The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-13
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER i8, 1854.
THE WAR NEWS.
A DAILY AFTERNOON NEWSPAPER.

General SHERMAN has finished the work |
a., assigned to him by Lieutenant-G General GRANT |
before that inveterate and hard-working chief |
tain had cause to use it in his general plan Of
campaign. The possession of Atlanta ends the
war in the Southwest until a grand trial Of
strength is had at Richmond or in its vicinity.
The war is efiectually transferred from Central
Georgia to Eastern Virginia. General SHER-
MAN is thoroughly fortifying Atlanta, and
resting and reorganizing his army, which he
viii soon lead in a new field of operations.
We have already said that General GRANT
was preparing for another great movement.
It may not result Immediately in the crush
irg Of LEES army and the occupation of
Richmond, but we believe it will. At any
rate, some desperate fighting will be done.
The Army of the Potomac has been very
heavily reinforced, and under its present prin-
opal director can hardly fail in the great
undertaking before it. As soon as GRANT
strikes hard LEE will order EARLY to move
to his support as reserve.
By such movement he hopes to prolong
the contest, and weaken General GRANT
90 much as TO force him to suspend the
offensive, and thus prolong the war. Gene
ral LEE is very well aware that General
EARLY keeps large force of Federal troops
busy about HArper's Ferry, and he thinks he
thus weakens GRANT to the extent of al least
forty thousand veteran troops. This would be
true, If General GRANT had not been re-
- lniorced. But the latter being true, LEES
strategy may operate TO a disadvantage in the
event of great battle, and when EARLY
reaches Richmond SHERIDAN will be at City
Point.
This prolonging of the agony Of the wal
must soon cease, however, and we shall moi
be sorry when 1t ends. There is crisi:
rapidly approaching which must lay the Re-
bellion at our feet This every man feels as
he does halEfulAlled prophecy, and while
this feeling of confidence of final success has
caused gold to fall in price, or rather Govern
ment funds to rise in value, it has also re-
invigorated and greatly increased recruiting,
and has indirectly caused the racking of the
Democratic party as represented in the Chi
cago Convention.
1t is this confidence of the people which
viii give GRANT victory. 1t will give victory
to LINCOLN and JOHNSON in November as
well. The soldiers in the Army of the Po-
tomac do not hurrah either for LINCOLN OF
MCCLELLAN. They only speak Of GRANT
the end of the war, and the peace Of con
quest. They ask very concernedly, however
''what the people think up North% Every
desert LINCOLN, they desert the Union tn
army, the cause, the peace; but If they sus
tain him, they strengthen the hands Of oui
brave leader, GRANT, and his men, and secur
with final triumph an honorable and lastn
peace.
1t is doubtful if anything will be done nov
by the armies that does not look to the over
throw of LEES forces and the capture G
Richmond as an ultimatum. We can see n
use of operating in any other region tina
Eastern Virginia for the next two month";
General SHERMAN is now secure at Atlanta
WHEELER has been driven from his line {
communications between Nashville and Al
1anta, and has been roughly handled at a
points; FoRREsT and RoDDY have shared
similar fate, and JOHN MORGAN has bee
sent out of the world to give an account (
his Outlawries to higher than human tr
bunaL Under the circumstances, there is n
xcason why GRANT should not have an arm
OF over two hundred thousand men abOu
Petersburg before the end of the preseu
week, and such an army we believe he wi
launch against LEE in very few days, an
h. will fight IL out on that line If IL takes a
inter-.