Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1864-11-25
DESPAIR nE TRE coREEpERAeY.

I
i The Richmond Correspondent Of the Lon
don Times gives Us some =facts Of the situa-
! tion in Lees army. which we have heretofore
nut remotely suspected from The tone of the
/ Richmond papers. The Times correspondent,
who has always been faithful ally OF the
rebels. il an unwilling witness, we may be-
! !ipvq. 10 the views which orr own Generals
have expressed regarding the comparative
/ weakness and exhauztion Of he army under
1 bee. 1t is -ii,=ignilicant admission hat
/ Lees decree Of Petersburg has so far reu
dered that Of Richmond poNerless as to make
the prospective evacuation of the former city
I a mater of necessity His army is SO weak
! that it is likened to skillfal one armed box
! er who is fighting q bully with two arms,
stronger. taller, more active and keener- sight
! I'd than h;9rseIf He is So greatly inferior to
( Grant numerically that he is forced TO keep q
large rortion Of his army al Petersburg, and
I thereby suffers disadvantages equal o the loss
/ Of an arm bv piizefghter. He now ands
! IL almost i'm possible to Gu Grants iItrench-
! ments IN any vital place The shape ct the
! ground and the poSitiuR OF the forces are such
| that the lines can only be atf acked in two or
three places, and these Grant has strengthen
ed bv double and tTipled lines of Qualifications
garrisoued by s, ,rong bodies Of men. Be
aides, Lee is constantly kept on the qui vtvs
watching for assaults that may be made AT
any uncertain moment. His men are. there
| Glre. kept necessarily in the trenches with
scarcely any protection from the weather, i'll
clothed and ill-ted Ever since the opening Of
the campaign upon the Rap'dan, for more
than one hundred aud sixty days, an uninter
rupted pressure has been forced upon him,
telling fearfuly on their morale. The cores
pondent says:
"They have been exposed to one of the fer
cest summers ever known in Virginia, scsn'iiy
fed upoa meat mostly salt meat-snd bread,
without vegetables, with occasional coffee,
with no other slimnlant, and threatened cease
lessly By overwhelming numbers, wh0 have at
| heir command all that lavish pToiusfort- of
expenditure and The scientific experience Of the
whole civilized word can contribute. l can
not be blind to the fact, as I met officers and
privates from Gen. Lees army, that they are
half worn out, and that. though the spirit is
the same as ever, they urgently need rest.'
With this army he finds it impossible to IN
iict any damage on Grant, EXCEPT by surTen-
dering TO Grant the very guerdon for which
he strives. He could. by abandoning Pc
tersburg, aud falling back across the Apo
msttox, occupying he heights Of POcahonias
be able to make q much stronger defence
But this would of course give up the South
side Railroad, and make his last position,
though much stronger for a short defence, yet
Tor a siege much worse than the frat. This
is the quandry to which Gen. Lee is reduced, |
according to the admission Of bis own friends. |
The straits Of Gen. Lee shows the desperation
of the Confederacy. But we have still more
ominons admission as follows
''If the Conlederates maintain their present |
attitude before Richmond, and continue 10
hold their enemy at bay until, as is here an
,icipated great disaster has overtaken Sher |
man in the West, do not seruple to say that. |
in nv Opinion, Richmond will laugh its as
saiants to scOrh. IT, on the other hand, Sher-
man is able to exIricate himself from his pres-
ent critical position, by either beating or out |
WHITING Hood there will be reason for appre |
hension about Richmond, during the coming !
winter, the like of which haa never existed be- /
fore"
This opinion of the Times correspondent ia |
almost equivalent to an axiom, if we grant |
hat Sherman's position Is st all critical 10
The army which he commands, the geuias |
which Leads it. The success Of Sherman is +
The fall OF Richmond thus copj-ctures the /
London Times; hut the rebels have apparently /
no hspr That even tbs improbable defeat Of
Sherman unless HAT oeieot embrace his I
ruin-wiIl deliver Richnnnd or he Conedar |
aey. The world may mark this Judgment. |
while it observes The determination Of the
EorIh in the re-eeclion of Lincoln. THAI
Grant and Sherman should nos be backed
bv all the vigor and influence OF the Govern
menr, and ali the strength of the Republic,
seems 10 be he duty Of the hour. -Ph1ladei- |
pltia p ess