The New York herald., 1865-02-27

sAerms.'s Advsnes-Ths Rebel Attempts
20 Arrest his Progrsss-TAe Thestre ei
war.
Twelve days ago part Of General Shsrman's
force was evidently near Charlotte, N. G., as
that town was under martial law, and was filed
with fugitives from South Carolina, driven up
by Sherman's advance through the Palmetto
State. Part Of his force was also near Cam
den. This is the most definite intelligence we
have of his whereabouts, as the rebel press has
suddenly ceased to report his movements. But
there is not the remotest probability that he has
yet encountered any obstacle to his progress.
If Beauregard could not hold. .Branchville, or try
to hold Columbia, he cannot hold the line Of the
Caawba or the Yadkin and Sherman is, doubt
less, before this east of those streams He may
now be at Fayetteville, or, better STILL be boldly
pushing on for Raleigh. It seems obvious that
he will fix upon some point near the centre OF
North Carolina from whence to open Q line to
Wilmington, and at which he may form juno
ton with Schofeld. In view of the perfect
safety with which he can do this, it b vexy
laughable to sse the seriousness with which the
rebel papers declare his position to be critical,
and announce that single blunder viii be his
ruin. It il return to the imaginings Of tho
same press as to what point he would try to
"escape" by when he was marching across
Georgia to seize Savannah.
The last heard of any attempt to oppose his
progress is the appointment of Johnston to the
command of the rebel troops in North Carolina,
although deserters state that Lee has gone
down in person to look after our army in South
Carolina. But Johnston is the only man in the
confederacy who, under any circumstances,
could make head against Sherman; and even
for him to do SO the circumstances must be Of
the most favorable nature. What could john
ston do in North Carolina with the scattered
and fragmentary forces that are there against
the magnificent column that is sweeping on
with Sherman? Nothing at all. Nor is his
appointment intended to have any effect in
effect on Lees army. II is part Of the system
Of deception that is now necessary to keep that
army together. If it were positively known in
Lees army that it alone will soon have to
fight both Grant and Sherman, that army would
go to pieces even more rapidly than it is now
going. As it has lately lost as much as a
regiment by desertion on some days, it would
then lose as much every day. But it is kept in
ignorance of the real state Of the case, and
made to believe that there is force in North
Carolina equal to battle with Sherman. The
my thicaa force under Beauregard is swelled by
~, 81 III IN ftv
thousand men; and, on the other hand, Sherman g
force, by the same Wholesale lying, is reduced to
about the same number. Now Johnston goes
to take the command, and the conviction doubt
less gains force in Richmond and in Lees army
that Sherman will soon be brought to q disas-
trous halt. When this last delusion goes, as
has already the delusion that Charleston,
Branchville and Columbia were each to be de-
Tended, the integrity of Lees army will 60
with it. The bond Of mutual support between
the Border and Gulf States ia already broken,
as the Richmond papers tell us; and the
bond Of mutual support between the rebel
leaders and the rebel soldiery will
not long survive it. Already this bond has
been put to some severe tests. The soldiers
have been deceived without measure; but they
adhere to their leaders still. So soon, how
ever, as it shall become apparent that this last
promise to stop Sherman is u cheat-and it
will become apparent very s0on--the bond
will snap, and even Lee will have no army.
The map we give to-day shows at glance
the whole theatre of active operations beLwech
the national and rebel armies This theatre is
q comparatively circumscribed one. Its whole
area is not equal to the area Of any one of the
States lately claimed by the confedcracy. The
war is now really confined to this narrow thea
tire. No one can pretend tnat any operations
likely to be carried on outside of it can have
any effect on the result of the great struggle.
When we consider how widely extensive the
theatre Of war was but o few months ago, we
may see in this one facs how vast are The strides
Carthage. Rome and tho MONROE DOc-
trine'-TheOry of the Orbits of Power.
That history is continually repeating itself is
not remarkably new observation; but it is one
the truth OF which is so continually forced upon
us that again and again II rises to our lips or
trickles from our pen as II spontaneously.
"What has been shall be, and what is has BEEN"
may be taken as a snmm miry of The entire his
tory of the earth, both in its past and in its
prophetic applications. The same causes ope-
rating upon similar nations invariably produce
like results; and If the Emperor Of the French,
in place of writing books about Julius Cesar,
would only condescend to study thc history and
results of the three Punic wars he might learn
from the fate Of Carthage in that struggle les
son of unspeakable value at the present time
to the prospects Of his dynasty.
The Roman commonwealth, like our own,
had established regular Monroe doctrine"
for all the islands and lands adjacent to 1t, and
indeed for its own or the European side Of the
Mediterranean. II had its own orbit Of power,