, 1865-03-17
SOUTHERN NEWE.


The tlcsn, q bore, IN impeachment to business,
cheap Communication lor active patriotism.
i is well that Congress adjonrns on satur-
day, and that the Virginia Legislators ore al
20 going TO their homes. Let none Of them
stop by the way to harangue the army. The
army Is more up to the marx than they and
we have received many letters from private
eoldiers, protesting against the practice Of
calling them together to listen to set speech
ee, whether from officers who have q finer
politicians who, with q Tiew to future cleo
tions, think it prudent to stump the army.
Soldiers in camp nrp already In the way Of
their duty. To stimulate them to cxestfan,
g little payment Of their arrears would hGrc
finer effect than the most eloquent orntions,
Of their resions and clothing, to whtsh
the law entities them. would be worth
mere than the noblcst defamation that ever
came ftom human lips. The day Of talking
ia oyer for a time, and the order Of the dag is
battle. The whole country now looks to
under his control lies al. our hope, all our
future If he falls us all is lost indeed. Tho
amy needs two thfng$-ngld discipline vita
the enforcement Of stiict accountability in
segimental and company officers, and the pay
nent Of arrcars, due 10 men, at whatever sac-
rstice this may be done. Our soldiers arc not
pfcnc, God knows, to complain yet now and
the FreEs, which, SO fur us this journal Is con-
cerned, ere mostly suppressed, representing
the Injustice done 10 them In several depart
ments Of tie military administration. It is
surely competent to the General in chief 10
insist upon Justice being done to his soldiers,
desertion from the ranks. For the loss Of one
ofhis veterans ten negroes will be no equlya-
lent. !.
Doubtless the organization Of negro troops
will be Immediately proceeded VIII, and We
must all hope they Will answer the Generals
b. left to depend upon them. It woul6 be
serrowlul result Of calling negroes into the
service, ii our white citizens should begin to
imagine there IS no longer any need Of them.
In fact, more diligence than ever ought now
to lc use 4 to put into the ranks every man
who ought to be there, and, above ali things,
the people ought to refuse to elect auy one
for civil office who is ab1e to shoulder mus
ket. It is astonishing to read in the newspa-
pers the announcements of so many candi-
dates for nnY and every position except the
army, and how earnestly and UNFORTUNATELY
able.bodled patriots are implored BY their
friends to spare themselves tor .t the peaceful
the State Governments can be carried On By
old men and disabled soldiers, and none
Others ought to be elected for that purpose,
no matter how urgently their "teicnds" press
lAEd1 ~ Ut CAl4l0h&F5s 4uG kGuClH1H QI 9L6lE
reserves, whon have the whole business
Of conscr1ption In their hands, should be
melted 1oa rigorous discharge OF their new
duties, SO that all skutkers may be rout-
ed out Of their soft places, ind ulaJ
begin at last to do something for their coun-
footing, and nothing must be thought Of but
meeting the enemy In force at every point.
For the mcment, had weather and the utter
breaking up and dissolution OF allconsistence
In the roads stop movements Of every kind,
and even the new cavalry raid of Sheridan
quagmire befare It meets with the forces
which are Intended to end its career. 1too
sceks ,nuA edpse ezv1a arih good zreather, before
The Tt0l stress Of the campaign can b. upon rs,
und with activity and Energy much may be
done in two weeks. Not that negro Tegi-
tncnts can be ready for service within that
time, but what Is far more to the purpose,
many absentee white men, on whom our chief
dependence must always rest, can be collected
and sent to their posts, the reinP OF discipline
can be gathered up tighter, q few careless
officers can be punished as warning
to the rest, and something mny be done to
convince tile army TINT the Confederate gov
eminent remcm bers its pecuniary debt. 4
small payment s'on account" would be &C.
ceptab1e for the present, and they would give
US trust for the balance. until alter they had
driven back Grant and Shcrmapr
HENRY i. WISE DRAWS 4 PICTURE OF TIE
SITUATION.
[F1om his Speech to his brigade and the Virginia
lcCi.latufel
Northwestern Virginia has been left to the
enemy and 1t has seeded from secession. The
want Of nll means Of defense at uattesas and
Roanoke Island abandoned the garner OF
grain and the meat house Of M Eastern North
Carolina and Of the city Of Norfolk and the
navy yard at Gosport: The ret'ees from Ma
rr{o and IF
war enough to last a years campaign. The
sudden and surprising evacuation Of Norfolk,
and the blowing up Of the Aferrimac, aban-
poned Eastern Virginia, and stripped us still
more Of our means Of supply and Defense The
retreat from The York peninsula lost still
exposed Richmond to the bloody, indecisiye
battles OF the seven days. Doubtful orders
and divided armies left Tennessee and VIcks-
burg both to fall. between disputing COM
mQpdeEs and conflicting commands, for which
there seems to be no responsibility. The death
ley Of wheat and corn and caitte to be scourg-
ed and devastated. The neglect Of Cole
Island exposed Morris Island to cap
lure and Charleston to bombardnent
BY land as we'll as by sea. The rear
movement around the Western bend Of the
Tennessee has 1epulsed aud crippled tbe.army
Of Hood; while Sherman has been LETT free to
thread Georgia with desolation md to capture
Savannah, and to threaten the trunk and
branches Of all our Southern communications.
and all this time the retirement Of such Gen
erals as Reailrcgard from the command Of
armies in tie field cannot ba compensated by
bis engineering of Charleston uarbor, OF Of
g. ". Smith cannot be compensated by his
engineering in the State Of Georgia, md Jo-
stph E. Johnston's retirement can be measur-
ed only By the losses and lamentations which
hare followed in its train. Fort Fisher has
fallen, and BY Grants crossing the Chicka-
mond and Petersburg are both besieged, the
line of railroad is cut and the army lsadgan-
cling and threatening from everv point Of the
compass. Gen. Scott's programme, at the be.
ginning of the war, for our invasion and de-
struction, is fast tending to consummation.
We ate cut into fragments Of territory, divid-
driven into close inferior and forced to self.
xsl;az,n na1t from Ill the rest Of The 3rnzld