Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-08-04
4 Rebel View of the Situation,

Was not meeIlnS Win any considerable sue
cess, to croak about the hopelessness of
crushing the rebellion, and to laud the Gen
erals and statesmen on the rebel side as far
superior TO our own, and to extol their re-
sources and the valor of their soldiers above
our own. We find many Union men inluenc-
ed by their croakings and grumblings and
half inclined to take similar view.
The Augusta, Georgia, ConstiteaionaHst re-
Gently published an article which would be
good reading for such folks if we could find
room for it. We are unable TO do more than
| give a few extracts.
| The editor thinks while the secesh are
amused at the n-fulfllment of Yankee
boasts, and con to Richmond" is by-word
look to the world and to themselves He
| says:
The magnificent army of Sherman, has,
| without loss and without battle, forced back
one of our best armies, under a tavorite Gen
eral, and if he only had intended a raid, the
destruction Of the vast agricultural interests
of the granary of our State, is loss which
we are i'll prepared to endure, and totally un.
|
withdrawal from market of the essential food;
second, the increase Of population caused by
refugees, which makes an increased demand
on the producing capacity of the State third,
the increased prices which tend to depreci-
ate the currency, which cannot bear another
one-third Reputation. Then if it be more
than a raid and Sherman holds his front by
| Notifications, and his rear by guards, it is an
| actual loss of empire. Therefore, with harm
| actually done, and with Atlanta, and the
great railroad interests involved in the fate
| Of battle that Sherman may or may not
risk, is it wise to tell our people that the in
vasion of our State is but "stupid blum
del" of the enemy?
| The Georgia editor thinks the idea is ride
ulous that JOHNSTON has been drawing SHER-
MAN into trap. He says:
We once had some experience with an old
rat that always sprung the steel-trap from
the sn,der side, and always took off the bait
and never got caught. The Yankees have a
peculiar facility of marching into traps and
| staying there. Our only commentary upon
such writing is, that such traps as half a
| State, and the best half at that, are so ex-
pensive as to perhaps awaken smiles in the
North and in Europe, when we boast of them.
| We presume now that SHERMAN has reach
ed Atlanta, JOHNSTON has been superseded,
and HOOP whipped, the editor has worse
opinion of traps" than ever
He thinks the facts about GRANT sufficient
ly far from amusing He says:
Since Grant crossed the Rapidan and flank
ed Lee, two things have been demonstrated,
and both are serious.
First that ha arrnv Of tho Tp;O,, &c
large and powerful that the usual military
axiom, Thanking is more dangerous to the
Tanker than the fanked," does not apply
The strategy of Grant, which consists in
simply withdrawing one wing at time be.
hind the impregnable masses of the centre
and other wing, would be fraught with peril
: were that remaining wing contracted enough
to be enveloped, or weak enough to be brok
en-, but it is perfectly safe as it is. There
fore he is at liberty to play tricks III plain
sight and without peril, simply because he is
too big to catch Consequently, there is
danger that one not seen or foled at exactly
the right time may catch u.s. Such a result
would not be destruction to our army, for Lee
also is too big to hold, but it might do Us
harm.
The second danger is of the siege of Rich
mond Some of our contemporaries, and the
most of correspondents, laugh at this; anC
yet Grant has it in his power to besiege the
capital, or force an attack on himself, o.
force an evacuation Of Richmond. In Grant,
moving upon the South of Richmond anC
threatening James river near the city, Gen
Lee has choice of two evils. If he keep:
ahead Of Grant and holds the Petersburg line
lnviolate that fankernecessarily gets between
him and Richmond, and walks into the city al
his leisure. If Lee keeps between Rich
mond and Grant, the latter of course gets be
tween him and the Southern States commu
nlcation, and cuts off the only source Of sup
ply now LETT as the valley of Virginia is in
the hands of the enemy. If Lee wants tc
save Petersburg and Richmond both, ne will
have to attack Grant in one of his craw-fsf
movements, and will have to attack that DO
sltion and intrenchments which the granC
spade and-pick army never exists hour with
out
The editor thinks that by rendering West
ern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley un
available for provisions and putting our army
across the railroads south of Richmond the
starvation Of a siege is just as effectually Sc
cured as if an army could be found large
enough to surround the legions of LEE a:
GRANT did PEMBERToN at Vicksburg.
We conclude our extracts with the follow
ing:
We lose Richmond if we hold the Weldon
and Danville railroads; we lose the railroads
: if we save Richmond, or we attack Grant in
his mighty trenches if we try to save both
1t is true that Gen. Beaure gard could still
) keep south Of Grant, and prevent raids into
Carolina; but could not keep him from stop.
ping the roads south, unless he has enough
men to attack Grant in reverse, and place
him between two fires. We hope Grant
} thinks he has This is game with no posi-
} BILE hindrance, perfectly plain to every such
unmiltary comprehension as our own, and
we respectfully submit that there is no fun
in it,
The writer is aware from personal observa-
ton that there is a personal popularity and
enthusiastic devotion to Grant among his
soldiers, not equalled by anything ever seen
in that army before-nor surpassed in the
army of Lee; and very much like the love
of the Old Guard for Napoleon. Therefore
he can flank and fight for some time vet be-
fore they get tired of it.
These are facts, and plain as they are, it is
not in good sense to talk of the trap that
Sherman occupies, Or of the bull-headed
Grant, butting his brains out against the ram
parts of Richmond !
When the supplies Of Sherman are cut off,
as we trust they will be, and the great raider
of Mississippi broken in battle or starved
out, begins disastrous retreat over the
country himself has devastated; when John
ston thunders on his flying rear and Forrest
stops his flight; when the fords Of the Ten
nessee are in peril, and Chattanooga again
besieged when Western Tennessee looks up
in hope, and johnson the traitor, tremble. in
the Notifications of Nashville, then let US all
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