Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-12-29
rHB sITUATIoN-PAs4 AsD PRESENT.
From the Richmond WhIE.


From the Richmond Wing.
Why should our people be discouraged
by the present aspect of affaiIs2 That is
very important question; but it Il a ques~
tion which people who are really discour-
aged, or who want to bejdiscouraged,
are in the habit neither OF asking nor of
answering. We took OCCASION yesterday
to show that the actual physical resources
of the Oonfederacy are fully adequate to a.
prosecution of the war, even should the
enemy continue TO wage 1t on that gigantic
scale which has hitherto characterized
their efforts tor our subjugatiOn. we
showed in effect, that, SO tar from being
exhausted in this respect, the Oonfederacy,
If not relatively stronger now than at any
previous period of the war, can make her.
self relatively stronger in the field than
she has ever yet been. Or, to express the
fact with more precision; while We have
the power, as demonstrated by our calcu-
lstious, to put into the ield an army of at
least 100000 men; which would be a far
larger number than we have yet had un-
der arms at one time, there is nc, reason to
believe that the utmost efforts OF the enemy
will enable him to assemble, for the COM.
ing year, an array as great as, or even Rp-
proaching in magnitude, those enormous
hosts which he launched against US in each
of the last three years. There was time
Iin the history of this war when he claimed
to have actually under arms 900. 600 men;.
and it would be liberal estimate to sup
pose that, at the same time we had SOC, 900
men in the field.
From these premises it follows that if
we raise our army to the potential stand
ard of 46o, ,O0O men, the enemy, all other
circumstances being eqaHt, must raise his
IN 0nn
men in the fled, to maintain even his past
ratio of success. II he cannot do this.
and we believe that no neiimagines that
he can de it, for no one believes that
million or even half q million of armed
Yankees will ever again stand on Southern
soil, hecannot maintain his relative mil
itary power, much less advance toward the
subjugaIion of the county; that is to say,
looking at the question from a purely
physical point of view, and considering
the other elements of the problem to be
constant quantities.
j, We are conscious that other cousidera-
tiops enter into this question, and have q
very important bearing on its solution.
These considerations are partly OF moral
and partly of q material nature. In so
far as they are material, they are suscep-
| Nble OF, An approximately accurate analy-
article, to show that, in this respect, We
are positively. as well ssrelatively stronger
now than st any former period OF the war.
This branch OF the question involves the
capacity to feed, to olOthe, aud TO arm our
military forces and we believe it to be
demonstrsble that our ability to accom-
pnsh these objects Is greater now than at
any previous period. If, then, these two
important elements OF the question-tha'
is to say. the capacity to raise an adequate
force. and the ability to support that force
in the field be satisfactorily settled-the
whole statistical branch OF the problem
will have been exhausted, and there will
remain to be taken into the account only
the moral element,
The moral element we define to be sim.
ply the will to continue the contest; and
the actual streugthyot the opposition We
offer to the enemy will be in direct ratio
70 the intensity Of purpose which We bring
4 70 bear on our physical and material re.
sources, combined with the degree OF skill
with which these resources are combineC
and directed, But as forces of this kinC
"a n bA AsfiTin atA6 oniV- bY their effect, vi