Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-12-22
The Prospect.


No one can be at loss to understand
tho military status in Tennessee at pres
ent. In the first place Tennessee as well
as Kentucky belongs to the Union, and
can never be wrested from it. This
seelle to be a hard lesson for the Ten
llessee and Kentucky rebels, but it is an
una.teEable truth. Our government
Keeps what it gets, and the principal
thing that the rebels accomplish by in
vad!ng Union territory is to bring addi-
tional distress upon rebel sympathizers.
In considering the subject Of the rebel
Lion, thereisJe, we may initiate the ex-
ample of preachers who, in unfolding
given subject, sometimes commence by
stating what their subject does not i'm
ply. The rebellion does not include the
states above mentioned and for all
! practical purposes we may also throw
out OF the account Arkansas, Texas,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabamas and
Georgia. We take 1t for granted that
Hood is q Used up general, having lost
in the engagements of Thursday and Fri
day last not less than As pieces of artl-
lery, 5000 prisoners and as many more
put oot of a condition to fight His
army, nojh individually and collectively,
is "demorallzad." Hood, in his encouh-
tiers with the Union generals, has proved
himself to be lame III more senses than
one.
The drama of VicksbIrg and the
mississippi is to be re-enacted at Savan-
nah on a reduced scale. This city being
completely invested by sea and land,
cannot fail to become an easy prey to
Sherman, as Vicksburg did to Grant.
The Savannah river, like the Missis-
sippi, will then be patrolled through
It's Gavisable length by gunboats, and
viii constitute the western and south
err boundary Of the rebellion.
1t is q gratifying and encouraging
feature of the present situation that
active operations are going on in mid
winter. The days Of winter quarters
are fast passing away, and while we are
mourning an expenditure of from one to
two millions per day, we have the salts
faction OF knowing-chat our armies are
almost every day doing good execution.
In rejecting all that which is not the
rebellion, we find that its most essential
element now remaining is Lees army,
numbering probably $4,000 men. So
long as this exists, the rebellion will
exist. 1t would be useless and unprof-
table to indulge in speculations as to
the expenditure of time, treasure and
life necessary to destroy this army. No
doubt all other operations have more or
less direct reference to this consumma-
tion devoutly to be wished" and that
its realization is not very far distant.
The rebels still indulge lingering
hope that this nation will become bank
rupt-that they shall succeed In foment-
Ing o war with Canada-and as a last
resort that they shall eonciliate the good
will OF European nations by emancipat-
Ing their slaves. But the downward
tendency of gold for the last few DAYS
does not indicate any very immediate
prospect Of bankruptcy; the course
pursued by the Colonial authorities in
dicates both disposition and an ability
to rectify the wrongs committed by
Coursola and Lamothe; and in reference
to the proposed emancipation of the
slaves, every philanthropist. will say. :.
"6od speed the day 1" One of the most
important results Of this great contest
VIII thus be accomplished, and whether
tbs brought about in the precise man
ner which we ourselves had marked out.
or In some other. so that it becomes q
fact accomplished, we will rejoice We
do not indeed believe that the freeing of
the blacks, and arlning them in the
rebel service will prolong the rebellion, /.
conciliate the leading powers Of Europe,
or assist the rebels materially in secur
ing their Independence Bnt whether it
viii orsnot, iilA.ashriseisr III figrthro- !
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