The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-12-17
The Objects or SheFmnn,Y lava.
AiOm. ~

The On1ecoA 0f Shcfm0n,S lava.
sion.
We are not Of those who expected vast
advantages from General Sherman's ad.
vance through Georgia, viewed merely a
q raul. " Nsae 13 ~ 88a
Georgia IL undoubtedly the kransry oi
the Confederacy, and 20 destioy its harvests
will cripple Lees army this winter. The
carrying OF Of cattle and horses will beside
lame the transporting power OF the rebel
Con fedefacy. AL these are benefits of some
Importance which wo shall derive from
Sherman invasion. 49, ea Is
But, % the other hand, the Coufederacy
IS essentially an agricultural State. Vas,
breadt6s Of land In south Carolina, eastern
Georgia and North Carolina, formerly plan
ted with cotton, have been, during the last
year. SOwn with wheat aud corn. It will
oe exceedingly diSacult to starve out such
. community. rs ~
Again, destructive invasion of this kind
creates . vast number OF new cnemiee.-
Every man robbed and stripped by the
tempest OF destruction now sweeping thru
Geor gia, is henceforth hundreel-fold more
bitter .hater of the North and the Union
than ever before. All doubtful aud luke
warm SOutkerners in that State have un-
doubleday become now intense secession
lists. 1t is just as it would be here if Lee
should sweep the banks Of the Hudson In a
New York, leaving nothing but black ened
homesteaCs and wasted farms. There
would be but one effect. Every copper
bead would BECOME at once Il violent TN.
iQnist, even perhaps sblaCk abolitiouise. :
Patriotism, hatred Of the invader, would
be tenfold more strong; for there il Ger
tain limit, beyond which, IL you injure a
man, nothing is left hut bate and despair.
Every raid into South or North has ten.
dency. without question, $50 encourage en-
lis.snen.s'' on the other side 0F@t
Sill, these are the necessary evils OF war.
II solidi!:es each side. A people like the
ADS lO- American could never bt. reuucatl "a
Submission by burning their barns or plum.
dering their houses. a#
The sole and TIE grand importance OF the
invns,;nn of Sherman we hold To he its mil.
'ts.Yy ain. TIE cities On bis line If march
are OF no const Cuence to him nulyss he can
destroy TIER d~pots OF supplies and arse.
mails. Savannah ITSELF il ef little import.
a'iC, In n military point Of view. The greg,
ends ganei by his bold maS enen, viii he
the dissection Of tina great Southern railroad
system, the large force of A0;e- botiied ne.
groes he may acquire. both for further mil.
itary and pioneer purposes, and, above all
the influence DE will at once exert or, The
Virginia campaign. 3,
Gen. Sherman, we may be sure, with bid
long head, 10 aiming at something more
than burning towns, grain. corn cribs. ol
capturing useless cities. He IL. beside
only Lieutenant Of General Grant: hi.
movement IL merely part Of the great strat
esic plan which covers the whole coun
Having gained new base on the 0eor
gla coast, re-provisioned his trains. re
Moved his ammunition aud rested hia m an
We may confidently expect that his mex
movement will be- northwafd. He ma,
even pass By Savannah and Charlestns
both, make new oaseat Bulls Bav. ana ,
secondary base ut Branchvii.e. and the,
easily hold both lines OF the rebel RAILROAD
IS stem-the upper aud lower. From thi
point he could easily operate toward Nor 4
Carotinas sweeping the country beft,rr, mir
nEtil Ee had formed q new Base On IN
| North Carolina coast, and begun his cysr.
anai march into Virginia and the rear Q
Thiswou.d be the closing act Of III. :.
oeiison, and Lee would be placed ia even
worse position than was Corn visits !
i Yorktown. .@ so - - i 80 : - :
Que cyrtrese~1s. however. might orccn,
wien these supposed movements Cyu),
ny Prevent. IfHccd should break thronrl
into East Terne2see, there would be q ney
iiuk Of communication found between ~
Eassern and Western sections of the Con
tieSsracy. Leo cculd be reinforced fror,
4 ane West, or liz could retreat 70 the u,Oun
1879, ara transfer the war to Teunesse
~ ~ rs ntucky. We must hone that Gen
s-o mas VIII put a stop rs any such s,or,
.snsEAuon, and that that important mon 7,
region will still be held BY our forces