Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1864-03-18
Gen. Sherman's Expedition.

Gen. sherman LETT NIcksburR Win .
force Of abcu, 81, 600 uen. He bad two
OF iects; frs, 10 desolate the country
through v wbich be marched, and TO destroy
its railways in order to make Rebel CAM
p,isu 10 force impossible during the sum
mer second, to 60 to Selma. 10 the
frs, objec, be has succeeded 10 the sec
ond he has failed. But be has succeeded
So completely 10 the first, aud has done
bis woIk with such unexpected and exten'
rive tboroughuess that bis failure to reach
Selma need no, be deeply deplored. The
Southern Mississippi Railroad, crossing
the State at rish, Angles to the riVer, Is
destroyed The Mobile and Ohio Rail-
road, ruLn nirg through the easterly part OF
the State parallel to The river, has been
torn up aud iIreparably injured for die
,auoe OF ftty.sIx uiles north and south OF
Meridian. The imseDse supplies sccumu
lated by the Rebels si Humorous points 90
the line of these two roads have been
burned, aud the mills, manufactures,
macbiue shops, public buildings-in u
word, everything which contributed to the
military power Of the Rebeilion-have
been snuihilated. There are no longer
the ueaus Of transporting or of subsisting
& g at
cavalry perhaps eXcepted-in Southern or
Central Mississippi. The uninterrupted
navigation Of the Mississippi River and
the security Of Louisiana from . Rebel
Invasion are results Of this expedition.
Between the forces Of the Rebellion east
aud west of the Mississippi, there can
heucefOrth be no co-ope,atiOu-scsrcei
any regular Intercourse. For all military
purposes the State which Sherman has
traversed is desert-iis vas; territory not
merely useless to the Rebels, but 40 im-
passsUle barrier between them and the
region in which they expected to have
pursued al aggressive campaign.
1t Is said tina, Gen. Sherman felt him
self sbe-uotwi,hsiaDding the inability Of
zen. Smith TO join hiu-to have marched
direct from Meridian on Mobile, aud TO
have captured the city. We have known
before ,bs, the Rebels expected him to,
aud that the city was slightly defended on
the land side. Probably it would have
fallen bad it been sttsc.ed, but the re.
spousibili,y for the failure does not lie At
Gen Shernan's door. FArrsgut was sent
10 New Orleans, expecting CO operation
from q land fOrce-but not under Gen.
Shernan's command. He was di.appoint-
ed, aud hss been forced to conten, himself
with bloekading q harbor which he has
no, force enough to enter. BY the time
the Louisiana elections are over, be may
fad some other General than Sherman q!
leisure TO give him helping hand.
With the return Of Gen. Sherman to
VIcksburg, the expedition is Of course at
an end, bu, no, the campaign. The for
,es embraced in the Division Of the Mis-
,i.sippi we're never in 50 good q condi-
lion for work, or so little bampered By
defensive necessities. They pass wholly
1nder the immediate command of Gen.
Sberman, who is Gen. Grants selection to
succeed him, and who has the confidence
both Of his soldiers and the country.
What be has done in this expedition
paves the way for the decisive work Of the
the campaign which We trust
is to carry him irresistibly to the Gulf,
and the success of which must destroy the
military strength Of the Rebellion.-Neu
York Tribune.