The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1864-05-06
WAR NEWS,

er over the rebellion. Full acce,mts
Of the battles in western Louisiana
leave no room to doubt that the cam
paign has ended III serious disaster.
and that there is nothing more to be
looked for in that quarter than safe
retreat from the enemys country
The rebel raiders seem to be retrcat-
ing from Kentucky and Tennessee, and
there is no activity at Chattanooga
In Virginia everything is ready for
the great struggle, and all hope that
our bad fortune elsewhere may be re-
tiieved and a staggering blow be given
TO the rebellion by the general who
has never yet failed At the first gun
OF the opening battle in Virginia the
nation win stand silent and await with
bated breath and anxious suspense the
events that aIe to fix OR destiny for
ages to come.
News from the front in Virginia viii
be meager until the two armies have
met in battle We only know that
Gen Grant is calling into the field all
the veteran troops that have been IN
garrison around Washington and IN
the forts along the coast, their places
being temporarily supplied by the
State militia; that the policy of CON
centration for an Overwhelming assault
in force is for once TO be followed in
Virginia; that Burnsidc's corps of for
ty thousand or more, instead of going
off on some distant and improbable
diversion, has marched INTO Virginia
to JOIN the grand movement that an
army of some fifty thousand under
Gen. W + Smith on the peninsula,
stands ready to strike at the right mo-
ment; that the loyal armies co-Operat-
ing IN Virginia are now larger and bet
ter appointed than ever before, and
that unity of action is secured by the
undivided authority Of Gen Grant
With a combination Of circumstances
in our favor SO wholly unprecedented
in any Virginia campaign, and a com
mander OF tried ability and prestige it
is reasonable to hope for o glorious
success There is no doubt that the
rebel army is larger than ever before,
that every route to Richmond is well
protected. and that the rebels VIII fight
with the desperation Of men who feel
that all Is lost il they are defeated now;
and we may not, therefore, expect to
win without some of the most terrible
and destructive battles Of the war.
Whether the rebels VIII remain behind
their works and act wholly on the de-
fonsiye, or VIII attempt to distract and
divide our army by flank movement
and raid northward is still uncor-
tain
The Government has accepted an Of
fer of the Governors of Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, TO fur
nish $4,000 militia for hundred days,
and Governor Bramlette of Kentucky
has rendered 10000 from that State.
These troops ARE rapidly organizing,
and ii is possible they may be got
ready in time to be OF service by re-
heyng troops in garrison before the
great battles of the campaign are
fought The regiments in camp have
been hurried forward, although bot
full nor wholly organized, and Gen.
Grant is calling together Ill available
forces from all quarters for the grand
onset in Virginia The necessity for
Fastening the heavy and decisive work
Of the campaign is the more felt be-
cause the terms of the three years men
viii soon expire, and the war depart
ment has already issued regulations
for mastering them out at the expra-
ton of three years from the date OF
I their mastering III, without reference
to the time of individual enlistments-
This is the only possible mode of reck-
oning, and will of course be acquesced
IN The whole number of veterans re-
enlisted up to the middle of April, was
little over llS,000.
NEW YoRK, May 4. The Times Wash
ington dispatch says all is quiet with
the Army of the Potomac to-day
Everything is III readiness for move
ment at the proper moment. Gun
troops are in excellent spirits, and
, anxious 10 advance against the rebels
under their new commander-in-chief.
Gen. Burnside's command is IN a
> favorable position
The 18th New York battery had q
f light skirmish yesterday while going to
the front. Deserters from the rebel
ranks are crossing the Rapidan daily
All agree that Lee is making extensive
preparations to meet Grant there. The
people also profess to believe that Rich
mond is being evacuated.
The Richmond Examiner of the 29th
says if we hold our own in Virginia tiu
p summer is ended the North's power
for mischief everywhere will be gone,
Ii we lose, the South's capacity for re-
sistance viii be broken. The Confed-
eracy has ample power 10 keep ITS
place i'll Virginia if its means are en-
'ployed with energy and consistency
This is the last year of the war, which
ever wins
The Republican says it begins to be
p feared in high military circles that Lee
is trying to escape from the Rapidan
to the works IN the neighborhood OF
Richmond.
Gen Butler has stopped all ex-
changes for the present and prohibited
the flag of truce boats from gong up
, and down the James river,
The He1DLfS Newborn letter of the