade runners-Shernan will
certainly give it the coup de grace.
= But there is the best reason To believe that with
the capture OF the capital Of North Carolina
Raleigh, which Sherman will take en- route, we
{ shall witness a powerful spontaneous Union re-
action and revival, more fatal to the Coniederacy
than any feats Of arms, however brilliant
| Finally, from North Carolina Sherman moves Nv
into Virginia, where nc joins Grant in dealing
' the death-blow at the Rebellion, the head anC
I front of which is Lee army at Richmond.
This programme may 10 some seem rasher
: wild sally Of speculation than an outline OF opera
, ton, actually to be realized or even in seTlOu
: contemplation. And yet l venture to say It i
neither more nor less than what will be done thi
Nnter-neiher more nor less than what Will b
I an accomplished fact by the opening OF spring
: In justification OF this anticipation the two fol
lowing considerations may be presented -
: l. What adequate military force can the Rebel
! oppose to the advance Of Sherman over the line
. indicated Within stretch Of several hundre
10 miles there is absolutely no organized militar
10 force that can offer even show OF opposition
Hardee's fugitive.iorce numbers but fifteen thou
~ sand men, whereof nine thousand are raw mtliti'
~ ! With this force added 70 the six thousand Whic
4 Beauregard has at Charleston, the aggregate wi
still be too Insignificant to do more than cempt
q temporary halt before Charleston and perhsF
at wilmington, thence onward the route Is clea
Behind him, throughout the vast stretch or th
= central military zone lying between the AlleSh'
le nies and the Mississippi, nc leaves nothing th'
can harm him.
o Hoods forces, thanks TO the succession Of tel
1p ing blows administered by Thomas has cease
d. 10 be an army, ceased 20 be fit for aggresSh
~ action Indeed if any considerable remnant
n / it shall escape the tenacious ana remlrsele
az clutch Of Thomas, it will still Oe no more than u
Te Rebels will need TO cover points now menace
a. by advancing columns in the southwest, au
u" towards Mobile etc. What remains in addiEiC
~ TO this enumeration Nothing but the army
ne Richmond, which the powerful force OF Lteute
az ant. General Grant holds fast there. 10 Is cleS
"a "a therefore that Sherman, SO far as military opp
~ sion is concerned, mas "all the world before hi
- where TO choose" II he has some work 20 90,
nF will be only what his army, "spoiliHg fora Ugh
- and jubllant over the uninterrupted mar,
through Georgia, is most eager Tor.
9 Putting aside, as settled, the question OF o
position from the armies Of the enemy, is an =
vance from the Savannah river, through /
States of South and North Carolina PRACTICAL
20 simply problem In lo8i,tics In other Wor'
~ / is lt feasible as a march Before ShermhA ma
Iu his march from AtaulE TO tue Atlantic, /; mig
'Ps have been hazardous % answer this query IN {
.ne affirmative. But the muster mind that in
.as month Of December conducted his army from
Guy heart of Georgia 10 Savannah, distance Of th
oL hundred miles, without the loss Of so much a
'SS wagon is equal TO the task. II isthe prerogat
'ue 'E OF genius to shame Old impossioihties by Il
.ne asbieyements. Mons agitai mOem.
lSe Napoleon, discussing the proposed passage
IIH M the Splugen, afterwards so brilliantly executed
hty S1I,i1. ,bicb man cannot surmoant. ~
1Ug