The New York herald., 1864-08-19
The Campaign fn vir8inia-Early
kstufOrced.


cause is apparent in every line that the friends
OF the confedsrscy put in print. Southern reu
in this war have been comparatively silent in
the hour OF success; they have been selfcon-
tanned to a degree that no one expected oi
them at times when they might have gloried
| over victory; and on the other band, they Lave
boasted Of what they would do in exact pro-
| portion as they have been without the power
| to do what they would wish. Extensive and
even magnificent lying has always been
begun by rebel organs, functionaries and
| generals exactly as the real power of the con-
| federacy has begun to fail. General Lee
never put forth deliberate lie in general
! orders through the wtole period of bis great
successes; but in that disastrous retreat afte:
Gettysburg it was another matter. Disaster
appears then to have first lowered linn to the
level Of a lie. He positively declared that
there was no collision on the Potomac, though
he lost two or three regiments and the colors
Of four. In the midst OF the recent overland
campaign, too, he found at one time that he
had need OF whatever could serve his purpose,
and, as he thought lying might, he published
an order, deliberately penned, to deceive his
troops. He is type Of the people he fights
with. The South has always and purposely
hurrahed loudest when it had least to hurrah
about.
Never has the confederacy committed its
cause so entirely to large lies as it does now.
and we infer, therefore, that it's advocates feel
that it never had so much need as at present
for all that they can do to serve it in that way.
If we were to credit its stories we must sup
pose that none of tho poetical pictures of lands
Of peace and plenty could equal the reality
that the South now presents. There is no
blockade; but the South gets all the imported
goods it wants; we have never bad any sue
cesses, and ought to admit that we cannot fight,
and so on. Even the presence on Southern
soil OF our great armies under Grant and Sber-
man is only tolerated for little. They re-
for few days longer until Hood gets ready
and Lee gets ready, and then--we shall see.
But the Baltimore correspondent Of the World
gives us the latest Richmond view of Lees
army. and caps the climax Of lies. Grant is
assumed to be Of no account. He is known to
be on the James with the two or three reg
ments that are left Of bis army; but he cannot
move, and Lee, therefore, thinks it not worth
while to keep his army there just because
Grants is. So the fact is, according to this
ohronicler, that there is now no force at all in
front of Grant, only one division on the whole
lorg line from. Petersburg to Deep Bottom.
Longssreet's corps and two divisions Of A. p.
Hills corps, $4,000 men, have gone to Atlanta;
Early has all Of Ewell's old corps, 10000
men, and two divisions Of Beauregards corps
have gone to swell the valley force to $4,000
men, Lee has thus sent away seventy thou
sand men in all, and has left about ten thou
sand at Richmond out OF politenese to Grant.
But one inference can be drawn from these
stories. The threats Of what the South is about
to do indicate the exact extent OF Southern ina
bility. As soon as the South begins to tell us how
Lee proposes to help Hood We may be very sure
that Lee has more than be can do to belp him
self; and the facts within our own knowledge
assist the inference that we draw from the
Southern utterances, and like it point to the
fact that Lees resistance is well nigh done
with. His army is fought TO pieces. 1t does
not stand for a moment where it has not every
advantage Of position in its favor Never till
now did Lee, when he had once taken the field,
remain for thirty days in the presence of an
enemy without m assumption Of the offensive.
He assaulted Grants line as soon az Grant was
over the Rapdan, and has always fought in
that way hitherto. But now he has made no at
tempt to strike since the first days of June, and
even then his blow was delivered with such
want of intention that very great blunder on
our part did not give him tangible result lie
does not strike now because he has not the
power. II is bare question with him how
long he can endure, and be husbands his re-
sources to stretch out the time
He assaulted McClellan's lines in twenty
FIVE days after he was made commander Of the
rebel army. He got rid OF Mcclellan in seven
days. He got rid Of Burnside in less time. He
Chancellorsvil!e. He got rid OF Meade, at Mine
run, in half an hour. He has not been able to
get rid Of Grant in nearly four months. Around
dozen Of battles have not enabled him to shake
away from the tenacious hold OF that hard
fighter. and he il worn out With the attempt.
lie has entirely relinquished his former tactics.
His last attem 4 was to force Grant away By
supposed danger to Grants capital. That also
has ended in failure. He risked the strength
of his lines to send Early into Maryland, and
Early has been driven up the valley. Within
a few days Lee has again had to elect whether
he would get rid Of Grant by a general battle
or whether be would continue, at even greater
risk to his lines, the strategy Of an advance
down The valley. lie has again decided in
favor OF the latter. Early has been reinforced,
and Sheridan has retired toward Winchester
We do not doubt that Grants present move
ments have reference to this decision 20 re-
Gently made by General Lee, and the country