The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-01-01
The War on New Years Day, 1863, and
ON View Years Day, 1864.

II
| ON View Years Day, 1864.
| Gentle reader. the compliments of the season.
We have entered upon another year. How
goes the war? How stands the Union cause in
the field this day a. compared with this day one
year ago. What progress has been made by
our fleets and armies during the eventful year
which has just drawn to close? Let US see.
Our noble Army Of the Potomac lie no nearer
Richmond. the mere distance considered than
it was on the first day Of January last; but, in
the grandest and most stubbornly contested
pitched battle of all the battles of the war, it
gave ct Gettysburg such damaging blow TO
the army Of Lee that. had General Meade in
HE pursuit one day sooner moved upon the
enemy's works on the Potomac, the rebellion
would unqsestionably have been ended in that
campaign. But, pausing TO consult the War OF
fee, that golden opportunity wac lost by General
Meade; the rebel army escaped in the night;
and thus the war was prolonged another year.
Had the War Office been at San Francisco, no
doubt we should have had different result.
On last New Years Day, at the close General
Rosecrans, near Murfreesbsro, was in very
critical position, his right wing having been
utterly routed. with the lose of twenty-six
pieces Of artillery, but on the next day he put
the rebel army TO fight. Nine months later,
after driving the enemy from the heart Of Ten
nessee, over mountains and rivers, int the
plains Of Georgia, he was repulsed from Cbcka-
manga, with the loss Of from twenty to thirty
cannon. General Thomas, however, by his skill
ful tactics and indomitable bravery, checked
the victorious enemy. repnlsed him, and saved
our army and the stronghold Of Chattanooga,
thus securing from the confusion Of defeat
the substantial results Of great victory.
The subsequent rout Of Braggs army by
General Grant, the splendid defence Of Knox
vile by General Burnside and the retreat and
pursuit Of Longstreet, have advanced our vic
torious columns into the very vitals Of the re-
bellion. In holding the southern boundary Of
Tennessee we hold, in addition TO their sea-
board line. the opposite frontiers Of rebellious
Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama and Mississippi; for the State Of Ten
nessee fronts or tanks them all. But the stra-
tegical advantages thus los, to the rebellion
are hardly more important than its losses in
the articles OF subsistence. clothing, salt and
saltpetre, copper, lead and coal, wrested from
the enemy with our recovery of East Tennes
see. Hence the desperate but unavailing strug
gles Of JEFF Davis TO hold or to regain this i'm
portant State, or the eastern division, to hi
! desperate cause. To be SIRE, Longstreet Il
} still encamped between Knoxville and TIL
, Virginia border, but only at the pleasure o
> General Grant.
On last New Years Day the rebels triumph
antly occupied their formidable defences o
vicksburg, and the strong works Of Port Hud
son, some three hundred miles below, and al
!. the Mississippi river between those points, in
!. Guiding the Red river, with its bountiful sup
{ plies Of provisions from Texas. But where ar
= they now vicksburg and Port Hudson ar
! ours the Mississippi river lie completely re
: opened, the Red river is navigated only b
! Union steamers, while the losses to the enem
! in their efforts TO hold these and other inciden
tai points Of defence will not, in the summin
!. up, fall short OF the tremendous losses Of on
!. hundred thousand men, FIVE hundred cannon,
!. hundred thousand small arms. an immense flee
!. of steamboats,, and railway locomotives an