The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-02-09
A FOREIGN VIEW OF THE PROS
PECTS OF THE CONFEDERACY.

The article which we copy below from the Lon
don Times, will be interesting to Confederate
croakers Just now It comes from paper which
is nobody's friend-certainly no friend of the Con-
federacy, except in as far as this nation by its
strength may command that sort Of friendship
which muscle can always command:
by the last intelligence, we can, at least, form
an estimate of how much of its avowed object has
been attained. The submission of the Southern
Confederacy to the old central power of the repub
lie is the great end the is to secure The
campaigns and battles of 1862 and 1868 are now
matters of history. At the opening of 1864, how
much Southern territory has the Northern FEEDER
aon gained what has been the effect of that oc-
cupation on the policy of the Southern States and
what progress has been made in the abolition OF
slavery?
The greatest success of the North was the cap
ture of Vicksburg, which, il was asserted, opened
the whole course of the Mississippi, and divided
the revolted States to the East and West of that
river Yet by the last accounts it is eviden: that
the great river of the West is not "open" to navl-
CATION The Federas hold New Orleans, at the
mouth of the Mississippi, and many other points
in discourse, but the stream is as much closed for
traffic as when the Confederates garr,soned Vicks-
burg Not q steamer pass up or down with
out the risk of being attac ked by the Southern
guerilla bands on both banks. The immense ter
ritory through which the river winds battles all at
tempts to occupy it. The whole army OF General
Grant now concentrated in East Tennessee would
not suffice to "command" the Mississippi and
"keep its navigation OPEN" For the greater part
of its course it runs through territory of which
the people, as our correspondent says :..btter-
ly hostile to the Federas, aud, as the actual con-
sequence Of such hostility, the river is closed. The
same difficulty is encountered the inland lines
of communication.
be enough to fght and protect many hundreds OF
miles of railway at the time 1t would re-
quire 100 900 men to keep the single line from
the Mississippi to Chattanooga 10 working order.
The distances appear to battle all military skill,
and so diminish the value of successful operation
that it is followed by very slight results A coun-
try may be too large for decisive war, and the
waste of whole armies in America seems to prove
the fact Napoleon swept over everything between
Paris and Vienna, but Spain and Russia defed
him aud exhausted his troops in coufct with
n;Aure itself. Gen Grant is now contending with
the same kind of difficulties, while the Southern
forces appear to be rallying in his front and
1t is evident that the Federal occupation of East
ern Tennessee, even if it can be maintained, will
not bring the war nearer to a conclusion.
In Virginia the Southerners have lost nothing
in all the campaigns, and every attempt to pene-
trate their country in this direction has been de-
feated. The real task of the Army of the Poto-
mac is to defend Washington, which has as fire.
quently been in danger of capture during the
as Richmond. The siege of Charleston has failed,
and the feet of monitors has suffered SO much
damage during the operation, that it cannot
ture within range of the Confederate batteries.
The blockade of the Southern coast does not de-
prive the people of an ample supply of imported
articles, does the depreciation of their curren-
cy appear to disable them from purchasing Goods
to the uolue OF million dollars arrive IN the port
Of Wilmington every four and t,centy hours The
contraband trade must be profitable in spite of
captures and inconvertible Southern notes. 1t
seems, also, that the description of suffering and
want endured in the South, given in'the Northern
Journals, have been grossly exaggerated
The general state of affairs of the Confederacy,
and, what Is more important, the feeling Of the
people, indicate both ability and determination to
continue the struggle They consider Mr.. Lin
coins last proclamation a device to secure
political support in the North. Its terms they re-
gard with contempt Time enough has now elap s-
ed to test the effect of his proclamation in refer
ence to slavery From Mr. Lincons message to
Congress, it appears that the total number of
slaves the Federal armies have liberated is 1OO,-
600. This is the whole result of three years Of
war in the name Of abolition. Aud at an awful
price it has boen obtained. For every negro thus
freed it is calculated that three white men have
been killed in the contest If the four millions of
blacks are only to be emanc pated at the same cost,
the calculation becomes something terrible. and
the feelings of humanity will be appealed to in be-
half of the superior The worst evil that has
grown out of the system of slavery is the war car
ried on to extn9ush it,
TO be successful, the conquest of the Southern
territory must be complete audi after all the
OF lite and money, most of the task has still to be
done. What has been effected in the work of
abolition is even less in proportion. The war has
liberated one hundred thousand negroes, leaving
the condition Of millions of slaves uualtered Can
the must bigoted philanthropist assert that, as
Of emancipation, the conflict has been mar ked
by success? Or, taking it as a war of conquest
has the North gained territory enough from the
South to destroy its power Of resistance and make
its return to the Union inevitable? If either of
the objects Of the struggle had been obtained
the fourth year OF the war would not have found
these questions open and unanswered.
How OUR PRISONERS ARE TREATED AT
POINT LooKoUr.-We have before us a letter
from Jefferson county, which presents 10 strong
light the hldeous cruelty with which our gallant
soldiers treated at Point Lockout, Md The
letter states that about Christmas a number of
families ct that county, who have friends aud re-
latIves IN the hands of the enemy, fixed up boxes
of elo hing and provisions with which TO cheer the
prison life of their loved ones. These boxes were
permitted to be SENT but never to reach or benefit
those for whom they were designed. After arriv-
ing at Point Lookout they were robbed of their
cont nts, and the empty boxes handed around
make it seem greater to their cold limbs and hun
obJ- IL, u