The New York herald., 1865-02-21

increase Of on the number for the preceding week
The stock market was heavy yesterday. Goverpments
were quiet. Gold active and excited, and closed at
20ON At the evening board IL closed at 1854.
The fall Of gold unsettled the markets for everything
yesterday and after the official announcement Of the
evacuation Of Charleston, prices entirely nominal
Foreign merchandise quiet and very little business
was done Domestic produce duh aud lower in the
forenoon but duer and lower still in the afternoon Cot
ton irregular Petroleum was dull and lower On
Change market quiet and prices declined
l5c q Csc Wheat was without decided change, but
quiet Corn duh and dropping. Oats were firm and
active The pork market was quiet and irregular
Beef steady, while lard was nrmer Freighs were
very quiet Whskey was steady.
Tho Rebel Evaeuatfon OF Charleston-
Only Richmond Left.
Charleston was evacuated on Tuesday last.
This brief announcement from the Richmond
Examiner covers one of the most remarkable
and important of all the great events of the
war. After all the mighty ornaments which
have failed before her formidable defences-
after all the gallant armies that have been
beaten off from her difficult land approaches,
during the four years Of this tremendous war,
it ia indeed remarkable that this apparently i'm
pregnable stronghold Of Charleston should be
found utterly untenable against flank move
ment from General Sherman, over one hundred
miles away in the interior. But, with our navy
on guard in front, with Savannah in our posses
sion below, and with all the lines Of communl-
cation with the interior cut OF by Shermans
advancing army, excepting the Wilmington
Railroad above, an immediate retreat from
Charleston became the only alternative to Har-
dee TO secure that last remaining line Of escape
for his army. Pemberton, according to our last
accounts of him, was at Charleston, and thus
the fate of Pemberton was dsably impressed
upon Hardee as warning to be of in time.
The evacuation of the city and It's costly,
elaborate and powerful defeuces, on all Its
approaches by land and water, is another event
establishing the correctness Of certain opinion
OF that able rebel general, slain at Shiloh,
Albert Sydney Johnston. With the capture of
Fort Donelson, Tennessee, on the Cumberland
river, some seventy five miles or more from Me
s.upendous rebel works at Columbus, on the
Mississippi, on the one side, and something fur
ther from the extensive rebel works at Bowling
Green, Kentucky, on the other side, Columbus
and Bowling Green were both precipltaicly
abandoned. Sydney Johnston, in command OF
the rebel army at Bowling Green, was required
to explain his hasty evacuation Of that place.
His explanation was that with General Grants
capture of Fort Donclson, Bowling Green. rs
well as Columbus, or Manassas, five hundred
niles off, was turned, and was therefore no
longer tepable He then advanced his famous
opinion that there was no position in "the
confederacy," however strongly fortified by
nature and art, which could not be turned,
unless such position were supported by large
movable armies to maintain its lines of COM
muncation.
Charleston affords q beautiful illustration Of
this infallible opinion. So long MS the lines Of
communication between the city and It's rein
forcements' and supplies were held intact, so
long all our movements against it were baifed
and defeated; but the moment those lines of
supply are touched by sherman the city be-
comes only trap to its defenders, and, with
Gilmore laundering at their front, they hasten
to make their escape while yet one Of their
hack doors remains open. IL will be remern-
bered, too, that after the lesson Of Fort Donel-
son the whole rebel system Of warfare was
u
system Of important fortified positions sup
ported by movable armies operating on inte-
rior lines between them. The reopening Of the
Mississippi river was the first effective work
towards the destruction Of these interior rebel
military lines; but the retention Of Chattanooga
as the result of the otherwise disastrous battle
Of Chickamauga, gave us the substantial ad-
Of vic NJ tor
ance than the capture Of vicksburg. Chatta-
nooga was the entering wedge which opened
the way for Sherman 10 Atlanta, Savannah,
Columbia and Charleston, and to all the lines
OF communication between the country below
and Richmond on both sides of the Allegha-
niea
Now, what will be the consequences to JEFF.
Davis from me fall Of CharlestonY The moral
effect throughout the South will be great; the
loss OF the ordnance, ammunition, military
workshops and materials Of war involved will
be great; but the advantages secured to Gene
raj Grant, in the concentration Of his armies
against Richmond, and the disadvantages to the
rebels, crowded into q corner, from The con-
traction of their area OF supplies, are positively
overwhelming. Wilmington, in anticipation OF
the approach of Sherman, will be abandoned,
a. Charleston has been. Mobile and all the
confsderacy South may be considered as the
wing Of an army, cut of from It's main body,
and prepared on demand TO surrender. Rich
mond, In fact is oil that Is left Of the Davis con-
federacy. Beauregard, Hardee and Bragg win,
doubtless, now attempt to form junction with
Lee, or he with them; bus in either event the
combinations against them ell will be irresisti-
BILE. We may safely say now that there will be
no general draft II the present active and success
full volunteering business in this city shall be fol-