The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-02-25

whether the retreat a eherman's column
non Meridian In the direction OF Vickstufs
n duigned 70 be the end Of his movement;
or whether Il y mere temporary cxpedf
cot, adopted for the purpose Of enaoh"s
him 70 make better preparations for SO ioh.
march - that indicated by the Ne" io'f
zsms, We are unable to say. In ei'hs! e"s'
IL b greatly 10 our advantage, since II "''
enable ~ to collect strong force !" h'
frout, should he choose to advance again
o.. should he continue his retrograde move
meut to harsss his rear, cut of his foragipe
parties. and otherwise infiict serious damage
upon his command. We should even hope
that he might be cut of aud forced to Ia,
down his arms, had we not been warned 10y
the escape Of Stoneman last spring, and 'h,
escape OF Averillla December, that success
In such cases II apt to be more desirab!.
than attAinablc. And yet, we should think
u would be far easier to capture Sherman
than either Of the others. Their commands
consisted entirely Of mounted men, and
were capable Of moving with great rapidi's.
His cavalry, on the contrary, seem to hay,
been separated from him. The men he has
with him arc mostly infantry and artillery
They started with twenty days cooked ia
tons, cne-half Of which, no doubt, after the
fashion Of soldiers generally, they threw
away, and the other lalf have already con
sumed They destroyed everything in the
country - they passed, corn, bacon, beef
Ill kinds of provisions that fell in ths j.,
way-part Of their mission being to starve
out the rebels. They threw down and
h9rned all the fences, set fire to all The
dwelling houses, barns, corn houses, foa
der stacks, hay-ricks, smoke houses, mills,
and cotton gtns-tore up all the bridges
eat down all the fruit trees, destroyed
AL The farming implements, and shot
all the horses, mules, and cattle, which
they could not carry or In word,
they converted the country into desert, in
order that It might not hereafter afford sus
tenance to the rebels. 1t seems, therefore
almost impossible that they can themselves
find the means of subsisting, since their
communication with the railroad, by which
they were to be Supplied, has, according TO
al accounts, been at least partially inter
rurted. And interruption for even a day
would be, to men in their situation, q terri
bic privation.
1t seems to be the opinion Of some that
this force of Shermans was a mere fiyirn
as the French made such free
use Of in Algeria-designed to desolate the
country through which it passed, without
having In view the establishment of any
liked line or station. Such doss not seem
to have been the opinion of the Yankee
newspapers, who always seem to be well
posted with regard to the Intentions of their
Generals, ard not unfrequently betray them
before the time appointed for their execn-
Hon. The New York 1vmes-the great
military paper of the Yankee nation-iiai
no doubt that Sherman's movement was
part Of aErand military combination, which
was to put the whole Of Alabama in posses
zion Of their army, to turn the flank and
rear OF Johnston, an1, in a word. to put an
end to the rebellion. A screw--probably
more than one screw-Was evidently loose
somewhere Farragut did not come MP to
time, or Forrest and Lee we're too active for
the Yankee cavalry, or Gen. Folks position
On the Rigbee was too strong for an army
who carried all their supplies in their haver.
sacks, or something of that nature, We may
be assured, arrested the march. Whether
It win be renewed, will, We presume, depend
very much upon the activity of our troops
In the pursuit; for, it seems to US, that if the
people Of the country yield the assistance
they ought, Sherman must be anuihilated.