The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-28
Grening telegraph
sPBIT OF THB NEW YORK PRESS
Leading Editorials from the New York
Papers This MOrnimg.
TME MILITARY PHosrEcr-A wlux.

FHE MILITARY pNOSpECr-a yy.ux.
ING A. ,ISsr 100 aSNGUssEg,prr.
TATTONs
From ne Tift.s
ltmay easily hlp0,n that our coplc m,y r,
TOO sauguiue wltu f.rruu.. Co the Inn ,, iI,,,
result'o @ S5c.mlr' marcb ana bi. c,,.
turs Of oas4nnsh. JsM Davis said. in b.. n.
message, with me truth, that ihc cyi, s,c. ,s
The Coulet@ac. an ne success Of their r,,,.c
Goes not ut o depend 0n taoi. p5ssossf.,, ~,
cities IN our own struggle with 0ra,rnrtt,
SWing INC war OF Independence, that Power
beld for years many OF our LARGEST rilir. md
marched her armies from rgs rr, r 10y, @ ~
81 W Iuc o'ACH without pCIcgpiny an,cttpg rho
ueVlson OF me contest A ylst agr uitur,I
county as tins was then, aud AS the SIgtb i,
now does not depend 10 ali U CITIES. ip .,.- rrc
population Of toeu.inR s,verg d. ,.l,.I,. .,,, r,s
O'ttI burden ur The producing vlgs..s w.
y mkbl nov, J.l. Davis has sii boli Nnhi'r
NHmiut On, Charleston, and Richmond and thc
eS,h 9,I',oi @ i,s uI.ts OF the COn!JderaCy remain
Bu. u must hy remembered that the essential
tsoNIces, iAe material forces OF cuuutry are
.! no means o., ONLY or principal Strength. Il
Jas be- n SAID o. 3 bomb lfdmu1t t91t is7 nriDei-
lal 'Ltct is physical, or mental It is so
WIN Tue power OF a community To resist or 10
HEht II u.s. mgul' in the my st.ri0us and utterly
INN ea'urahie force OF the human will. These
uie affected By moral as well as mttori4I causes
the Cunledcracv OF real burden; but in its
moral elect it could not be measured by what
ever loss q guns or stores
~ To a less degree, tho loss of Savannah tells on
nc prestige, the sprlts of the Rebel population.
ollll It Is not TO be denied, that the escape of
Hardeo army lost us he greatest prize OF victory
what we mainly want now is the destruction Of
armies. Had toe only outlet TO Savannah pren
smut up, ana ltarueo's fifteen thousand been cap
tnred, we should have been nearer the close OF
the war tban we aie now.
General lhOn s. victory is. in fat, a much
more Immediately decisive stroke tlau General
ShermHns mii NJ capture, though we hive no
doubt that this abC viii be followed by irnp ,rtlnt
operations, influencing greatly the campaign Of
Virginia. Had one Of our grea, armies, In the
last years Il the Revolution War, suffered
such an overwhelming defeat as has Honl's. the
ishpe OF the whole Struggle might have been
very different.
The ultimate effect of General Shermaus splen-
did march and his future occupation of the line
of the Savannah river we believe will be most
decisive; but t is somewhat distant eiieCt, and
dependent entirely on stritegiCal combinations
This march disappointed the old popular illusion
of "staryDg cut" he COntederacy. We have
found the vast cotton fields Of Georgil thick sown
with rich crops Of cereals the land abJundel in
potatoes, corn, wheat, poultry, ana stock there
was no approach even to scarcity. AS We advance
into Ba teru Georgia and South Carolina, we shall
undoubtedly find the same condition.
EWn the worthless currency docs not seem
much TO affect the people or hamper tho officials,
as commerce mas become barter, aud the Govern
ment raises oil its supplies by forced leyiss
Our destruction OF railroads and the crops lying
near them, will undoubtedly cramp General Lee
in RicbmOnd but the worst effect they could
produce, would probably only be the evacuation
Of tha' city, and the occupation of a new line
further South. The whole Rebel "Army of
Virginia" could easily be fed from North Carolina
alone.
These continual devasta ions are, Of course,
gradually was irg the resources OF the COnfedc-
Tacy, and would ultimately compel the breaking
up of the large armies. But the real and quick
crushing of the Rebellion, as we have SO often
repeated is TO come from such strokes rs Thomas
has Just dealt; from the utter breaking up OF
Lees formidable army Sherman's advance, as
leading to this, is allimportant in any other
aspect, 1t is not decisive.