, 1864-07-22
PLAIN TALK,
4 Rebel View Of the Situation.
Looking the Danger in the
Face.

4 long article in the Georyia Constitutional
~ Of the 29th ulr., argues that the South
should not initiate the North in lies and
boasts, but confess the truth, and not make
successes out Of disasters. The writer ex-
poses the rebel dodge Of making their people
believe that Johnston Is diving Sherman
just where be wants him, in the following
language:
The magnificent army Of Sherman has,
without loss mud without battle, forced back
ono OF our best armies, under 1ayprite Gem
eral, and If he only had intended zaid, the
destruction Of tile vast agricultural interest
of the gIanary Of our Stale is loss which
we are lll-prepared to endure, and totally un-
prepared to retrieve. The evil ts, ti1st, the
Withdrawal from market of the essential
food; second, the increase of population
caused by refugees, which makes an increas-
ed demand on the producing capacity OF the
State third. the Increased prices which tend
to depreciate the currency, which cannot
bear another one-third reputation.
Then 1t It be more than raid, and Sherman
holds his front by fortihcations and his rear
BY guards, 1t is an actual loss oi empire.
Therefore, with harm actually done, and with
atlanta and the great railroad interests In
volved in the fate Of battle that Sherman
may OF muy. not risk, is 1t wise to tell our
people that the invasion OF our State Is but a
"etupid bluhder" OF the enemy?
Just eight hours before the batt1e of Ba-
kcr's Creek, General high in command told
Il lady In our hearing that the crossing OF the
Mississippi BY Gen. Grant, placed him at our
mercy, and that the only thing to fear was
that he woull take the alarm and escape to
his gunboats before We could nuke the at
tack. TWepty-four hours later our broken
columns were hurryfng along the same road
in retreat, and the lady Tho had believed the
general could not save even her wearing ap-
6TPnPra1 Hatn.
bcrton.~
instance after instance OF this kind have
we had during the war, and Jet grave papers,
with able editors, talk Of the certainty TINT
Sherman can never take his army buck to
Chattanooga, and congratulate the country
that he has marched into trap. We once
had some experience with an old rat TINT al
ways sprung the steel trap from the rnder
side, and always took of the bait and never
got causht. The Yankees have peculiar
faculty Of marching into traps and staying
thsTe: or 9rot only commentary upon such
the best half at that, are 30 expensive as to
perhaps awaken smlles in the North and in
Europe when We boast Of them.
WHAT TIE FACTS ARE ABOUT GRANT.
In like manner do We talk about Grant,
und amuse ourselves over set Of facts which
are far from amusing. We are perfectly sat-
tsdsd that the commander of the armies Of
suit he now aims for with but q small portion
Of the loss he has now sustained, and that,
too, with all allowance for the peculiar Con-
federate arithmetic which kills Yankees SO
fast-on paper! Lteut Gen. Grant was
greatly mistaken In. Ills idea that, having
turned the flank Of Gen. Lee in crossing tie
Rapidan, there simply Wou1d be toof.race
Tor Richmond. But two things have since
been demonstrated, and both are serious.
First-That the army Of the Union Is SO
large and powerful that the usual military
axiom, s 'tlankiinIg is more dangerous to the
tanker than the f1anked," does not apply.
The strategy Of Grant, which simply consists
in Withdrawing one wing at h time behind
the impregnable masses Of the center and
other wing, would be fraught with peril
were that center and remaining wing con.
tracted enough to be enveloped, or weak
enough to be broken, but is perfectly safe as
1t is.
Therefore, be Is at liberty to play tricks
In plain sight and without peril, simply be-
cause he Is too big to eakaat Consequently, in
a succession OF tricks, eyen BY one OF the
ger that one not seen or folled at exactly the
right time may catch Us. Such result would
not be destruction to cur army, for Lee also
is too big to bold, but it might do us harm:
GRANT CAN uAyE his OWN WAT.
The second danger is Of the siege of Rich
mond. Some Of our contemporaries and the
most of our correspondents laugh at this;
and yet Grant has 1t in bis power to besiege
tho Capital. or force an attack on himself, or
force IN evacuation Of Richmond. Not that
he has his choice of these three things, but
can force TINT choice upon US.
In Grants moving upon the south Of Rich--
mond and threatening James River near the
city, Gen. Lee has choice Of two evils. If he
Keeps ahead Of Grant and holds the Peters,
burg line inviolate, that tanker necessarily
gets between him and Richmond, and walks
into the city at his leisure. If Lee keeps be-
tween Richmond md Grant, the latter Of
course gets between him and the Southern
states' communication, and cuts of the only
suurce Of supply now LETT, as the valley Of
Virginia is IN the hands Of the enemy. If
Lee wants to have Petersburg and Rich.
mond both, he will have to attack Grant in
one Of his craw-dsh movements, aud will
have to attack the positions and intrench-
uents which the grand spade.and-pick army
never exists an hour without,
In our Judgment the plan Of the campaign
is ut last developed. Western Virginia, the
Valley and its resources Is, BY the movement
on Stannton and Lexington, to be rendered
unavailable for provisions. Grant is to throw
his army into tortidcations across the rail-
roads from Richmond Sonth, and 60 cut OF
our army supplies. Thus the starvation Of q
siege will be as eGectua1ly secured as II an
army could be found large enough to sur
round the legions OF Lee, as Grant did Gen.
Pemberton; provided, OF course. tbat the
Danville road chares the fate that the Weldon
road probably will
II Gen. Lee chooses to stop the same by
fight, he has to put his finger on the slippery
Grant, and stop his flee like Rankings; and
having found him and stopped him for Il .ht,
will bave to charge the hills Grant will occu-
py and the trenches Grant will dig. II Prcsi-
dent Dtyis concludes to swap capitals, and
giving Grsnt Richmond. starts OF ahead of
him for Washington, We will have the army
to subsist in the desert waste between the
| 4Ho capitals: have to make time on foot tha