Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-01-05
Rebel Dependency over the
Fail Of savannah.

BALTIMORE, December %.
TERRIBLE BLOW TO THE SOUTH IN THE LOSS
OF SAVANNAH.
fit be true, that the darkest hour is Just
before the dawn, then the hour when the
confederate Independence will dawn, must
be close at hand, for the present moment is
certainly the darkest, in a military point of
view, that the South has ever experienced
| have some newsfrom the South this morn
ing which is of gloomicr nature than |
have ever received. The fall of Savannah
is really a great blow to the South, and so it
is felt at Richmond. 1t is not the loss of
the city itself that is felt. That is a mere
bagatelle. 1t is the consequences that must
result from the capture which gives the
southern leaders such great concern. In
this view, the confederate leaders are forced
to admit that General Sherman has done
well in abandoning Atlanta for Savannah,
because Savannah, to the North, is worth
dozen Atantas.
GREAT LOSS OF COTTON TO THE SOUTH.
In the first place, it gives us, if the ope-
rations to secure it are conducted with ordi-
nary prudence, about 100, 600 or $50, 900
bales of cotton, which are stored at various
points in Georgia and South Carolina. OF
these, -, 900 bales only are at Savannah,
20, 900 bales are at Augusta, $1,000 bales
are at Macon, 10000 bales are in half a
dozen towns near the coast south of Savan-
nah, and were supposed to be protected by
that city, and 25,OO0 bales are at certain
convenient points in South Carolina, near
the east bank of the Savannah river This
stock Of cotton forms part of that immense
store upon which the South has been draw
ing sparingly during the last two years, and
! lxuh hrnh hac ho.n hn,r oil -,
England and France, affording them the
means of negotiating their cotton loans, of
keeping up the confederate credit in Europe,
and ofpurchasing their muskets and cannon.
VIRTUAL CONQUEST OF THE WHOLE OF
GEORGIA.
Now that there is no use in denying it
any longer, the confederate military leaders
admit the wisdom of General Sherman S
course in not stopping on his way to lay
siege to Macon and Augusta Those places,
and all the other towns in Georgia south of
them are ours, whenever General Sherman
of "A respectable force The railroads, also,
from Augusta nearly to Atlanta, from Sa-
yannah to Macon and from Macon to Ope-
| lika, from Macon to Amcricus, and from
Savannah to Thomasvillc, are at our abso-
lutte disposal, either to run them or destroy
them. In word, two-thirds of the State
of Georgia is as absolutely conquered as
Louisiana. The whole of the state, except
that part north of Atlanta, is entirely at
General Sherman disposal The troops at
Macon or Augusta either have been, or will
be, withdrawn, and will join General Hardee
at Charleston.
DANGER OF THE FALL OF CHARLESTON.
The confederate leaders, therefore, in
view of these facts, look uron Georgia as
lost to them for the present. Nor is that
all. They arc well aware that, either from
| Savannah or Augusta, General Sherman
can transport his whole army by railroad to
j Charleston; and what they dread now,
above all things, is that he will do so, and
that that city will now be attacked from the
land side by Sherman's victorious and in
vincible army. This is the danger which
they are now employing themselves in guard
ing against with all their might. For the
reasons mentioned in my last letter; they
cannot afford to lose either Wilmington or
Charleston, nor do they intend or expect to
lose either one Still, if General Sherman
should lead his army to Charleston, and sit
down in earnest before that place, strongly
fortified as it is, the chances are that il
|, would fall. This is the conviction that now
minds of the rebel leaders also, and tha,
makes the present hour, as said above, the
darkest in their history.
EFFECTIVE CONDITION OF THE SOUTHERN n
ARMIES.
DO not infer from what have said that
there is anything like despondency in the
minds of the people Of the South. Adver-
slty, defeats, and losses only serve to inspire
them with renewed determination to fight
on till their independence is secured. In
spite Of the loss ofSavannah, the confederate
armies were never more effective than at
present. Your readers will have observed
that, although Savannah was lost, the army
that defended Savannah, twenty thousand
strong, was saved. They are now at Charles
ton, and will probably remain there until
General Sherman's intentions are develop
ed. The contcderatcs will derive great COM
fort, too from the failure of the great expe-
dition against Wilmington.
CAUSES or THE FAILURE OF THE EXpEDI-
! TION AGAINST WILMINGTON.
From all that | have been able to learn
up to this time, that failure seems to have
been due to the following causes First, to
that popularity in the construction of iron
clad vessels which renders them unseaworthy
and unmanagoabe in n storm. The iron
clad vessels, it is reported, were rendered
nearly useless in action by the severe gale
I alluded to in my last letter. Second to
: certain recent changes in the channels OF
; the river, and in the cannels of the two in
; let's, which would have rendered it unsafe
TO have prosecuted the enterprise further
Third, to the presence of the Instructions
in the river, covered, as they were, by the
guns of the forts and batteries. And fourth
to the bungling manner in which the mill
! tary part of the expedition was managed by
! General Butler. TO place him in command
IN any event, was to insure failure and de
/ feat.
!; The result of the expedition against Viii
mngton will greatly encourage the confeder
q ates in their attempt to defend Charleston.
! There is a good deal of similarity between
the defenses of the two places, except tha,
the dcienses of Charleston, on the land side
are a great deal stronger and more extensive
: than those of Wilmington.
TIE GREAT ARMADA CAN NOW SAIL UP TC
RICHMOND.
Now that the immense armada, destined
| for the capture of Wilmington is back
again to the James river, there is no excuse
whatever for not sending the fleet up tc
Richmond at once. The country was in
formed that the Dutch Gap canal was fin
: ishcd some weeks ago. fthis great armada
does not sail up to Richmond at once, LET
us hear no more about the Dutch Gar
canal ar nInnt n,r ohlity 10 rno,h R;,b