Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-06-24
The Taking Of Richmond

bhia, an extract from which We published yesterday
clearly betra!s that the dominant idea in the mind Of
that remarkable POsentate Is the capture Of this city
Grant, he says Is "Whsre be viii never be dislOged
Ill Richmond taken" BE adds that if he shall dis
cover thar assistance needed "to put this thing
through he viii call upon the people for it. HE hope
is that Grant protected on one side by the APpOma-
to1 and on another by the James, with line of com
munesiOn by water that cannot be interrupted, may
hold bis position and be reinforced as his army is de-
pleted, Until Lee By natural exhaustion and an inability
% reinforce becomes too weak to make eeetua resis
lance. This is the Lincoln theory and It sounds we'll
But never since the began have the Yankees been
without a theory that sounded we'll and which, but
for the failure Of some one or Of It's pos;uAtes
would have brought Is to destruction. By logic salts
factory Yankee minds, have been doomed to in
eVitable ruin every campaign. We have cause to con
graduate ourselves thus far upon the wide difference
between the demonstration Of events and that Of the
inducve reasoning freely INDUCED in BY tho Wash
ington logicians. The failure of any of LincOln's
assumptions on this occasion involves the failure OF bis
conclusion and We permit ourselves to hope that more
than ooe Of bis assumptions will fail Nay, We are so
sanguins as 10 believe that without the failure of any
Of them, still Richmond viii not be taken. lis GER
tain enough that Grant should be disloged" or if
Lincoln should be unable reinforce him as bis army
Is wasted or Lee should be able to obtain reinforce
ments to supply his Losses, Richmond cannot be
taken.
But suppose tue reverse Of these. Does it necessarily
follow that the Confederate Capital must be yislded?-
Not st all for to the present time Lee has been able,
With only such advantage of position as light field
works thrown up from day to day afforded 70 cost his
adversary loss of Eve six, seven men, for every
one lost by himself The skill and the cAmness that
have secured this result remain and there no reason
Wy the proportion should continue. This of itself
would mHch more than overcome the disparity Of forces
and Of reinforcing power Of the two countries, and
would exhaust the enemy before it would exhaust
But If accident should make the ratio of losses more
u. ary equs and Lee should 6nd himself growing too
weak relatively to the enemy stand his ground longer
in tue open feld,-a contingency Of which We have no
apprehension what would be needed bat to fall back
into Notifications that have been three years in process
Of construction aud which would at once make each
single man count three four How would the Lin
coin logic meet the Gaze then presentedg
Would Grant lay close seigs to Richmond, he did
TO yicksburgi vicksburg a small town, with
river in front which enabled the gun boats to do nearly
onehaf of the beseigiDg. l. defended by little
over ssenty thousand men, under -; well, not under
Lee and BesuregaFd Richmond has no front to be
pltrOlsd by gun boats but its river, on the con-
trary would bisect the circuit Of besegers above and
below, and be potent impedment, instead of aid, 10
she cOseness Of the ssige. Bot let see how he
would 90 about bis close seige The deience5 Of Rich
mond are of such a character that an enemy could
where and by effort, get than eight
miles to the city At most points be would be kept
ten. CT more miles from the outer limits Of the
town. We give Abraham the benefit Of these
figures 10 enable him 10 eAleula e, be may do by
Easy process the extent Of the circuit be would have
beleaguer the city ssctuaIy. Fifty miles would
tall short Of the distance. How many would be
qaired TO defend line fifty miles long, against compae
bodies Of troops falling upon them in sorties and
pFses q, all tmes and in any placer Let the President
Of the Yankees calculate and thea let him double ths
number for he must have heard Of the necessity for
reefs and understands that for all the men on duty
there be many resting take their places
when they come of Let him solve for himself, too,
the process by which supplies would be fura she'd to the
more dstan, portion Of the bsssigers, aud how his
tails would fare At the hands Of gaerAs and rangers
Ike MOsby, thousands Of whom would b, ready to q,
them like hOrne.s whenever opportunity presented
ITSELF When these things are poadsrsdb BY the slgAeOus
Nc Lnooln be viii oonclads, Opn thai close seig,
IS not the way " to put this thing through"
What then VIII he trust to storming our forti6cl-
Ons he has not b en- able to carry 10 that way work.
thrown up ia night By the bay0neis aad hands of
meanwhile the attempt has led bis whisky fred troops
to slaughter terrible TO them as il Was impOtent Of
retaliation 70 us We could wish nothing moro earnestly
49,. hta AZ
Bloody and ruthless as he Is towards bis OHn men, he
will hardy do 50.
What else Lie still aud rely upon rAidng parties
cut Of the communications Of the city and thus gradu
ally reduce Il by hmine Nonsense Experiences, oar
own as well as theirs has shoSn tba. OF all modes of
making war raids are hs most innoeuOus the least pro-
duCVe Of results that bear upon the large movements
and general issue Of the war. We were frst We DO
sve TO practice this innocent sort of campaigning, and
ought long since 70 have learned that raids hurt more
those who make than those who suffer them. Morgan
"a as this time We regret to say losing valuable time
and wasting costly energies and resources by
foolish gallOpade through Kentucky. Look ct the
a.o enterprises in this way Of the enemy. What have
they accomplished 10 our injury or their bens6s
moth in proportion soma Of them have bseni Crook
GDd Ayedn in South Western Virginia, KautE on the
u.h side, Sheridan on the North side, first coming
down and then going up, Hunter, Pope, and the rest
Of them as Lynchbug-Whas injury hAVethsy succeed.
ed in dOOg to Us, aOy all of them, proportional in
The th0usandth degree to the labor outlay and loss TO
thsnselye,s The path they make closes up behind
them Ike the tack Of ship sea, and all Is az Il was
except some individual privAIOn, ntenssr anmosisy
Aad more determined spiIii Of resistance.
50 much for raids. What besides, would remain to
be Eieos Nothing. Yankee inventvensss itsel would
D a. fault The envy, and rage, and mAguiy Of the
whole oaAay race could supply nothing 70 rekndls the
hopes Or ease the fall Of the bafled demons Who 40
burn tor The destruction Of this fair and hepcsforvsrd
rannnnad CITY RlacL ara -. - -. -