Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-12-29

Why the Rebels Should not he Dis
eOuras e5I-..An Amusing Attempt Rf
Making Sunbeams from Cueumbers.
The Richmond IFhig editor thus in
dulges his fancy
"Why should our people be discouraged
by the present aspect Of affairs p In an
swering this question, we shall, for the mo-
ment, limit ourselves strictly to its geogra-
phical side, leaving if, as TO other bearings,
open to future consideration We say
then, that, on the whole, the result of this
years operations are eminently favorable
to the Southern cause, an opinion which
will be justified by comparing the military
situation now with the military situation Mt
the beginning of the campaign. In March
last, Grant lay along the Rspidan with an
army so strong that, according to Northern
calculations, it only waited for the signal
of its commander to march straight into
Richmond. Sherman, after having twice
traversed the whole breadth of Mississippi
and taken command of the Federal army
which lay at Dalton, ready to undertake q
OF NORTH 6S8a vas SafaFfS N Rss The whole
session; the whole of Tennessee ~, PG=- ,I.
exception of The smAD COInsfi htftl IL " u y
Longstreet, and nearly half of Mississippi.
In the Mississippi Department Price
had been pushed down to Camden, and the
enemy counted so confidently on n perma-
nent conquest of Arkansas that 8 general
election, under Yankee auspices, was or
dered, and actually held, throughout the
State. In Louisiana the last remnant OF
Confederate power seemed to bo vanishing
over the Northwestern border, and in
Texas the lower valley of the Rio Grsnde
was occupied by Federal forces.
To-day Grant lies powerless and appaT-
emily aimless before Petersburg and Rich.
mond, 8 fter exhaustive efforts to take these
cities, costing him in casualties snnd pris.
oners in his various Virginian operations
at least 100000 men, or about 75,OOC
moro than the amount of bis combined ar.
mics at the opening of the campaign.
| Sherman has completed his march through
Georgia, and his arrival at the sea. coast
| in safety, not as q conqueror, is hailed by
| his countryman as magnificent and salts,
fsctory triumph. If he capture Savannah
he will, after all the struggles of his cam
paign, have simply exchanged one base OF
| operations for another, and will, with a
| ELEAklA ullll14SAO4 4OACO EOuLlluG 10 LlIesthE.
en- the interior from the ocean, instead Of
threatening it from the mountains. The
net gain to the enemy from his operations
is, thus far, simply nothing. From Alaba-
ma the enemy has been entirely expelled,
and likewise from the whole Of Mississippi,
except a few points along the river, while
his tenure Of Tennessee has, for some
months, been so precarious that the Con-
federate authority has been dominant
throughou gbt slncst al of West Tennessee
q good portion of Middle and East Ten.
nessee, and has even extended into West.
ern Kentucky. Arkansas has been al
most entirely Tegained, so likewise has
louisiana, except New Orleans and the
river banks, and in Texas the only sym
boil of Federal power is an insignificant
GARRISON on the ssudy beach of Brazos
Santiago. Thus it will be seen that we a
this moment hold far moro territory thai
remained to US in March last, and that th'
enemy, go far from advancing toward hi
object, has really retrograded from it. In
deed, we can state with absolute truth tina
at no time since Mty, 1862 have We hat
sway over so extended an area as at thi
moment Acknowledges the supremacy @
Confederate authority. And VIC may con
elude by saying what We are convinced
true, thai cur armies arc now, after the dc
feat of Hood, our only material disaster
stronger. in proportion TO those of the en(
my than they were at the close of the las
years operations all of which it
plain that there is nothing to depress, bu
much to exalt US in the present aspect {
military affairs