The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1864-07-28
A Rebel view of the situa ion.

the South should not initiate the Nortl
in lies and boasts, but confess the truth
and not make successes out of disasters
The writer exposes the Rebel dodge o
making their people believe that John
ston is driving Sherman just where h,
wants him in the following language:
The magnificent army of Sherman has
/ without loss and without battle, forced
back one of our best armies, under a ia
vorlte general, and if he only had intend
ed raid, the destruction of the vast agri
cultural interest Of the granary of oul
State is loss which we are ill-prepared
to endure, and totally unprepared to re
trieve. The evil is, first, the withdrawal
from market of the essential food !; second
the increase of population caused by refu-
gees, which makes an increased demand
on the producing capacity of the State
third, the increased prices which tend to
depreciate the currency, which cannot
bear another third reputation.
Then if it be more than raid, and
Sherman holds his front by Notifications
and his rear by guards, it is an actual loss
of empire. Therefore, with harm actual
ly done, and with Atlanta and the great
railroad interests involved in the fate of
battle that Sherman may or may not
risk, is it wise to tell our people that
the invasion of our State is but "stupid
blunder" of the enemy?
Just eight hours before the battle of
Bakers Creek, general high in command
told a lady in our hearing that the cross
ing of the Mississippi by Gen. Grant
placed him at our mercy, and that the on
ly thing to fear was that he would take
the alarm and escape to his gunboats be-.
fore we could make the attack. Twenty
four hours later our broken columns were
hurrying along the same road in retreat.
and the lady who had believed the gener-
al could not save even her wearing appa-
rel. That general was not named Penn
berton.
Instance after instance of this kind
have we had during the war, and yet grave
papers, with able editors, talk of the GER
taintity that Sherman can never take his
army back to Chattanooga, and congratu-
late the country that he has marched into
a trap. We once had some experience
with an old rat that sprung the steel trap
from the underside, and always took off
he bait and never got caught The Yam
kees have peculiar faculty of marching
nto traps and staying there. Our only
commentary upon such writing is that,
ire so expensive as to perhaps awaken
miles ip the North and in Europe when
We boast of them.
WHAT THE FACTS ARE ABOUT GRANT.
In like manner do we talk about Grant,
nd amuse ourselves over set of facts
which are far from amusing. We are
'erfectly satisfied that the Commander Of
he Armies of the United States might
ave reached the result he now aims for
nth but small portion of the loss he
as now sustained, and that too, with all
llowance for the peculiar Confederate a.
ithmetic which kills Yankees so fast-on
aper Lieut.-Gen. Grant was greatly
,istaken in his idea that, having turned
he flank of Gen. Lee in crossing the Rap
Ian, there simply would bea foot-race
,r Richmond. But two things have
nee been demonstrated, and both are Sc
ous.
First-That the army of the Union is
, large and powerful that the usual mill
Try axiom, ''fanking is more dangerous
the tanker than the fanked, J" does not
pply The strategy of Grant, which
onsists in simply Withdrawing one wing
time behind the impregnable masses
the center and other wing, would be
aught with peril were that centre and
wing contracted enough to be
,veloped, or weak enough to be broken,
ut is perfectly safe as it is.
Therefore, he is at liberty to play tricks
plain sight and without peril, simply
,cause he is too big to catch ! Conse-
lently, in succession of tricks, even
7 one of the only moderate ability of
rant, there is danger that one not seen
foiled at exactly the right time may
Itch as. Such result would not be de-
ruction to our army, for Lee also is too S
g to hold, but it might do us harm.
GRANT CAN HAVE HIS OWN WAY. q
The second danger is of the siege of /
Some of our contemporaries {
ID the most of our correspondents laugh
this: and yet Grant has it in his pow i
to besiege the capital, or force an attack |
himself, or force an evacuation of Rich a
ond. Not that he has his choice of G
esc three things, but can force that
oice upon US. b
In Grants moving upon the south of
edmond and threatening James River t
ar the city, Gen. Lee has choice of two i
lis. IF Ire keeps ahead of Grant and a
Ids the Petersburg line inviolate, that e
nks necessarily gets between him and D
and walks into the city at his I
sure. IfLee keeps between Richmond t,
d Grant, the latter Of course gets be- |
cen him and the Southern States COM n
and cuts off the only source of e
pply now left, as the valley of Virginia o
in the hands of the enemy. 1t Lee il
lnts to have Petersburg and Richmond Q
tn, he will have to, attack Grant in one I