Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-09-15
CrumbItng OF the Great RebsIIIon.

CrumbIing OF the Great Rebellion.
From a communication IN the last mum.
Der of the New York Times, written by an
army officer, We clip the following:
In the East Grant has driven Lee from
the Rspidan, with the loss of one half OF
his army, to cover under the strong defen-
ces of Richmond and Petersburg aud firm
ly fixed himself upon base which enables
him to supply with ease an army of an
unlimited number of men and to act with
equal facility north and south of the James
while he holds the great Southern,( Keldon) J
railroad, and threatens all the others. The
great rebel "raid" upon the North has
proved failure, both as it meant to loosen
| Grants hold of his present position, and to
disturb the North. Gen. Grant has not yet
| actually taken Richmond, norieven Peters
burg, but it is a great error to confound
this fact with failure Of the eampdign.-
Gen. Grants collective" has been not
Richmond, not even Petersburg, but Lees
| army. How then stands the cAse7 Lees
original army of Northern Virginia mus
| tered on the lst of Mhy about 70, 900 men.
To this number has been added Beaure-
CARDS reinforcement numbering about 25,-
! 900; Breckenridge's numbering about TO-
600; conscripts received since the cam
paign commenced, Is, 600; cavalry of I'm
boden, Johnson and W. L. Jackson, &c,
5000; total l25, 900. The present actual
strength of these forces is not believed to
exceed $1,000. Loss in the summers COM
paigu $4,000.
OF this number 1900 have actually
been captured as prisoners of war, leaving
43, 900 for Lees loss in killed, wounded
and missing. The rebel hospitals have been
emptied of all capable cf bearing arms, and
in the four months that have elapsed since
the earlier bloody battles, nearly all wouu-
ded men who would recover at all have
had time to recover and be returned to the
ranks, and all sources of replenishment TO
the rebel army have been exhausted.
Gen. Hazen, in published letter of Aug.
2, estimates the loss in the rebel army op-
| posed TO Sherman, from the opening of the
campaign to date, at fifty tlOo thousand men,
| (26, 900 are known to have been lost in
Hoods attacks On Sherman before Allan
ia, and estimates that the veterans of that
army are reduced to 35 600 men. To op.
pose Grant and Sherman the whole South
has been drained of troops, leaving small
gsrrisons only, aided by militia for the de-
! fence of Charleston, Savannah, Whining
ton, Mobile and other important places
| Yet such are the totals 10 which their two
| great armies are now reduced. 1t is doubt
| full whether there are more than hundred
| thousand veteran rebel troops yet remain
ing east of the Mississippi. Says General
| Seymour, Gust returned from q three
months captivity: "The rebel cause is fast
failing from exhaustion. Their two grand
armies have been reinforced this Summer
from the last resources of the South. From
every corner of the land, every old man
and every boy capable of bearing rife,
has been impressed, willingly or unwilling
| ", and hurried to the 'front.'" he quotes
| from a letter from one rebel to another,
which accidentally fell into the hands of
one of his fellow prisoners, and for the au-
thenticity of which he vouches, as follows:
''The people are soul sick and heartily
tired of this hateful and hopeless war
They would end it if they could; but ouI
would rulers will take good care that
no opportunity be given to the people to
vote against it. By lies, by fraud and by
chicauery; by force, by tyranny and the
! suppression of truth, it is sustained. II
is nearly time it should end, and Of shea
depletion st must end before long"
Facts and arguments to the same purport
might be multiplied without end. Facts
and arguments of anothkr stamp are found
in the recent utterances of the rebel lead
ers and presses, which go to show tha
and rebeIlious war lies in the prospect o.
political discord in the North, and an over
throw of the present Administration. "lr
military affairs" says Gen. Seymour, "i
iR an excellent rule never to do what the
enemy desires; is it not equally true in pol
itics? Certsin it is that the only Te1rGiHiHs
hope Of the South lies IN Mr.. LtHeolD's de
feat"
1 am not writing in the spirit of party
though have eonscientiously defended tn
Administration against what L believe Il
be charges without other foundation thar
party hostility, or Misunderstanding of tn
real facts. I write for the cause OF m.
country in the hour of her peril. Anothe
man, AID of another party, (since, alas
party distinctions are so sharply drawn,
may ably aud conscientiously prosecute th
war, but the overthrow ofthe present Admin
tIstratioa at such a moment, and on ground
connected with the war, will shake tn
cause of the country to its very founds
tions, and the hope of su:h an overthrow
is now the last hope of the rebellion.
Ny countrymen! for three long year
you have been in deadly struggle with
foe that has wantonly and wickedIy rali
ed parricidaI hand against Govern
ment that extended TO them andyou alik
protection, liberty and happiness. Wit
. bloody sacrifices and the expenditure {
countless treasure, you have wearied an
, exhausted that foe till he is now at you
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