The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-10-05
The Rebel Defeats at Atlanta and In
the Talley Causing General Detection.
LOO 40 RIehmond Enapirer. -. 2. J

run lAiy AAiLniAoud lHsttltts Pts 81
The abandonment of Atlanta and
Winchester has led TO much specala-
ton and great detection among the
faint hearted. They fancy Georgia al
ready is leagued with the enemy, and
Lynchburg once more endangered by
a brutal fanatic. 1t is of no use to rea-
son with such men, they will only heBr
what they choose-fear closes their
eyes, and seleinterest clouds their judg-
ment. They seek a sorry satisfaction
IN blaming an unsuccessful general, and
delight in proving how easily all mis-
haps might have been avoided The
calmer Judgment, the warmer patriot
ism, sees no such reason for despon-
dency. All that is really to be deplored
is the loss of men Lives are precious
with US, and few thousands tell heay-
lily in the scales. But from official
sources, we derive the comfort that the
supply of youths coming of age, togeth-
er with revoked details, will enable
most enrolling officers to replace, to use
their own Technology one man and
half for every man lost Generals like
Rodes are not so easily replaced Still
there is admirable material in album
dance in our ranks, and much more
truly than in Napoleons far famed ar
mics, have our men the marshaIs bat
ons In their knapsacks. Our forces in
Virginia, whose people, after all, have
been the back bone and the brains of
the revolution, and whose ensauguined
fields viii yet see the God of Battles
decide in our favor, may not be strong
enough to attack, but are amply suffi-
cient to resist The lines Of Grant arc
olrc1dg 50 dangerously leUghtbencd. that, ere
long, his centre may be pierced and his posi-
Hi0u seriously endangered Trying to per
form that most hazardous and critical
moyement-an attack on both tanks
which even Napoleon attempted but
once with success, at Dresden-he dare
not lead his dispirited troops TO a brave
e:calade, and waits in vain for his skill
fl adversary to commit a fault by
which he might profit. The noble
citizens of Petersburg, emulating the
composure and ready sacrifices of their
neighbOrs in the capitol, stand yet I'M
daunted by the long siege, and in both
cities the increase of danger seems only
to augment the courage and devotion
of the inhabitants They have not yet
suffered as the'Nenetians did in lS40,
when more than half of their grand old
city was under the fire of bombs and
red hot balls In the dead of night
amid the shower Of shot, the crash Of
crumbling walls, the light of blazing
houses, the whole population of the
threatened quarters went forth, calm,
resigned, without a murmur, old men
and stripplipgs, women and children.
They may drive us from our homes.
but they cannot terrify Us into submits
sion they exclaimed; and have not
hundreds and thousands of our own
people said and done the same? Such
men are worthy of independence; they
are sure TO. conquer it sooner or later
The very martyrs who seal their devo~
ton with their life's blood, like Jack
son and Rhodes, after having proved
their love OF country by deeds of martial
daring and marvellous triumphs, are
our guarantee of success. They are men
who cannot perish, whose voices from
the sepulchre defend the cause to which
their existence has been devoted Ia
their lonely, bat not unhonored, graves
they still plead with unanswerable elo-
quence, the champions in death, as in
life, of their native land The nation
that gave birth to such hearts, that can
boast such devotion, such heroism as
our noble troops have displayed in
every campaign, on every battlefield,
has already proved that she has men
worthy of liberty and men capable of |
directing her destinies.
And, II the enemy has moved a few
miles up the great valley, so full Of lofty |
memories of well earned victories and |
unparalleled campaigns-whato Of that?
Has it not already been traversed by
his lawless soldiers from end to end,
and yet it clings more closely to our
fate than child ever hung on its /
mothers bosom Thanks be to God,
who blinded our adversary and led him
to exchange q wise policy OF liberation,
which might have cost Us dearly, for
m I'd and fanatic tyranny, which con-
yerts even the Union LOVING loyalist
into a warm Southerner. We are not
the first people whose incidence and
ready acquiescence had to be burnt out
with fire; we also have had to learn
that suffering is a sign Of life-nay, Of
ter, ono Of lie essential conditions