The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1864-09-24
The Present Aspee, of the War.

One OF the most remarkable features Of the war ID
that me Government has never los, any place Of i'm
portance which its troops once captured. We took
New Orleans; We hold IL still. We captured Mem
phis; il IL still in our possession. We obtained con-
troll Of Nashville early ia the war the Starr and
Stripes still foat over II. We ~triumphed a, Vicks.
burg and Port Hudson IN 1853; our troops still gar.
rison them. We effected. q year ago. a landing at
Cummings Point ; our troops still occupy the forts
there. The same may be said OF Port Pulaski, Nor
folk. Portsmouth, and the Gosport Navy Yard; Pen
sacola and the Warrington Navy Yard; Chattanooga
and Knoxyille; Island No. 10 the bluffs at various
points on the Mississippi; Beaufort. in South Caro-
lima; Hatteras, Newbern and other places ia North
Carolina; Arkansas Post and Little Rock, the capital
Of Arkansas.
There are. we believe, but three or four executions
TO the rule. We once held Galveston, but were
driven out. We held Brownsville; but abandoned it
because 1t was not worth the garrison which it re-
CURED. Plymouth and Washington. n. C.. we're
also retaken by the rebels, and a few other places Of
no Importance. We have just taken Atlanta. after q
long campaign. The country may rest satisfied that
we will keep it; for, holding it, we not only dominate
the whole of Georgia. but cut in two the remaining
half of the Confederacy. The fact is that the rebel
domain is now reduced to three States, the centre
one of which, North Carolina, is by no means enthu-
siastic In the support OF the rebellion. Lee is now
penned up in Richmond. He has nearly all the
troops and provisions which he can obtain and the
winter, with all its horrors is coming upon him.
From Wilmington, the great depot or the blockade
running, he can get nothing, 30 long as Grant holds
tue "ehdO TOlu, tACcpt ny u iOnR ueIouTs II
winter even that resource, slender as it is, will be
cut OF.
Hood. by making a very extensive circuit, may be
able 10 reach him with the remains OF his army, but
il is not probable that he will move in that direction.
His natural position is in the Savannah river. guard
ing against Sherman the approaches to the cities Of
Savannah and Charleston. If he should leave GeCr-
gia and endeavor to gain Richmond by way of the
Danville road. he might be of some assistance to Lee
for a couple of months. but he would be a dead weight
upon him when the rain and the snow descend, and
the country becomes impossible. Lee committed a
grand mistake by not retiring behind the Savannah
six months ago. That a movement Of that kind was
contemplated, we have abundant evidence. The Vir-
GINA newspapers and politicians exerted, however,
too powerful an influence. They said that if Virginia
and Richmond were abandoned. the war would be
virtually ended. They begged and entreatej, passed
resolutions and did everything in their power, to
prevent the movement.
They succeeded, and their very sel6shness has been
productive of the best results to the cause Of the
Union. In the vicinity of Richmond the grand bat
tie is to be fought which will end the rebellion. I
the issue Of that contest there can no longer be any
doubt, when it is considered that Lee has now nearly
all the strength that he can receive, while Grants
resources are boundless. II a half a million of men
were required to make the final blow effective, he can
get them. The rebel Chieftain has no longer a
chance. Fight it out at Richmond he must, for he
has nowhere else to 90. If te should concentrate all
don road, he would find himself confronting Sher-
man on the Savannah, and Grant laundering on his
rear.
In connection with the 6 situation - the great fact
to be observed is this the success which Sherman
has achieved at Atlanta will render a great victory
i'll Virginia now decisive of the rebellion. With
Richmond, Lee will go down; with Lee the rebellion
falls. We do not say that there would then be no
more fghting. There are men in arms against the
Government who will keep the field so long as they
can get a squadron to follow them, but they will
descend from the position Of Presidents and Generals,
to that of brigands and highway robbers. 1t is not
a rphaltI0n that will fhoD pOnfronf u9 INT civil dis
order, for the suppression of which time and S:gor
are all that will be reouired.-.4ha, Sept. o.