The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1864-05-07
WAR OPERATIONS OF THE YEAR.

The year thus far has seen less action in
our armies than the first quarter in any of
the foregoing years of the war. This NAV
be partially owing to the fact that the field
OF activity 10 now more LIMITED than former
| ~, that the forces of both belIigeTents are
better concentrated, and, above all. to the
fact that the Yaluslessness of small, desul-
tory and indecisiye actions are better under
stood now than ever before. The two main
armies of the Union, and the two main ar
mics of the Rebels are, each of them, com
posed of stupendous masses of men, and
the principal OF our minor armies act as
cooperating forces with the main bodies.
instead OF independent expeditionary COL
umns, as formerly. 4 large number of our
battles and fights in other times Wers the
result simply of the enterprise of one or the
other of the numerous commanders of sep
arate departments and armies, and had but
little bearing upon the fundamental opera
tons or the grand issue of the war. Gen
eral Banks might fight in the valley, Gene
raj Fremont in the mountains, General
Burnside near the seaboard, aud half dog
en- other Generals in tide water, Virginia,
without any direct bearing upon the work
of the Army of the Potomac, and without
any cooperation or unity of purpose. So
there were battles in Missouri, Arkansas,
Kentucky and Tennessee, which apparently
had no other aim, and certainly had no 9TH
er effect, than to show that our soldiers
would fight with heroic spirit whenever
there was fee TO confront them. Latterly
circumstances have made such affairs of
rare occurrence, and now it is almost i'm
possible that they should ever again take
place. We have now a single military head
OF all our forces, who, it is understood,
freely controls one aud both of our great
armies, together with all detached military
bodies, and who will so operate the whole
as TO unity their purpose and produce a
comprehensive harmony of action. Now,
for the first time, is the greatest effort of
the nations army possible, and now, fortu-
nately! we have both of our great armies
planted In positions where a victory for
either OF them, worthy Of the name, must
be largely decisive of the fate of the South
ern Confederacy. We have a superb posi-
ton at Chattanooga, and victory over Joe
Johnston-though as yet We are hardly
prepared to take advantage of ia victory
such as some of General Grants previous
trlumphs, and achieved at the proper mo-
ment, would carry our Western army to
Atlanta, If not indeed to Augusta, and
would make Valueless all further rebel strup-
giles west of the line of the Savannah river.
So again, victory over Lees army would
now be much more disastrous matter 10
the Confederacy than it would have been at
any previous time; and that mainly because
the productive capacity of the South, as re-
CARDS men, is now exhausted. Were the
Lieutenant General to break Lees army as
ne broke Bragg's at Chattanooga, it would
never be itself again. 1t might reform
once more, 1t is true. on the south bank of
the James, or on the Roanoke And, al
most to a surety, it would; for it would be
an extraordinary circu instance were an army
OF such solidity and spirit to be totally de-
mollshed by one blow, however great But
Its thlnued and reeling columns could never
more stand full and strong as now, and,
with the loss of their capital, their spirit
would be more than mortal if it did not
begin to fail. We take it that it is conclu
slVeiy proved that the whole able bodied
population of the South is now in their ar
N.Y. as this appears not only by the uuani-
nous assertion of persons from that sec
ton, but is shown by the debates in the
rebel Congress, aud by the astounding con
scrlplion measures adopted In that body,
and everywhere rlgidly enforced.
1t is now nine months since the army o.
the Potomac fought a general battle and
that was on the soil of Pennsylvania. It
is seven months since the Western army
marched into Chattanooga, and the last bat
tie for the possession of that stronghold was
fought in November. Both armies have
done some good work since then, but it has
been fruitless. Both of them are now
stronger than at the time of their last trial
and triumph; and We Judge that one of the
two rebel armies-that under Lee-is stron
ger than it has been any tims since it's last
encounter. The season when the years
campaign must necessarily open is rapidly
approaching, and there is all likelihood that
It will be very decisive one for the enemy.
1t Is we'll that the energies of our army and
the lives of our men have not been wasted
of late in small, desultorv and improbable
eHorts.-U. s. Army and Navy Journal.