Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1864-02-18
The-work Done ~ DissoIYing
- View of the Rebellion.

TeDctllOU, ilo. Fdob cAtSub anu COlD pdCL
form in 1861, and its dissolying frag,
ments In 1864 = 1t i67 map Of the {.
S.fronr the Atlantic to the Pacific, and
from the British possess ons to the Gulf
cf Mexico, in which all the territory ly-
ing south of Maryland, Pennsylvania,
Ohio; Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.
south of the Missouri River, and south
ofKansas, Colorado territory, &C., is laid
down as rebel territory. at the date we
speak of. The map shows that all Of
this darkensd territory has been re-
claimed back to the Union except two
black spots still remaining each side of
the Mississippi river, embracing Texas
on one side, with light breaking in up
on her on the Gulf coast. On the other
side, embraing the States Of Mississip-
pi, Alabama. Georgia, Florida without
the tail, South Carolina, North Carolina,
and Virginia, with little light in the
vacinity of Newbern.
This map furnishes dissolving view
Of the rebellion, which covers, at a
glance, the territorial results of the war
from the beginning to the present day.
1t shows the work we have accomplished
towards the suppression of the spurious
Southern Confederacy, and the compar-
atively light work still required to fin
isb it. 1
szOn the,fast of July, 1861, the mali
tary line Of the rebellion covered com
pact geographical area Of about eleven
hundred thousand square miles, embra-
cling population Of nearly twelve mil
lions ofpeaplc. Two7thirds of this ter
ritorial area and two thirds of this pop
ulation have since. been -re-conquered
and restored to the ''old flag" and all
that which the rebellion has lost is SO
much added to the strength of the Union.
But this is only superficial view of the
extent to which the rebellion has been
weakened, and the extent to which the
Union has been strengthened, from
these transfers Of territory and popula-
ton The states of Tennessee, Ken
lucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana
and Texas were the States upon which
She rebellion depended for the scbsist-
ence of its armies and in losing these
States it is like an army cut off from its
base of supplies. In military view
the Western section Of the rebellion, as
depicted on this map, may be promptly
omitted in an estimate of the present
military strength Of JEFF. Davis for
that immense gap which has been made
down the Mississippi to the Gulf cuts
off this Western from the Eastern sec
ton of his usurped domnions as com
pletely as il divided by the Mediterra-
mean sea.
The available forces and resources of
the rebellion, therefore, are really lin
tied to the Eastern section, embracing a
white population of about two millions,
and black population something over
two million From this white popula-
ton there have been drawn over two
hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, two
thirds of which number, we will assume
are still in the field. Add to this force
the new conscripts recently raised, and
the troops remaining with Lee, Long
street and Joe johnson from the recap
tured States, and the whole military
force of Davis in this Eastern section
may, perhaps, be set down as now
amounting to two hundred thousand
men. The sweeping CONSUMPTION of the
rebel Congress may swell this force to
two hundred and fifty thousand men
but it is more likely to fall short of this
increase than to exceed it.
The spring campaign, then, will open
with a Union force of al least five hun
dred thousand men, against rebel force,
In this Eastern section, of two hundred
and fifty thousand men; and we have
said nothing of the powerful cooperating
forces, on the Union side, of our iron
elads and gunboats. Considering, then,
the dispirited, disgusted, demoralized
half clothed, and half famished condi
ton of the rebel armies, and the heavily
oppressed, derangcd and exhausted con-
ditin the rebel States, from Virginia to
Mississippi, we may reasonably expect
that short work will be made of this
rsisHagt of tho pa-oallA3 G>a'hsra Cor