The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-03-24
Concentration on Both Sides---Lec and

nlished bv one of the belligerents. If
indications are not deeeptive-and we
think they are notice viii Withdraw |
all outside garrisons, and outposts, not |
absolutely necessary, and reinforce his !
army in North Virginia, while the
forces under Polk, together with the /
greater portion Of the garrison at No
bile. will be added to Johnston.s com
mand. Longstreet viii withdraw from |
East Tennessee, and abandon the strug
gle for the present.
The forces in North and South Caro- !
lima, together with Longstreets infant
nv, will probably join Lee while the |
cavalry will concentrate in the vicinity
of Dalton, because of the facility for
making raids in the direction of East
Tennessee. There can be no conceal
ing the fact, even were it desirable to
do so, that a cavalry force Of 10000
men at Dalton would keep heavy
force Of infantry employed in guarding
bridges, and railroads.
So long as Richmond is in the hands
of the rebels, we must keep a large
army in East Tennessee, TO guard against
contingencies; TO meet any force that
may be sent by railroad from Rich
mond indeed, we must keep nearly as
many men in Longstreets absence a.
in his presence. 1t is only after the
rebel capital is in our possession, that
East Tennessee and Kentucky viii be
safe without a strong garrison.
In the meantime Grant is gathering
in his forces from remote positions and
throwing them to the two exposed
points and those from which he VIII
doubtless take the ofensiye-Chatta-
nooga and the Potomac; and 10y the
middle of April, there will be but two
really formidable armies on each side,
East of the Mississippi river; andupcn
these will hang tie decision as 10
whether the Confederacy will continue
another year, or succumb before win
ter.
1t is useless now to speculate regard
ing the numbers which the belligerents
will bring into the field; the genius OF
a commander Is equivalent to thousands
of the bravest men in the world; and
we think we have at length comman-
ders of genius, while the enemy is not
so well provided in the line Of efficient
and able generals, as they were year
since Lee is a great military man; but
he has not the power Of execution; and
when he lost jackson, he lost an equiv
alent to 10000 men. That commander
was a man of action; he possessed all the
qualities Of dashing general and
with his Superior to plan and direct,
and himself to execute, they formed the
Napoleonic combination.
But since the death of Jackson, Lee
has shown himself but an inferior man;
he did not take the advantage he ought
of our defeat at Charlottesville; his
march into Pennsylvania resulted most
disastrously; and his recent movements
with view of thanking our forces PROV
ed miserable abortions; and he evinced
that he could be surprised, in the affair
in which Sedgwick and French captur
ed two brigades on the Rappahannock.
Nevertheless, he is really an able
commander; but he is now confronted
by Gen Grant, who is man both Of
strategy and action; and the two chiefs
will doubtless have an opportunity to
test the qualities, each of his antago-
mist, before the first of May
In the west, we have decidedly the
advantage, so far as it regards military
talent Sherman so far excels Joe John
ston, that it would be folly to institute
a comparison between them; and
Thomas is equally the superior Of Polk,
Hardee and Breckenridge But the
enemy has some advantages which may
COMPENSATE llllll4 AAt COUNTY III VIZ
reach a point far beyond Dalton, is
billy and full Of defensive positions
we are at great distance from our base
of supplies; and the rebels have enter
prising cavalry leaders to break in upon
our lines of transportation; and, in adj
dition, we have East Tennessee to pro
tect till Richmond is taken
Besides this, the rebels have the adj
vantage of the inside track and by
their single line of Railroad, can rein
force Lee from Johnston, or Johnston
from Lee, in three days. 1t was by the
same route that Longstreet was push
ed down to Bragg in time to take part
in the battle of Chickamauga. On the
18th of September his corps was re
viewed in Richmond; and on the 18th
and 10Th they fought in North Georgia
The same line of Railroad is yet open;
and will be, unless force under Butler
strikes It at either Weldon or Peters
burg; and even then they could do no
more than make raid, unless the force
was augmented to at least $4,000 men.
So far as the forces west of the Mis-
sissippi river are concerned, they must
act, in part, at least, independently of
the Eastern combinations. But we Ger
tainly doubt the propriety of the late
Red River expedition. The rebels in
Texas are a very harmless set Of men;
and can be disposed Of readily, after the
rebel capital is taken; and if we have
men enough to dispense with the servi-
ces of the $4,000 employed in the adj
vance into Texas then it Is well to
settle the rans-Mississippi war at once;
but we have our apprehensions upon
the subject; at least we think that in
stake so important, nothing should be
omitted which might by a remote pos
sibility, be essential TO success.
KNOXVILLE, March 2l.-This evening
one hundred bales of Government cot
ton valued at $4,000, being near the