Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-06-06
ruRcOSsFIFUTTOH-ST4TE RIsATs (.
RICHMOND WING.
MONDAY noRNINo, JUNE 8. 1859.
The Military Situation.

Grant in his sideloug movement towards Richmond,
IA, At last reached point when the cheat that be s
forcing his way the city longer be imposed on
his army or the people Of bis country. is not to be
wondered at, with tho fictitious prestige enjoyed by
tba, commander, and with their aseriy to secePt the
impression that be- Was making heAdWay, tsat they
ssoua have given credit 70 his assurances and the yet
more confident and sargune ssseveratOns Of Stanton
and Lincoln, that he beating down barriers and
eOnquering his way to the Capital. They that he
was actually getting geographically nearer TO the city,
and they readily accepted the assurance that be
doing tbs BY pushing back Lee and overcoming all the
resistance that neral vas able to make. From point
Of view We were able to regard events more correctly
We could understand boz il st Grant, though beat
en- in every collision Of the armies, could yet BY Ank
movements edge bis way 10 Richmond, till given
point vas reached. We could how il was that Lee,
though never forced back foot Of the way,
PEELED after each successful encounter, to counterfeit
Grants flank movements by drawing his own army
nearer TO Redmond. This gave concern, be-
cause We knew that position would Anay be reached
by the two armies when Grant could only enter the
CITY By passing the army Of Lee and every com
bat vas showing that this would be impossible What
We have thus seen and understood all Acng, The Yam
kee army and nation nov compelled to see. The
mpos.ure from tas time ceases and facts begin to ap
pear in their light and Eish their real significance.
The first inquiry that will force itself on the Yankee
mind, viii be: II Lees whole army, decreased in
rengh intensified in spirit, protected by works which
Duplicate their force, ssn stand between Grant and
Richmoni What has GraAt gained By bis opsraiiOnsS-
He has At COST to this time Of perhaps seveny-hVe
thousand mep, arrived within ten miles Of Richmond
hus was not Mcclellan permitted to approach still near
err without serious resistance. Gould not Grant, too,
By means of the JAmss or the York. have transported
his army to the neighbOrhood of the city, and taken
position as near to il as that he now holds, without
ress,auce and without tae sacrifice of hundred vesf
These questions The people Of the North snd especially
The irienos, ofMcOleTan vii, not fail 10 ask, and the
sEsr viii force Hss that Of all practicable routes Of sp
proach to Redmond Grant has taken that which was
most difficult, most wAsteful of means and most de-
strucvs of Hfe When to this conclusion is ADDED the
knowledge of the facs that Lee has been able battle
all Grants eforts to- break through his lines, and 10
force him into dozen d c.iOns a, cost to himsei,
al told 10 the day, not reaching eighteen thou
sand men-and that be is now stronger by thousands
than he was yesterday month ago. when the first col
son occurred, what they do but accept the oonvc
lion thai of the many Generals who have attempted he
onto r edmond, not excepting the headlong Pope o.
the stupid Burnside, Grant has conducted the attempt
mOst NC Eisey aud with the least pro psct Of
This is our deliberate and impartial opinion. We
cncede to him qualities not possessed by his pre-
dscessors in failure. He has energy, will, btld
ness, and power to urge massGs Of men forward VT
q momentum superior to any Of them. But he lacks
strategy be lacks caution, he lacks versatility ard be
lacks the common instinct of humanity that tesches
oAre for life. The qualities he possesses and hose he
lacks make him exactly the person that acam, expert
enced sstchful and mastery General ike Lse, cspe-
eAly when serg defeUs:Vely must prefer to meet The
grsAs aim Of General in action is destroy the army
Of his adversary, while exposing his own to the
Least injury aud loss. Lse knows how 10
IKE care Of his men, and in the lae
operations has entitled himeH to immortal honor for
the care be has successfully pacsed in this regard
While he does this be in Bis adversary q COM
mlnder who will sfjfd him opp !rtunities of accom-
pEshing the other Otjecs Of batehs destruction of
the adverse army. The process has gone on already,
until Grants army fully double Lees in the beginning
has been depleted down equality WITH If not an
iaferority to- the Confederate army. They may rein
force it is true, to limited sxsnt-but 10 do tls they
must employ raw end inefficient, men, or they must
abandon positions already held threatened, which
VII hberate forces on side and enable US to con-
eentrAte as well a. they ISIS impossible fer them TO
regain the dispgOporticn that existed when the cam
paign gam and IL they could that would be INSULT
oient experience has shown. overcome the irwin
eibo army Of Lee. And If they could doubls the dis
proportion is would sill be more than eouuerbalAneed
b. tie advantage Gen. Lee may derive from the ior6
cations Of the city whenever he chooses TO avail himself
OF them. Altogether Richmond safer, the
Confederate cause on higher or 6rmer ground. The
Greek kaends rave not yet come peIpstual motion has
not been invented the circle has been squared the
Yankee nation has not shown itself to be the traYest
Wsess nObless race Of msnkind-but we expect to zee
al these things accomplished before Grant enters Rich.
m9nd unless Il b. as a prisoner OF war.