Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-11-18
DAILY LEADER.
The Determination OI Lne NOrt-A a.
Continue the War.
[From the Richmond whlg Nov 12.l

Continue the War.
[From the Richmond Whlg Nov 12l
Lincoln is elected. The great Yankee
nation numbering twenty millions ofsouls,
or of creatures who are supposed to have
souls, have decreed by immense msJorlues
that this war, internal in its conception, IN
fernal in its commencement, Internal IN its
progress, Internal in Its execution andin all
It's aspects and details, is to be prosecuted
on the same bloody ard barbsrous plan for
four years longer. The whole people have
voted themselves our remorseless and de-
termined enemies-have put upon record
their determination to reduce US to the
condition of serfs, or to extirpste US entire
| ly. There is no middle ground for us to
occupy, even if we were so disposed. Ii is
fight, be enslaved or to die; and we feel
DO hesitation in deciding what to do.
| The first question which now occurs is
| when will the attack upon our lines be
renewed ? We have no hesitation in ex-
pressing the belief that it will be done be-
fore this month shall have passed away.
| As for supposing Grant will throw away
all the fine weather that will present itself
this autumn is folly. He will fight again
as soon as he shall have received reinforce
ments sufficiently numerous, as he conceives
to accomplish his purpose. With his pre-
sent force he is well aware he can accom-
| plish nothing. He has never yet accom-
plished anything without the Of over
whelming numerical superiority, and he
viii not attempt anything now. But when
he shall have received all the men he ex-
poets, when his canal shall have been
completed and his feet all assembed-we
may then expect grand assault military
and marine. For the army we fesr moth
ing. We are disposed to think, in Its pre-
sent position, unless its character has un-
dergone most unaccountable change, it
would be able to repel the attack of a force
doubly or trebly as large as any that Grant
can possibly bring against it. Our only
apprehension is from the water, and that
arises, probably, from our total ignorance
Of the character and ability or OF obstruc-
tions in the river. We learn that they are
too formidable to be overcome by the Yam
kee feet, and we hope it isso; for we are as
confident that an attack will be made be-
fore Grant goes into winter quarters as we
are that the sun will set to-day and rise
again tomorrow.
We have often heard the Ycnkee perse-
verance in keeping up this war spoken of
in a tone of admiration. They persevere
because they have never been decisively
beaten, except on one occasion, and then we
lost all the fruits Of victory by our own de-
cision. A single Waterloo route of either
Of their grand armies-GrsEt's or Sher-
man's-follOwed up so closely that it could
never rally again, would settle the question
deffnitely and forever in our favor. The
aArmy of the Potomac" has been beaten
oftener then any army of which history
makes mention. 1t has never met our
army but to be hogged. 1t has been beat
en- SO often, and its losses 80 often supplied,
that scarcely particle of the original mat
erial is left. But we never have had the
means of pursuing its routed columns and
annibilating them as we could have done a |
dozen times, had we been in possession |
of such means They hade always been |
allowed time to rally and recruit. But,
beat them at once and pursue them into |
the point of utter destruction or dispersion, !
and, Uur word for it peace would follow in |
a month. A total defeat and dispersion of |
either army Grants or Sherman's) will |
bring peace and nothing else will at pre- |
sent. Yankee perseverance, is greatly |
overratcd. 1t is the Confederates who |
bear off the palm in this particular. The |
Yankees. would never have stood the loss
of such an army as we threw away at
Vicksburg and Port Hudson. Capture |
such an army as that and they will seek
peace instanter Neither they nor any |
other people existing, except the Confed-
crate people, could have stood the ravage |
of their country to the extent we have
done.
So far as the end of thewor is concerned,
we do not conceive that the reelection of
Lincoln makes the slightest difference. No
matter who is President the Yankee ma
ton will insist upon war so long as they
can be persuaded that they are constantly
gaining great victories inthe field. Moth
ing but reverses, and reverses of the most
serious character, can ever persuade them
to turn their eyes towards peace. Let US,
then, if we wish to secure it at the earliest
possible mome@t, turn all our attention to
the war sensible that through it lies the
only road to peace.