Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-04-12
The Fourth Year Of the War.

have Wthstood three years the onsets Of foe nigh
in Rumbers boundless in resources, desperately peril
nacious and remorselessy cruel More than two NIL
lions Of men on aad and navy equal to hAita million
more, with the most approved machinery OF war, and
at 40 outlay Of several thousand millions of dollars,
have furously strvsn to overWheln and "crush" u.s.
As the outset so ignorant were our foes Of the spirit
and strength Of our people, that they confidently e1-
peced to consunma!e in three months and with force
less than the numbers they have actually had slain in
battle what the frantic Efforts Of three years have only
served to show they never accomplish, in any mum.
Der of years and with any hosts they can muster
That mainly from their unconested command OF the
water, they have won important advantages, in this
long period is not to be denied-but that they have
fallen Infinitely short of their confident expectations
and staggering promises that they have disappointed
sregously the lockers in other countries, that they
have gained greatly less than ourselves arprehender
are facts equally undeniabl'.
They might have overrun US as the British did, aud
then have conquered US no more than they did. Bot
to the surprise of European spectators they have come
so far short of this as to have made advances only
where the strength of the COnfcderacy not put
forth r resistance Il was impossible to defend all
tended originally to be defended, but really Of minor
Importance had to be abandoned to them because their
superior equipments ard their navy enabled them to
attack before ready for them. Such we've Ha
teras, Roanoke Island, NsWbsrn, Port Royal, Fort
Doaelson and other incomplete and inadequAtely man
mad dsfenees New Orleans fell because its de;enees
were not completed, and V!cksburg because
trusted TO incompetent hands. These successes gave
them the Mississippi River and cut the Conlederacy in
two. But to what practical advantage? They cannot
use the Mississippi for commercial purposes and the
two divisions of the COnfederscy fight well they
did when one. Their successes indeed, have demon
strated even forcby than their failures the impos
sibiTty of accomplishing what they have undertaken
for they have shown that nothing seriously hurts US So
vast is our area, and 80 numerous the strategic end
defensive points it furnishes tba. the loss Of any Ouy
ueeessates change Of ,sitiOn part and leaves
the enemy TO contemplate the failure OF all the calcu-
AtOIs based upon the prospect OF winning it. The eI.
pected results of have always eudOd tbeI, and
the uits OF victory have turned TO ashes their lips.
They have nowhere touched the Vitas Of the Confede
racy and never can for the Oonfedarscy has
point in which its life il lodged. Every portion of II
is instinct with eXstence-every mountain and valley
and plain throbs with ineIingusha6ls vitality As
long as ground enough Il left to plant battery let
squadron in the field the vital point Of the Coniede
rAcy ID no. touched.
Tho question Of most interest with US now is not
whether the euemy can succeed in their undertaking.
ii, indeed, that ever queStion-but how much
logger they will perast in the mad attempt. The i'm
preston generally pre- walls that the campaign Whish
49, 4, tba a..
has come, and the Struggle must soon be over. The
army makes no calculations. With grim humOr and
gay defiance worthy of the cavalier stock from which
they come our soldiers volunteer for "orty years
tie war" Bot civilians indulge themselves in tpecu
lIlons, tie failure of which cannot affect men who
make none. Whether the fourth year Of the will
be the final depends mainly upon the incidents q
the campaign. We leave out of view the possibility
of other things always possbls-such for instance
the long delayed but inevitable, financial crash at the
North, Of which the upward tendency of gold there, in
spite of ali Chsses thimOlsrggiug, affords improving
prOspectthe counter-reVoution that has been hoped
for and Of which the late outbreak in Illinois is pro-
pAetic-loreign Intervention, rendered more likely Of
late BY the hostile demonstration in Washington TO
wards the European arrangements for Mexico we
leave these Of The calculation, and speak only Of
military contingencies. OurOpiniOn is, tina. if the cAn
paign is successful one to Us, it will end the war,
though it may not bring immediate psacs-peAce set.
tied by treaty and declared by proclamation. We do
not see boE it Is possible for the enemy il at the end
of four years Of such gigantic combat as We have had
they ad+hemsevss further advanced towards theiI
object than they are to stand up before the world
and insist upon continuing the contest. We do not see
how the world without shamirg the civilization and
common Of the age, could permit It. Christian
nations would be bound by the faith they hold and the
humanity they profess to protest against it. and if thai
did avail, then to interpOss to preVenti Yankee
humbug could not longer deceive mankind IS to the
possibility of our subugAtiOn, nor Yankee Audacity
persist in what would be so obviously absurd
What is most u be feared all in fact that is to be
feared IS that advantages of such apparent Importance
may be gained BY the enemy will afford them prete1t
for continuing the strife, and will enable them yet awhile
logger practice upon the crOduy of other countries
This would give them ltu1 longer respite from the
humliadOn of admitted defeat and the more terrible
consequences they will have to face among themselves
when the appalling fact strikes the mind OF the masses
chat all this bloody and wasting var, this frighnu
sacrifice Of human fe the hood and tears and anguisE
Of whole people, the nightmare Of national debt TIL
proslration o. national aAd rank, the corruptoI
Of public morals the subversOn Of the general indastr!
and the ruin of private fortunes have been in van
have been wasted and lost-And all through the contri
vance of q set of knGVsh politicians. Lincoln and hi
men will postpone their day of reckoning as late a
possible and to tina. end will prOlrAct the war as orI
any pretext that will dsude their people can be found
Il lin nnou
ing to advantage this year, by tie art OF lying
can make il appear they have, they will probably h
able to carry their armies over into still anoher
paign. IL becomes therefore our chief duty we'll Al
our highest policy strain every nerve to defeat then
in all their attempts, and to see that at the end Of TIT
campaign now opening they less fayorAbly crcum