The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-12-27

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tremely small limits Of the island on which
New York stands. It must be done before long
either by tunnels or suspension bridges; for the
metropolis Is swelling so imm ensely that, like
the frog In the fable, Manhattan Island will
burst if there is no room to spread ITSELF
shsrman's christmas Gifs-The Prssens
Limits or tho Rebsilion.
General Sherman has almost identified his
name forever with the Christmas festivities.
Az Henry ", on the night before Aglncourt,
promised his English comrades that "Crispin
Crispinian should meier 60. by but they in it
should be remembered" SO, after the present
opportune achievement and the grim jest
with which the news has been sent, General
Sherman may fairly hope that no American
will ever buy Christmas gift for his child, his
sweetheart or his wife, without Q remembrance
Of the great soldier who has given this grandest
of Christmas gifts to bis country. The capture
Of Savannah is . really great success. 1t gives
a royal spoil to US and severe blow to the
enemy in its plumber Of arms ammunition aud
cotton, aud it will intensity in Richmond city
those frantic manifestations of contempt for
the rebel government" which we hear Of in so
many ways. In this latter respect it docs a.
much for us rs would the greatest victory in
open battle. 1t not only depresses the Rich
mond people as one more disaster, but it raises
new clamors against the government that had
misrepresented the relative strength of the
forces and declared that Savannah was SAFE"
We have heard and will hear again that
Savannah was useless to the confederacy, be-
cause it was we'll closed port, and that there
fore, it mattered not who held it. Indeed it has
would employ against Savannah the strength
and time necessary to take 1t, 1t would be so
much better for the Confederate cause. But
that is merely the gable of the Richmond
editors. The rebel government had different
ideas. That government thought Savannah
Of so much importance that 1t concentrated
there fifteen thousand men, and one hun
dred and fifty guns. in the hope to save
1t. Fifteen thousand men, in the pre-
sent condition of the rebel forces, and In view
of the scarcity Of men In the rebel States, is q
very large army; and, therefore, it is but natu-
raj to suppose that the authorities thought
Savannah very important place for their
cause. The rebel government was right. Savan-
nah, aside from the supplies in 1t, was import
ant as the last great city between the Savannah
and the Mississippi rivers at which the confed-
eracy could hope to rally any new power. 1t
was the last inch by which the Richmond junta
held on to Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi
Hardee's retreat ID the old story Of too many
| to lose and too few to Aght. II might natu-
! rally be wondered how 1t Is that man with
| the sense TO get out of the place ever had the
| stupidity to get into it. II he was to leave SO
soon, why did he 60 at alli He opens with the
rebel government, 1t will be seen, the same
question that General Johnston did in refer
ence to Atlanta. He was probably sent there
to fight for tho city desperately" but he has
elected to lose the city and save what he con-
siders of more consequence-an army OF fifteen
thousand men. Johnston had concluded to do
| the same, and he was condemned to the hari-
kari Of handing his army over to the brainless
Hood. Perhaps another Hood may supersede
Hardee. Let US hope for the best. Hsrdee's
! position opposite Savannah, at Union Cause
way, may be seen on the map we give to-day
which also shows all the country in which he
will move for some days to come. 1t Is not
| impossible that he may unite with whatever
other force there may be at Augusta. 1t is
hardly possible that the enemy will attempt
to hold that place; but the united forces
will likely retire to Charleston; and it
may be that the force now with Hardec
and the force at Augusta will eventually
/ all ;okn de mil thn
about Wilmington. Wilmington Is now the
point at which the sorely pestered confeieracy
feels most alarming pressure, and oil the
power that 1t can muster out Of Richmond on
the Atlantic will naturally 60 there, with tie
desperate effort to save it's single seaport
| Hoods overthrow in Tennessee and Hardee's
retreat from Savannah enable us to define the
limits Of the rebellion very distinctly. 1t is
| bounded by the York and Savannah rivers,
the Allegheny Mountains and the Atlantic
| Ocean. Within that space 10 concentrated all
| the practical resistance that can be opposed
| to the United States. All that is alive Of the
| rebellion is there. And the one point that we
have to strike at in that space Is the army
| under Leo Now Is the time when the de-
struction Of that army and the capture Of Rich
mond city will have Its full effect. Now even
the most sanguine rebel is depressed; and
there is 10 question that, with q great success
on the James, the most hopeful would lose all
| hope and give up the cause. But we have
seen the elasticity Of the Southern mind, and
we know that 1t will come up out Of very great
depths II there is only the shadow Of a hope
| to encourage it. five leave that shadow of a
hope-if after one, two or three months, Rich
mond still deGes US, those now so beaten down
| will rally once more. Hoods ten or fifteen
| thousand will be recruited to thirty thousand,