The New York herald., 1865-03-03
The Rebel Fear OF Sherman.

It appears, according to the Richmond Wnig
that General Sherman is "very generally sup
posed" by the Southern people to be "a great
military genius" Doubtless the Southern peo-
pie came by this idea quite naturally. They
were presented every day last fall with glowing
pictures in the Richmond papers, showing Sher-
mans danger from the magnificent army" then
under Johnston. They saw similar pictures in
the London papers. Both London and Richmond
reach Atlanta; that his numbers were growing
less every day and Johnston's greater; that he
was "just where Johnston wanted him." and
that he could be annihilated at moments
notice any time. Now, when the Southern peo-
ple implicitly believing ell this, saw Sherman
with his "demoralized and cowardly Yankees"
steadily advance in spite Of yohnston's "mag-
nifcent host;;" and though always just where
Johnston wanted him, always driving Johnston;
though always on the point Of being beaten,
never beaten; though always in the direst dam
ger, always advancing; and when, moreover,
they saw him take with ease that very Atlanta
that London, Richmond, Charleston and Savan-
nah had all declared he could never take, then
they naturally concluded he was at least very
able soldier. Then they were told, even by the
great JeG Davis, that Sherman was to be forced
from Atlanta as Napoleon was from Moscow, and
instead Of that they saw him move at his ease
across Georgia and seize Savannah. Next they
liant host under Beauregard, and could not
march Q mile through South Carolina; and pre-
sently they heard ofhim at Branchville and Co
lumbia, compelling the evacuation Of Charles
ton and driving up the rebel soldiers like
. swarm Of gnata; and after all these circum-
stances 1t is not strange If the Southern people
suppose him to be, a. the Wing says they do,
as great military genius"
But 1t matters not how they came TO have
this idea; 1t is fact that they have It The
Whg recognizes and acknowledges that the
Southern people have this idea by endeavoring
to correct 1t and to show the Southern people
how ridiculous II is. For this purpose IL runs
into parallel 0between Grant and Sherman.
II shows that Grant was the great Northern
hero until last year, when, In 66hseqnsnce Of
Lees great "victories" at the Wilderness and
Spottsylvania, Grant lost favor at the North and
Sherman became the great popular hero. Then
IL calls attention to the fact that Sherman's
campaign against Johnston was Of exactly the
same nature as Grant's against Lee,
and that, a. that is what Sherman's
reputation depends upon, he d as much
Of o failure a. Grant We would refer
the Wing to General Johnston's report Of his
part Of the Atlanta campaign for somewhat
similar parallel between the two campaigns
only Johnston speaks Of Lees movements in
plain terms as "retreats.n Yes; this soldier, who
IL considered as only the second soldier Of the
South, is 20 poor Southerner a. 10 consider
that Lee was beaten at the Wilderness and Spott-
sylvanis. But Johnston sull thought that the
campaigns were alike, - the Wig does, and
thought that he ought not 70 be disgraced for
what Lee was praised for. New II Sherman was
% badly beaten in that campaign, why was
Johnston removed
His certainly funny spectacle 10 sec this
Richmond paper ssriously arguing that Grant
and Sherman are two failures at tho very time
that those two men hold the Southern confsd-
eracy on the verge Of ruin They are the men
whose great successes have brought the re-
bellion to its present hopeless condition, and
yet this paper seriously argues that they have
never had any successes. Their victories have
taken from the rebellion the power and vitality
Of nation, thousands a cannon and hundreds
Of thousands Of men, and we are told that they
have never had anything but defeats. In
the name Of common sense what do
the words victory and defeat mean on the
other side Of the linest But tho Wing might