The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-11-23

strength in the capture Of Port Royal. But
why was it that Norfolk and Richmond were
not made the work Of that expedition The
rebel army of Virginia was then a hundred
miles off at Manassas, with General Mcclellan
and his grand army watching it. Richmond
then had neither garrison nor . de-
fensve earthwork, the river was open
and Norfolk could have been az easily taken
as Port Royal. AT that time. too, the capture
OF Norfolk would have given us two thousand
pieces of heavy artillery. subsequently shipped
off by the rebels to fortify the Mississippi river
while the seizure of Richmond would in reality
have broken "the backbone of the rebellion"
Why this inviting departure. for the stupid
anaconda system was not adopted, we have
never been able to comprehend
But az ain, we bave never been able to un-
derstand why the Port Royal expedition was
not employed in force to cut and destroy the
railways between Savannah and Charleston;
nor why the Burnside North Carolina expedi-
ton, after the capture Of Newbern, was not
pushed forward to destroy that main Southern
railway artery. the Weldon and Wilmington
road Why was il not pushed forward to Viii
mngton itself7 The only reason we can give
is that these movements were not in accordance
with the anaconda system. which was governed
by tue idea that il was necessary to begin al
the outside and clean up the rebel country and
occupy it all round, az we gradually contracted
the circle. AT this rate the rebels could have
fought us for hundred years.
And yet the anaconda Hourished, and was
only knocked In the bead with the call of
General Grant to Washington as the director
OF all the armies Of the Union. So tar as
General Grants previous operations were con-
cerned the circular system had been disre-
garded, by the system Of cutting IN and cutting
through the 0itals Of the enemy's country.
Thus in cutting his way through down the
Mississippi. he had practically cut off the States
on the western side, with their forces and
the ''contederacy." Then, again. in routing
Bragg from Chattanooga, he had cut of Rich
mond from its great railroad line through Ten-
nessee to all the cotton States. This plan Of
operations was brought to Washington by
General Grant Sherman, in pursuing it. has
since destroyed that important system Of rebel
railroads which centred at Atlanta; and, hav-
ing made q clean job of this branch of his
duties, he is now moving forward to the sea-
coast, In order to cut off from Richmond the
States below South Carolina a. completely.
for military purposes as il separated by the
Mississippi river.
With the arrival OF General Sherman on the
seaboard the power and resources Of JEFF.
Davis. In military view, viii be contracted
into the corner embracing those inland por-
tions OF South and North Carolina aud Virginia
still held by hia armies. In this extremity, The
result will be the same to General Lee, whether
he shall determine to fight it out at Rich
mond or to evacuate that place to reopen his
communications with the corn cribs Of Georgia.
In the one case be will be enveloped and
starved out and in the other he will be pur-
sued and destroyed. This grand result, which
now may be considered inevitable, will be the
GROWING illustration Of the difference between
the abandoned anaconda system OF the old
Warrington Directory and the cutting in, cut
ting through and cutting out system Of Grant,
Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan, Farragut. Porter
and their heroic associates and followers Of
the army aud navy.
Let the country rejoice that under General
Grant tho old circular system OF warfare has
been superseded by the common sense pol icy
of striking for the vtals Of the rebellion.
IT,. nh