The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-10-15


power of appreciation in the demOcratized
masses of the people that will, sooner or al
ter, spurn all the reasoning and motives IN
which the Rebellion originated.-N 7.
Tribune.
The Campaign and the Victories.
On the ed of August the Richmond En-
qui,er announced that Grant was totally
defeated, his campaign failure, and that
he would be driven to his ships whenever
Lee thought best. On the 3lst Of August,
the Chicago Convention announced that
the war was failure, and that there ought
to be cessation Of hostilities. Three days
after, Atlanta was taken, and Hoods army
scattered on the road to Macon. Then the
Weldon road was taken and held by Grant,
and Lees army reduced to the extremity
of wagoning provisions thirty miles, the
teams being negroes, bitched sixteen to q
wagon. This was for the want of horses,
the exhaustion being so great that army
wagons cannot be supplied. In another
week the Enquirer announced that the
autumn campaign would be bloody one,
and the result, that they would be besieg-
ed in Richmond. All this was before the
victory ofSheridan on the field of Winches-
ter. These are magnificent events. He
who runs may read. The rebels UNDER
stand them very well. They are now turn.
ing their longing eyes to the chances OF
Mcclellan. A Copperhead victory, they
think, would be equal to the defeat Of our
enemies. But, alas for them ! they look in
vain. Mcclellan will be totally and irrevo-
cably defeated. But let rs turn to the as
poets of the campaign. Ali events are now
cOnspiring to make the autumn campaign
successful and decisive. In the month Of
May we said that Lee must either give up
Richmond, or, going into it, lose his army.
The problem means exactly the same. He
v0f INT 81. ho Nf
May has lost full half his army before the
victories Of Sheridan. A large part of the
remainder he has taken out of Richmond
and is employed in . vain attempt to re-
establish his communications. He may
escape with that part, but the probability
Is he will continue the attempt to defend
Richmond till bis whole army is totally in
volved. The total destruction Of Eariy's
army makes the fall of Richmond certain.
To understand the situation we must 70
back and examine the cause of delay and
the present change of situation. The move
ment Of Grant to the south side Of the
James, and his present line Of attack was
entirely correct. If so, it may be asked,
why was 1t not successful at once and
Richmond fallen by the middle Of August
The answer is that it was caused by fail
ure in q part of the plan ertr0ne0MS to
Grants army. This was the failure of the
expedition against Lynchburg. It was not
wholly . failure; for it did such damage to
the Dsnville road that it has not been
failure in an important part of the strategic
arrangement. II that expedition bad been
successful all the supplies OF Richmond
would have been cut of, and its surrender,
at no distant time q necessity. But its
failure prevented the investment of Rich
mond, and left the rebel supplies open till
the capture Of the Weldon road has reduced
them to extremities. We lost two months |
by the failure of Hunters expeditions; but |
the scene Is now totally changed, and to |
understand II we must return to Grants |
position in front OF Richmond. Whoever |
looks upon good military map of Rich
mond and its defenses will see that Grant |
has been gradually establishing line of
attack and defense which must, in the end,
be fatal to the rebels. Beginning on the |
left Of his army, {now extending two or |
three miles west of the Weldon road, fol-
lowing the line in front Of Petersburg to
Bermuda Hundred, Deep Bottom and
Dutch Gap, we see that Grants works are
nearly in a continuous line. aud the object
is more to attack than to prevent the es.
cape Of the rebels. Lee can escape from
where be now is, or north of Grant towards
James river, above Richmond: but ii will
be on q cfrcuitoms route, liable to constant
attack, and in AL probability would result
in disastrous and destructive retreat
OF. It Is in this respect that Sheridan's
victory is decisive event. Considered
merely as a victory, it is decided victo.
~; but, considered as part of the attack
on Richmond, it is far more important
Sheridan having the forces of Early, and
being constantly reinforced, must, IL seemS
to us, be able to seize the whole Shenan-
dOah Valley aud any important point be-
yOnd it If necessary, to seize the Danville
and Lynchburg Railroad. When that is
done Richmond can hold ont but little
longer. The great point in a successful
attack on Richmond is to have too armies
-one to hold the Shenandoah Valley and
its railroads, the other TO attack the city
from the James. Whenever those conui-
tons are filled Richmond falls. II Lee
stays in Petersburg or Richmond, the fall
of Richmond will be the frcl and total de-
struction Of rebel Cbnfederucy. That is
the object aimed at, in comparison with
which all others are of minor consequence.
There are two other points which may
here be noticed What was tie object of
Earlyss army and what is accomplished by
its defeat? His expedition to the Potomac
was. in some measure, experimental, but
it had two important objects. One was TO
make dirersioa from Grants army, and
they thought, cause him 70 raise the siege.
It did accomplish thie, 50 far as to take an
entire corps from Grants army, and COM
fence of Washington. Another advantage
was to feed q considerable portion Of Lees
army without drawing on his supplies, and
this, too, was done by the raid on Mary
land and the grain in the Shenandoah val
ley. But Lee himself got no supplies from
there, and the statements madeUf surplus
grain in that region are all mere imagina-
tio,, large part of the products being
wasted and destroyed by armies passing
through it.
What is accomplished by Early's defeat.
Most important results will follow. Ear
ly's broken bands will not be able to resist
Sheridan long. although they may delay
him. We believe and hope that Sheridan's
army will be reinforced till it drives back
Lee and seizes all the remaining lines OF
communication. Then it is the commence.
n,ent de Ia fn-thesfinal struggle Will soon
be over.
To these remarks may be added another
hypothetical statement. Suppose Sherman
detaches two of his corps from Atlanta,