Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-05-11
nEsoLr or A FRDRRAl DEFEAT.

1RBDLT Of A FEDERAL DEFEAT.
sazacicus men a. the North sre even now IN
doGbteily pTepsTiBg the public mind for what
the Southern people have confidently expected,
while those Of the North hsvs considered it an
impossibility-s defeat Of the great Federal
armies now IN The fsld The one operating against
Richmond and shs other IN E)rth Gsorgis. So
vast have been the preparations made in the
last six months, so lavish the expenditure Of
money, and 50 great tho concentration of troops
from al quarters at thsse two points, ihst the
Federal masses only could judge from what
they ssw going On in their midst. They hAve
besn purposelY kept in ignorance Of what cur
authorities have bsen Doing By their leaders ;
indeed. they have been designedly dsceiYed as
to our real strength and resources They have
been taught ws were 3 disconsented aud suffer
ing psople-thst our armies were half starved
and damorAlizsd, and made up of unwilling
conseTipis, who would nOt fght, and thA! it
would only be necessary for GRANT and SHER-
MAN to move out to dispsrse the forces under
LEE ard JOHSsToE. Bal, as We have said,
aagseioas, weli.inFornsd and honest men sec
things as they really are, and are sndeavOring
to educate their people to entertain the idea tina.
defeat IS possible, and that victory does nc.
always attach to the strong and the boastful
The Herald, of the 29.h, draws 5 pleasing
picture of the position ths United States would
occupy in the eyes Of the world. in the event of
Federal success right of. This it is claimed
would end the wlr, which i. is denied would
follow defeat. But as to what would ensue
in the event Of Federal failure, the HsrGEd
speeula.ss as follows
We would be 10th to reeoguizs even such
defeat IS the dessa blow OF our eaase. It is
eertsia that the stsuneh qualities of our people,
taken as q whole, would lead them to rally for
even greater Struggle still But il is also Ger
tain that such defeat would strengthen i'm
nensely the factions that exist in cur midst
and political anarchy would blunt the edge Of
eli oar faturs attempts And thus il is at lesss
probable that this oefeas might lead to events
that WoRld count Us oat, fer = hundred years,
from the number of great nations One CREST
disruption would lead to lesser ones we would
be broken up into a Community of petty and
qusrTelsons States, and the great experiment
Of free government, that we have so magnifi-
GoAhF .tiitu iOf e4kHtL years. EoIi4 Dc eSLtleQ
sgsinst the people We would die the young
cat Of great republics, and our fall would
strengthen the hands of dsspoiie power every
where.
In another paragraph Bennett Gays:
It thus appears that the struggle upon which
we are now about to enter is = momantous one,
rot only 10 ourselves, but to the world at large
It's result either way viii affect for good or evil
the future history Of the human race Il is as
distinct a turning Peint in human history IS
were the battles Of MsFsthoH, OF Tours, of Pul-
toVs or Waterloo. at Marathon the possession
OF Europe was decided sgsiHst the despot Who
grssped sll Asis. At Tours it Wss determined
whether hohsmmedanism or Christianity should
prevail in Europe PdltOws brought Russia
into the council of European nstious, and ne
oessiiated new balance OF power and Water
loo decided the possession of EdTope against
the people and in favor of the little coteris Of
KiBgs that constituted the Holy Alliance Oar
coming battle is to decide issues as great as any
OF shese, siEcs it is to determine whether the
gIea. republic Of modern iimss shsll stand or
fsll-determine the existence of Government
destined to exert greater influence on the py5-
gress OF the haman race than any other known
20 history. The responsibilities Of the man
who commands our sTInies il this great crisis
are tremendous, and tho reward OF his success
will be the greatest within the g # Of the people