The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-04-06
Sherman's Expedition.
KILpATRICK'S ON TO RICHMOND.
ADMIRAL FARRAaUT AND MOBILE.
Gen. ThOmas's Retreat...TOr.
pidity..- DOrmancy.-.Paraly.
Sys on the Potomac.
From tho London Post, March 1871

From tho London Post, March l5.
By the last intelligence from America it
appears that at the beginning of the present
month an opinion was in process OF rapid
formation among the Federals that disas.
trous failure, equally speedy and complete,
had overtaken the spring campaign both in
Virginia and the West. The plan of these
i'll starred enterprises seem to have been in
substance as follows:-The Federal General
Sherman, and others holding commands in
the army of the West, of which General
Grant is the Commander Chief, wele to
manauvre in such a way as to induce Con-
federate General johnson to divide his
forces. by the necessity of covering the
points threatened by the Northern troops.
Admiral Farragut was to CO operate with
lis feet, and make demonstration at Mo-
bile to further distract the attention of the
Confederates on the side of the coast
In concert with these movements, Fed
eral General Thomas was to move upon
Dalton and Atlanta with body Of thirty
five thousand men. It was anticipated that
General johnson would divide his army to
meet these movements and that the re
serves of the Federal forces would attack
his dispersed army, and, in corporation
with the troops previously thrown forward
capture or destroy it. Such is an outline
of the projected campaign 10 the southwest,
so far as it can be gathered from the mea-
gre details before us as we write. This plan
General Johnston, as it appears, has been
able entirely 10 Illustrate and defeat. The
movements of Sherman and Grierson, as
we'll as Farragul's demonstration, are stated
20 have been little else than feints, and the
land lorces employed do not seem to have
been in much more danger than the fleet.
The first mentioned (Sherman) is report
ed to have marched back as fast as he could
10 Nicksburg, whence he came. Federal
General Thomas, however, was not SO for
tunate. He seems to have come into sharp
collision with Johnson's army on the 23d,
the 24th and 25th of last month, the i'm
mediate result being the loss OF thousand
men in killed and wounded, and the ulti-
mate consequence somewhat hasty STRAIT
egic movement To tue rear. 1t was not to
he reasonably expected that so wary, ex.
perenced and wig liant commander as
General Joseph Johnston was likely to be
caught in sucu clumsy trap. No sooner
vas it set for him and brought within
reach than he recognized it at once, and
broke it to pieces with the greatest facility
and diSl atch,
Admiral Farragut's demonstration at
Mobile has therefore demonstrated thing
but the complete inutlity of the enterprise.
If this is a foretaste of General Grants
quality as a strategist and Commander-in
Chief of the armies of the West, it tends to
confirm the theory that his former victories
were due to geographical circumstances; and
that when he is no longer close to a river
with fleet of gunboats at his back the
spell of his success is broken. The South
ern Generals probably understood what
they were about, and saw that it would he
better to wait for him in their present po
sitinn than waste their strength i'll contest
ing the possession of Vicksburg, where the
ilotillas of the Mississippi would place them
at so great disadvantage.
Anteus derived his strength from the
earth, but the Northern giant, in his strug-
Gle with the comparatively diminutlve
South, derives all his strength from the
water Once at distance from the rivers
and the sea, be fluids that his little foe is
more than match for him. The Confed
erscy, it must be confessed, appears more
Vulnerable in the west than In the north,
where Richmond seems in as little danger
from capture by Gen. Meade as if it were
town in France or Germany, instead of be
ing the capital of the Confederate States OF
North America but still it is not improb-
able that the superior generalship of the
Southern leaders may hold the Federal ar
mics IN that quarter as effectually In check
as the grand army OF the Potomac has
been held by Lee.
The campaign in Virginia has ended, al
most as soon as begun, III signal and igno,
mini"uS failure. lt seems that Gen. Xii
patrick bad been despatched with large
body Of troops on an extraordinary errand
to Richmond. going through by ways In
order TO get behind it unawares. This
must have been promising enterprise
We are told he ''found it impossible to
reach Richmond so he wended his way
back as fast as he could, and sought shelter
and repose within Gen. Buffers lines. As
for "the army of the Potomac" that is
described as being "at its old position at
Brandy Station" where it is likely to re
main, safely and quietly, if somewhat in
gloriously, until Gen. Lee shall find it con-
venient to beat up the quarters of General
Meade, or whatever other general may
happen to command it month or two
hence.
Gen. Meade himself was not with his ar
nv when the last advices left, having been
summoned to Washington to hold consul
tation with the chief of the War Depart
ment So stood matters at the despatch OF
the kilograms from New York on the 5th Of
this month. The Ides of March do not ap-