The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-08-12
The Situation at Mobile.

whe, the Yankee ilcet was approaching this city
in ,hs spyna Of 1862, at the same tune that Me.iei
Ian was advancing fsoTa the Peninsula before
p-ew,y's HUT had spoken IN thunder To the mon
.lads. and while it was still in doubt whether the
river could bc sufficiently obstfacted IN time to pre-
ven, the enemy from reaching point from which
he could shell the eitya meeting Of citizens was
held at the City Hall to decide upon the best thing
to be done under the circumstances After several
persons had spoken, Governor Letsher was called
On lie responded, and has words We're iu' OF en-
.aursgpmeni I'VE we're told that If we did not sur
render the city the Yankee fleet would she'll !" IV'
them she'll and b. id" said the ooSei'''
This brief AMI energetic, although Pf"'a'e'
clamation operated like whole shower Oh ''s'''o
sparks The crowd burst into a perfect STORM VI aP
nlause. The whole.cty caught the con'aS'oh Inc
Ieyislature 20 their eternal honor, deterinhea oy
vote Unanimous, bclleye,} tat the 'spi'a' Vi
Virginia should not be given up The tide became
.&,s,r,,,,;,o and surrender was no longer dreamed
Of by any but the timid and the fankee-heat'ed'-
The profanity OF Governor Ietcher saved the capt.
tai Sterncs tells that when the recording anger
entered the oath Of 3" My Uncle Toby" on ms book
he she'd uiln the page ana bio'ted II out iof
eyr Ii ever .a.h deserved simiiar reception, IL
WIS that of Governor Letcher. In day or two
came .idngs. from Drewiy's Buh The YANKEES
had tried their best and had been signaily foied-
From that day TO this they have not only never oeeh
able to take Richmond, but they have not succeeded
even in placing her in bodily terror Inc Hhsh'ies'
ornaments of modern times have been tired against
her in vain. Two hundred thousand iefociouS
stouadrels have lost their lives IN attempting 10
take her and now lie buried beneath the soil OF VAR
einia She is more accessible by water than any
ety. not built directly on an ann OF the sea, i'll the
whole Confederacy Vet the miehtiest fleets, III
combination with the most powerful armies, have
been unable to reach her, where she sits, in proud
security, throned upon her magnificent hills From
the moment that the Governor, the people and the
Legislature resolved that She might be destroyed,
hut never surrendered, she safe.
And the city of Mobile may likewise be saved, i
her defenders will only determine that she shall not
be surrendered! If they have the moral courage to
stand a Smelling, as Charleston has been DONG for
more than twelve months, as Petersburg has been
doing for two months, and as Atlanta has been
doing for the last thirty days. the Yankees may kill
a few unarnea citizens-they may knock down or
burn M certain number Of housea-they may
compel the women and children to take to the cell
lars for the security of their lves-they may fur
nsh fine food for lfaIpers wood-cuts' and the army
correspondents of the Yankee newspapers-but they
can no more take Mobile than they can take Rich
mond True the outer detences have been taken or
rendered useless. Fort Powell has been blown UP,
and Fort Gaines has been surrendered, with strong
suspicious Of treason. True, Fort Morgan, isolated
and surrounded, may be taken or blown up. But
there still formidable dcfenceS and Instructions
before the Smelling point can be reached, and then,
and not till them Mobile will be put upon her met
tie and afforded opportunity to rival the glory Of
Charleston, of Petersburg, and of Atlanta. Then
she will have opportunity to show, what has been
often shown iii this war, that bold heart is
peIior 10 all mechanical contrvances, and that
determined courage and resolution to win
die, than equal TO the largest ply
steal ODDS For the present, she Is not 50
badly off "a Richmond WAS two years ago. when
Norfolk had been taken, when York had been ADAM
doned whsn the MerTimac had been blown up, and
when the James and York gave access TO the Yam
Eee feet almost up TO her very doors Fortunately,
TOP it is understood to be the policy to give up
more cities. The case Of New Orleans will not be
repeated. Ii the Yankees get Mobile-unless there
be more treason brewing-they viii be compelled to
fight for IT, A few shells, or great many OF Them
win not do the work. They must land and storm
our batteries-must crack the nut before they can
get possession Of the kernel
With regard - the alleged treason of Colonel
Anderson, prefer TO wait for fuller accounts be-
fore we express opinion. The case is Il very ugly
certainly, as stated 10y the telegraph. But there
aaay be extenuating circumstances of which We
know nothing Colonel Anderson, by-the-byc, is
not Il native Of Alabama, stated yesterday,
m al SnByh Carolina lie W.. f.,,
Texas, but remained only two years, ana, course
did not graduate. lie was appointed Second Lieu
tenant III the old army in 1856, and being stationed
IN the South Joined the Confederate army at the
menccment of the war.