Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-08-29

| sippi-200 miles, Tne Apoue lnu AlAUA-
ma Rivers are nsvigable not only to Mont
gopery, but to Columbus Ga- and the
Coosa is nAvigable TO the border lines OF
Georgia. 1t is true these rivers are not
| navieabIe so far at this period Of low wa-
ter but the rainy sehson is near and the
rivers will furnish the means ofcommand-
ing the whole country from the Mississip-
pi to Georgia, and BY furnishing new
base for Sherman's army viii enable him
to command the whole Of Georgia! Be-
sides all this, It will deprive the rebels of
their most productive cOuntty, and the
greatest body of their negroes. II, then
Farragut Is sustained 'by the Government,
and accomplishes what be may accomplish,
it will be fatal, iFTeeougatl z bi0w 20 the
rebel CoRfeddFdey.
B. We have some negQ vantege1 NOT
small. The reblel army west Of the Mis-
sissippi has been preveuted rom crossing.
That army was countsd on Tor the relief
of Atlants. So the crest rebel raids which
took place in I662 ard ee3, through Ken
tucky 10 Ohio; "a u usts1ly defeated.
The fsebIs attsn - ,Egau was crushed
htouce,
In fine, no msltFtt % eAndldly recount
the events of even aaonth, without admit
ting that we have made Q steady advance,
and that the rebel strength is gradually,
but surely being exhausted. The enor-
nous lies set forth by the peace orators a.
Syracuse and elsewhere, can only be equal
ed by the father of lies himself, and if
family likeness Is to be taken as evidence,
they are his legitimate children. We
have half..the entire rebel territory, and
have destroyed more than half their
strength, yet these men have the audacity
TO say We are not making progress. The
vI,i1l a
the progress of events embrace the8 as
well as the rebels, and they viii call on the
mountains and hills 70 hide them from
coming ruin.
Now, for our blunders. They are sufi-
ciently great to cause as to hang our heads
in shame. See, for example, the shenan-
doah Valley. Any one can see, that put
ting one army on the Potomac, and ano-
ther on the RappAhanRock-the ShenAn- |
doah Valley and its Gaps-make what the |
boys call a Iv6ip row. That is, an army |
east of the Blue Ridge can whip in and out
of the Shenandoah Valley at its pleasure
IF there be no sufficient force there to
prevent it. Hence, one condition of an
advance to Richmond was % put q force an
the Shenandoah Valley, a force sH1feiGIt to
prevent this cross m0UsMett. IL seemed
hardly necessary for any ODE to say this,
for it is obvious. Bat, heEP we have had,
in three sveeeesiVs gears, the rebel raids
large and small-through tie Shenandoah
Valley, and in all that tiuis the Govern
ment seems never to have Understood that
the occupation ofthe Shenandoah VALLEY IOGs
essential to SucceSsfYE campaign IN HIgiHid.
Hence it was that in my Letters TO the Timer,
1 said, that If the march on Richmond was
on, it would require ti1O armies.
When Crook left the Knawhs Valley,
and Hunter went up the Shenan-
doah, supposed the tFue plan was
that they had large forces,
that they would upite near LyuchbuTg,
Ss.Ls- sl---S Fi-~.v aI.1 1SiAh-s. a. laast
90, 900 strong, would command all the rail-
roads leading into Richmond. II all went
on very well till Hunter fell back from
(according to the testimony of
men in the army t0hen he might hare taken
IL; when Lee finding out that the army was
not more than half the strength it ought to
have been was enabled to send Early and
Breckinridge to drive back Hunter, and
continue their raid into Maryland. Now
this is a plain blunder Of the director of
military movements, whoever he may be.
Grants army at Richmond was large
enough, but the army in the Shenandoah
was not one-third enough. The whole
fault was in mistaking and undertaking the
the Shenandoah and Kanawha
Valleys. Had they been properly made,
Richmond would have fallen before this.
How long shall we have such blunders2-l
But let US stop. have not the abilities
of military critic, still less the temper
which induces the criticism. / leave fault |
finding to others, while look with hope |
on the still advancing, still glorious flag of
my country. A VETERAN OBSERVER.