The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-02-27

DO.-If we were to trust WOat the reDol
say of themselves, and the evident sign!
of decay exhibited throughout the un
} happy and desolated South, the conclusion
is irresistible that the monster rebellion
is in the dying agonies of it's own dissOlu
ton. But their habit Of lying is 50 natu
raj and universal, that we cannot trus
their testimony. They may be better OF
than they affirm themselves to be. If We
want to know exactly what their real con.
Clition is, we must work out the problem
from social and military facts, which are
indisputable, with which we are well &C
i quainted. We can do this with great accu-
racy.
III the meanwhile, let us notice some OF
the evidences of utter decay manifested by
the rebels themselves. First, we notice
that their sole present dependence, is the
conscription, for men, and the impress
ment for provisions. Their currency is SO
utter failure that provisions cannot be
bought with it, and the sole reliance for
the army, is an impressment Of one tenth
the farmers produce. No doubt large
number OF the real rebels-the die in the
last ditch people-wi'l submit 70 this, but
a majority OF the people will not; and as a
consequence, large parties Of soldiers have
to be employed in collecting their produce
in North Carolina and Georgia. An army
canno: be supported by provisions got in
| this way but for a short period. In Vlr-
gnia the whole country, except that on the
Roanoke and in the southwest, is desolated
but little more can be got for any army
Georgia and Alabama are their great reli-
ance at present, and already the Northern
armies are on their soil. The case Of men
is much worse. We have the testimony of
Mr.. Holcomb, in the rebel Congress, "a
person once we'll known in Cincinnati
and of Mr.. Goode, both Of them the most
Iinveterate rebels, that Virginia cannot
stand another CONSUMPTION. Can the other
remaining States? We shall soon examine
that question. Let US look at another fact
the great amount Of assertions take place
in all armies. but in nothing like the de-
| gree now going on among the rebels. The
fact is this: The doctrine OF State rights
has been 80 completely Undecided IN the
minds Of Southern people that when . man
finds his State is lost TO the COnfederacy,
he no longer wants to fight for the Confed-
eracy. There were a hundred thousand
Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas,
and Louisiana troops in the rebel armies.
There is not an intelligent man among
them, who now believes that either Of
those States will ever be joined to South
ern Confederacy. These men will get home
just rs fast as they can with any prospect
Of safety. Most of the Tennessee troops
have been ordered South to prevent deser-
tons.
The next fact we have before us is the
speech OF Howell Cobb at Atlanta, and the
last appeal Of Jefferson Davis. Two more
melancholy documents were never given
to the world. If not exactly in the style OF
criminals to be hung at Tybnrn, they are
in the language Of men who feel that their
fate depends on the last desperate throw,
and that nothing but a miracle can save
them from becoming infamous cOnvicts, or
exiles from that happy land which they
have insulted and betrayed. Cobb, the
tJr &c
the army that they have nothing on earth
To depend on but themselves. There is no
chance OF foreign aid, no hope of North
ern sympathy, no resources but their own,
and on the valor, the invincihle valor OF
the army, all depended. Forlorn hope
The speech Of Davis is still more melan
choly. He talks of valor, Of victories and
achievements, but says nothing of the re-
suits to which those victories led-the con-
quest Of more than half the South, the eX-
haustion Of the residue the loss Of the Miss
iSsppi, and this last desperate appeal Of
desperate men. Such IL the sad picture
presented by these Southern heroes, who
laughed when Fort Sumter was fired on.
But we shall not depend upon them for
what they can do. Let US look into the mill
italy situation.
The crisis Of the war was over when
Vicksburgh fell. Why? Not because Of
the conquest not because we got the Miss
cause we cut the Southern Contederacy in
to two parts, so that neither could help the
| other. In other words, We nullified for war
purposes the entire western half All the
troops, or means, the rebels have west of
| the Mississippi, are of no sort of use. They
might almost as well, be in the Pacific
ocean. Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana,
had four-and-a-haif millions Of cattle,
more than all the rest OF the South,) and
Louisiana had the sugar. TO cut off this
| western half Of the Conitderacy was a death
blow. II might take some time to die, but
it was not the less fatal; 50, in military
point NJ view. it enabled rs 10 concentrate
all the western armies in the grand move
ment now going on. Reduced down prac-
ticaly TO Georgia. Alabama. North and
South Carolina. with half OF Virginia. and
half Of Mississippi. wha: can the rebels do?
Whn; they mean to try Mr.. Davis disclos-
es. They hope TO recruit their armies up
by conscription. and then To defeat us in
battle! The theory is desperate. But let
us allow ali the possibilities of the ease,
VIVA. will it amount to? Two cOnscrip-
tons have already taken place in the South
and have absorbed every man between Is
and IS, which can lie got, and many more.
The present conscription is to take all up
to GO. Now, If we suppose that all, the last
| man up 10 20, in the present territory, can
be got, till there is not an able-bOdied white
man left, it will amount TO only 1877 100 men
and we know it is impossible to get the
whole. Looking, then, to the recruiting
OF the rebel army up to the last point, when
there shall be no more white men left, the
available rebel army cannot be raised above
300, 600 men and that is no more than
they had last year. What can they de
with it? If Richmond and Virginia are to
be defended, not less than $4,000 are re-
quired for that. Not less than $4,000 are
required for Charleston, Wilmington, Mo-
bile and North Carolina. 10000 are beyond
the Mississippi; and at the very utmost
$40, 600 will be left in the armies Of Long
street, Johnston and Polk, to resist the oc-
cupation OF Georgia, Alabama and Missis-
sippi. In all human probability they will
not have that strength by many thousands.
The work cannot be done. In the month
Of March our armies will exceed in eBective
force anything that we have had. -Four
fifths OF all the veteran troops have re-en-
listed Three hundred thousand new
troops will be in the field, and all the or
ganization, material and resources Of war
will be vastly increased. Tens Of thou
sands Of negro troops are pouring over the
fields Of Mississippi, Alabama and Carroll
10 Tho negro trnOnS will soon no 81, f.