Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-02-16
PLANS OF THE CONFEDERATE

North Recommended and probably Decided
On StrsngM Of their drh,ies.
4 lotter from Washington to tic St Louis
"R"publican" has information from the South,
which says tho new conssrip psIoa has been
sweeping and complete. The writer adds:
| In re1eut letter, stated i. was expected
/; this e2nscrption will raise one hundred
| thousand new recruits. My informant states
! the increase ui the Rebel armies there-
, hy will be much greater-at least one hun
dred and twenty-five thousand, perhaps one
hundred and fifty thousand. One hundred
| anl Twenty-Five thousand will make the total
forces Ct the rebellion on This side of the Nlis-
sissirpi' :tn aggregate OF two hundred and
scventg-iive thousand troops-an cxtraurdina-
| ry number under the circumstances; but the
following estimate Of troops in the field ut this
time will show it is no exaggoration. provided
tho ultimate results Of the consCription arc
correct. General Lee has forty>tive thousand
troops in the Army 81 Northern Virginia, to
which must be added ton thousand scattered
throughout the State In North Carolina,
there are five thousHna State troops, and few
thousand Confederate. Beauregard has fur
teen thousand as Charleston and Savanuah.-
| At Mobile, there is force Of three thousand.
! An the commands in Mississippi and Alabama
amount To fifteen thousand. Johnston has
thirty thousand in Northorn Georgia, and
L5nss;rcct twenty-eight Thousand in East
Tennessee, the whole amounting to about one
hundred and fifty thousand veteran troops.
This force Of one hundred and fifty thou-
sand veterans are relied upon as tho last re-
source Of the rebels in their desperate ex-
tremity, and it alone will be employed in
lighting the spring campaign. AL detached
commands Of veterans will be sont to the main
armies, and the weakest regiments alone will
be held back and filled up with conscripts to
guard tho forts, railroads, &o., and to occupy
positions in the rear Of the troops engaged in
active warfare.
Gen. Lee arrived in Richmond on the ID
day of this month, and remained there nine
days during which time hc was in constant
consul tation with jeff. Davis ard the rebel
War Department in regard to the military
condition and prospects Of the Cnnlederacy,
and to the plans for future oporations--i. C.,
the Spring campaigns.
Ii .vas admitted by all the parties to these
consultations that the prospect Of success was
gloomy in the extreme: that the affairs Of the
! Contederacy had reached q desperate crisis,
which could only be passed in safety by the
! Successful adoption OF the most desperate
measures: that another year Of SUCH war as
had been waSed against them would end in
their complete defeat; and that the question
Of the hour was. whether they should sur
render now, or, gathering up all their re.
sources and concentrating them in q last and
| final effort, continue the war and trust to fJr
| tune and their own desperation for success
| They choose the latter course.
In the course Of their interviews the follow>
ing plans were developed. JEFF. Davis was in
| favor of employing two hundred thousand
troops, rs follows:
An army of screnty-fYe thousand under
Johnston to hcld Grant in check: another
column Of fifty thousand to oppose the army
of the Potomac, protect Richmond, hold Vir-
giuia; while grand army OF one hundred
thousand veterans should be concentrated i'll
Southwestern Virginia, Of which Longstreet's
present force should he the nucleus, and the
whole. under Lee, to march To the Ohio, To
ascend the right bank Of the river, and cross
ing above Wheeling to occupy line stretch
ing from the "pan Handle" to Lake Erie,
thus biscasing The .a-rtory of the loyal States,
! and, by holding or destroying all the rail-
roads, 70 separate the Fast from the West
IL admitted this could not DO done without
encountering great difficulties, and perhaps
fighting great battle at the start somewhere
| on the Ohio river. But" said he to General
Lee, sail ordinary difficulties know you can
, urnount: the encrly cannot concentrate an
army to oppose your one hundred thousand
veterans before you fly our flag in the sight of
British sui. .jects on lle hitherto shore OF Lake
Eric, and believe the circumstance will it,
sure our immediate recognition by the Powers
of Europe | am not fearful Of the result Of
battles, which know must be fought to ac-
comrlish this. for .omething tells me that be-
fore I die shall cxult in the glad tidings CT
Il great and overwhelming victory by you over
our opprcssors upon their own soil, and
firmly believe tho next time you meet the On.
envy Oh FREQ soil, my hopes will be realized"
General Lee had many objections to the
rebel Presidents plan. He admitted the ar
cument about recognition, but insisted there
were difficulties in tho way Of success which
could not be suImountcd In the first place
he presented tho fact that rebel army Oh ono
hundred thousand men would have to carry
its supplies some two hundred miles over the
worst roads in the country, and the transpor-
ta.ion necessary was not to be had; besides,
had they the means at command The progress
CT the army would be 60 delayed by the inn
mcnse trains it would be impossible TO suc-
cecd. Secondly, it would take twenty days,
under any circumstances, to advance TO
Wheeling. and in that time the Fedcrals could
confront him with al equal number Of troops;
and thirdly, ho might succeed in penetrating
north Of the Ohio, and establishing his line rs
far rs Lake Erie, but be could be menaced on
both fianks at the same time, while his rear
and lines of communication would BIO most
inTitingly exposed TO attack and occupation
by the enomy. =,
In conclusion, the rebel general presented
hi, own plan, which was as follows: To give
Johnston seventy-iyo thousand troops, and
Longstrcct the sane number; the former to
keep Grant employed in front, while the latter
would retake kuoxvilie and East Tennessee.
Longstrect's success would turn Grants lett
flank. and, if the latter did not then fall back
from Chattanooga to Nashville, he could ad-
vance toward Middle Tennessee, and, menac-
ing dis rear and line Of supply and comrnunl.
cation, force him to retreat under tho most
| un'avorablc circumstances.
Grant once Oh the move. Johnston would
| follow him closely, and, uniting with Long
street, the two could drive him to the OHIO
| river. Then Kentucky is oars said Gen.
Ice: "givc Johnston ard Lnngstrect this
many troops; let them start Grant OUT ol
Chattanooga, and then unite their forces be
fore he could fall on cithar separately y, ard l
| am certain We will regain Tennessee forever.
| and carry the war into Kentucky, whcre' l
| believe, it will end"
Which of these plans were finally adopted,
nv informant cannot certainly tell; but nc
believes that the execution of oae OF the two
is nos being arranged, and it Is very likely
Gen. Lees programme
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