Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-04-02
ARE THE REBELS EXHAUSTED?


ARE THE REBELS EXHAUSTED?
There are two questions of paramount
Importance to thinking men, and particu-
larly to statesmen at the North, at the pres
ent time. These are: What are the capabil-
ities of the South this year for feeding their
armies, and to what extent have the cotton
plantations and sugar plantations of the
South been converted into wheat fields and
corn fields? And second, What is the con-
dition of the stock of horses in the South,
and by what means do the South expect to
obtain remounts for their large cavalry
force; and how do they expect to keep up
the efficiency of this arm of their service?
Aware for months past of the Importance
of the issues involved in these questions,
have spared neither time nor labor in ar
irving at the truth concerning them, and
the results of my investigations are en-
Z bodied below. It will require but mo-
ment's reflection to convince intelligent
men that the abilities of the South to carry
on the war, or, In other words, that The d,t-
ration of the todr itself, depends upon the
facts which will be made apparent by the
investigation of the above questions. 1t is
a fact by no means creditable to the intelli-
b gence of the country that the delusion
''that the South Is starving; the South is eX-
hausted; that the Southern soldiers are dis
contented and mutinous; that the South has
its whole available military strength now in
the field for the last, final struggle" should
be shared, not by the ignorant and unthink-
ing alone, but by men who have some
claims to intelligence; The excuse for the
latter is, however, that they only believe
whathas been setd own for them in the news
papers which they have been accustomed to
read and to believe In; and also, because
such has been the constant tone of every
Federal official, from the President and Sec
retary of State down to the bottom of the
list. For the shameful and willful decep-
tion on the people thus practiced by these
newspapers and these officials, there is no
excuse and no palliation.
. TERRITORIAL AREA OF THE SOUTH.
In arriving at the truth in regard to the
above points, it Is necessary to take into
consideration the vast territorial extent OF
the South; the comparative small number
of the southern people who have been with
drawn from productive pursuits during the
last three years; and the temper and feel
ing of the southern people in regard to the
war. rt3 J-
The States of Massachusetts, Connecticut
and New Hampshire. occupy an area of
quite respectable size on the map. Yet
these three States together only occupy an
area of 2l,754 square miles, while the State
of South Carolina alone has an area of
24500 square miles. The great State of In
diana contains $500 square miles. But
North Carolina, with its $4,000 square miles,
is larger in territorial extent than Indiana
and Massachusetts, together. How many
people in the North believe that Louisiana
exceeds in territorial extent the Empire
State ITSELF with the 10000 square miles of
the latter? Yet such is the fact. The State
of Mississippi has 1900 square miles, and
is therefore larger than either New York
or Pennsylvania. The STATE of Alabama
contains $1,000 square miles, and is there
fore larger than New York and Connecticut
together. A person who has travelled over
the whole length of the Y-shaped Illinois
Central railroad, from Chicago and Galena
on the north to Cairo at the south, has some
idea of the vast extent of that State. Yet
Georgia has $4,000 square miles, and Is,
therefore, larger than Illinois. And Flori-
da, which the President sent Mr.. John Hay
to conquer, contains $4,000 square miles, and
is, therefore, larger than Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts and Connecticut, all togeth-
er. Finally, Virginia is still larger, con-
taining q, 900 square miles; and even when
the bogus estate of West Virginia" is taken
OIL, the Old Dominion Is still larger than
Ohio. | say nothing of Texas in this con-
nection, because, although 1t contains the
enormous extent Of $4,000 square miles
(and is, therefore, larger than the seven
great States of New York, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, and
Connecticut, all together), still It is practi-
cally useless to the South for the present.
.-5sd AREA UNDER CULTIVATION.
IlSo much for the territorial extent Of eight
Of the Southern States, which, vast as 1t Is,
Is the least important feature In the .case.--
In these eight States namely, In Virginia
North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alaba-
ma, sFloridap Louisiana and Mississippi
there are one hundred and four millions of
acres of land as yet untouched by the farmer
orplanter, to say nothing of twenty millions
of acres In Che same condition In Texas
in the eight States above named, not count
ing "West Virginia" there are only forty
two millions five hundred and ninety thou
sand acres under cultivation; and this In
eludesIall, the cotton plantations, and rice
fields of the entire South. These, staple
productions Of course monopolized the at
tention OF the South until 1851. 4"'