Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-04-23
An Impossible Task

Rh should fortunately happen that Ns"beTn fall
iutI our possession, and Ne believe We have ever
right 70 anticipate its speedy capture, the whole Of
Nor;h Carolina will return TO Confederate dominion
Byms Of their naval supremacy aud Their posts at
Nswbsrn, Plymouth, Washington and other places, tie
enemv have been enabled for the last two years 20
dominate PamlicO and Abemarle Sounds and the CIR
oumiaeens counties TAn3 they have he'd county
not Of great area bat Of much importance from its
oeednR fertility and the abundance Of food supplies
annually produced by it. Its recovery will prove no
les, solid increase of our resources than Brilliant
triumph Of our arms ami a. it IS to DO hcp,i, con
ssilu;s thu opening of series of successes by she5
the tds of invasion is TO be rolled back, and vide
s1ssnt Of Confederate territory wrested from the
uys grip.
Willie looking forSsrd 10 this result, We cannot
not help being struck with the fact which foreby pre-
ssns ITSELF that b. far the larger portion Of
try nov in possession OF the enemy occupied du-
ring the FIRST thirteen months OF the Indeed it
extremely doubtful whether 10 this respect, arc uO
noS at least East Of the Mississippi better OF than
We we're eighteen months ago. We know tina. is q e
general impression that the Federal armies have been
gradually enerOAehing upon Us, occupying lAree pos
tons OF our territory aud reducing the Of out
poEer but. after all when look on the map, bal
anes our gains and losses aud estimate accurately the
extent of country held by ths respective parties 10 the
contest, We cannot help being surprised a. the com
pAratively small advances tina. have been made by g
Federal forces during the last year and half. The
capture Of Vcksburg and Port Hudson and Of Chattl
nOogA and Knoxville certainly great misio tanes;
but not only they not followed by the immense
eonseq FENCES which the enemy anticipated, but lhe1
did no. lead any very extensive ACC istons Of
r.ory.
Soon aztec tie capture Of New Orleans, the f<l oI
Memphis, aud the retreat from COrinth, the waves {
invasion which had rolled through the gates OF the
OOalsderacy at FOrt DOnelsOn overAoE ed the whole
Middle and West Tennessee and North Alabama. Nc
ClelAns army lay coss to Richmond and Northern
Virginia Was entirely in the power of the enemy. Spce
that time hos much has been gained by the Yankees
Driven from around Richmond tssy we're forced 10
abandon much Of Virginia. They do not nov hold
much OF this STATE as they did then. They have lost
grl uad in North Carolina Alabama, in North aisss
sppi and in West Tennessee On the other hand to
compensate for these losses, they have gained portion
Of East Tennessee, the part OF Mississippi lying be-
tSeea ths Big Black and the Mississippi and the snip
OF land Immediately along the river between Vieksburg
and Port Hudson.
Thus appears thA. East OF the river they have not
gained more than they have lost IOdeed, nc bel eve
thsr losses exceed their gains, aud that, 10
QUESTION Of territory they not advanced towards
ssbjugAtion Of the COnfedsrscy far they were
twenty-five months ago. To- aeld more in jane, lS62,
thAa they hold in April, 1864 West Of the AissssiP
they have been rather fortunate having sueeeeGsd
in OTerruniug great part of the State Of ArAAns,s
This, then added to few towns on the Texan coast
constitutes the whole Of theis eotquests after tao
Of hard fighting ami the eXper dtusc Of two or ,h.e
thou and million dOllArs- they eer,a My undertcOs
big job Old Abe called ii bigger laD ihey
VIII evsr get through with. They will probably dad
out that their expenditure OF blood and money wi
saa OFFSET all they likely to gain in the South and
they are attempting task impossible that OF Ibe
man VINO tried to Lift himself in = tub.