Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1865-02-10
FRIDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY TO- 1865.

Mr. WIdrALL-No. ara nos = -.-n5vi ot
the Usbines 0. Of the Plisy C.uccil, and haze.
:he,ciors, no snces4 70 :hl private coE.:ep -
dencc If tie President. w which :ho ro3u!a"
zion OF generals ars made and destroyed.
Mr. SlMurs--Doss sts gan;i.msn Intend
| that as q slur2
Mr.. WlarAlL-Taks i. 10 P.ckRictilo
senss. However admirable the or1s1izaton
of this army, Gen. Hardea Was not willing to
risk his rerutstion With it. Con. Johnston
was, and he hs hardly aeaamod tho command
5efOrs all sotagnoisms were rsn.3V:d, Il! dla.
aenslons dispslled ani all oaba!s broken up.
Peace, harmony AMI !aiiincs wars establish
cd in their stead.
Shermsn's otjeos WAS to oai tho conmuni'
cations between this plaos and the Gulf State,
and the Mississippi Valley. Ills obiaosivc
eas Ti Hssas% sa s., ,ssss We ssIs 4 Z
ii yo- ,wisss vrill stand By us. IIs (Mr. 3
p hr eelte:s 81 desertsrs ri,rn'ins aIrly CT the
iiety fsderase&latasad; The falsof nIlanss,
tt,:rbIufs, withnn: ths defeat of our army, was
of no military importance; Atlanta, therefore,
Wal scarcely one of the stakes in this great
game of war; Milledgesills, Macar, Mont
eomery, Mobile, Columbus, Augusta, Ssssn-
nsh. Colu mbia aid Charleston, shsse and tho
railroads o1nnsc.ing shsm were stsksd on the
table Oh tn. ono side, and sl the territory to the
Ohio river on Tho Other For thsss stakss
Johnston and Sherman Wsrs 70 play. The
destruction Of olo erm3 or tho othsr decided
taa g.Tus.
Yet 0cae:ai JJhnston vas !tqnlr5d By tha
Pt.sidsnt 20 4cliysz bettls e! or in front OF
Dslton. WhS: was Ills situation then? SLsT-
Enan had b,:n reinforced by two c0rpe. JOAN
ptoa hnl thon recoiEed NJ reiuioreaments.-
His army had besn routed saa dsiscu fcOm
behind breas;vlsk9 W Sabrman's bofo:o il
hai btsn reinforced. lie EGs required, wish
.h9 defaa.od army, to dr:vs tao victorious army
iroo, it's cntrenchmsnts posted upon grGuad
s.ieos.d ty She.mah. Was he right lot 20
rsk ba. te2 If ho suffered defeat Shormsn
held T. tho Oult. lf de euecsatod could any
thing uoro be accomplished than victory
wishor: fruits Shsrnan could tall back
b,hinj OtLer dsfenc:s, sad ooa!i JnEn7fgn,
vii, > slist..r:d army, co1ti1ua sa 9oa&Att u!l
bis aIT;Iaa.y was Ge9troyoG! H@GiI hle0Tn
destruction no: have b:sn wo7. '--ae.!=: !
both lay Oshind thoii lrsD2hai -. :.-.s,%'.- b t
n.i;hcr cfUsLei, Oh hiyman he6 o.! :.s.: - q u
VII Oh ~ rls.oi, Whsra c0ui. -. i.. I'D
tho nsteris. with which to I'LL sLa gap mado
in his army This TieT seemed c.ya- II naYe
occurred 10 TIE Preyiisnt. Lincoln Mcdowell
:. liz US, a.id 8: tho couat!i ut general rGio:rs
in the spring Of 1862 ,hs! h5 wtuld n5s csro
what plan II campaign Was determined Oh,
all he wanted waa Inst :hey gnou'd pitc!: IL.
SIoh sesrae1 b bs the view rf oar PresitsHs
Suol, fo:tunnseiJ, was not Johosscn's. lis
determined 20 strike when an opp0rtu-
nitY tff.rsa, but not before. Whsn no
struck he ds.c1minsd th,t tbs bloE sh1uld
be d crEel.pg one. lie kept bis men oloss :r
t,s t-aIlbaa IF sherman assaulted he WAC
met and repul5ei If lie atsemptedlt Ito turn bis
fl,oks johnston fell back to ths nearest strong
position and ugsin sntrsnchod uni waited tho
attack. Every day Sdsrman was further from
his base of supplies, and caoh day his army
c:sT vsaker from tic casualties Of b9t:lo and
,bJ i .saohmsn. ho tsd 70 l:a7o TO gard tho
Ens 0: railrcsd upon which Se We d.perdart
for his supplies. lis progressed at tho rass
0! little moro than milo day. Ills sick
and wounded were sen. to his rear, and esoh
day he was getting furthor from the1a, John.
stoa was each day approaching bis hospitals
and filing up bis ranks with the siok and
wouaded as they recovered. One party Tough.
b ,hind breastWorks, tho othsr in the opsn
fi,M Sherman therefors paid four or bvc
m,n ior e7erg Gao lie disabled. The srny
was contonsed it was hop,ful il had the
ms: implicit conf 1enos in i:s leader. 1t bo
li.vod She,m.n to b5 9 doomed nan Tne
d,y of bis destruction tbsy knoT not, nc: tbs
plac., but they cntsrtain.d 20 doubt ,h:,t sher
G,n<ral did. Every orc who viotM that
army knew thss+ fscis. / comm1oioatsd
them to th, Senator from Virginia (Sr.
uunrRR) Tho Senator from Gsorgia Nj
uiLL), after visiting tho army deter nincd noa
to trust 70 lotter, end cams on here 10 urge
upon tho President thai J1hn son's policy
should DO oontincoi. 1 regret that he is rot
10 his seat, but | kGys retsrrsi t. the fact
ssverAl times m biz prssonce in score! session,
as is known 10 the Senats.
Bu: to much territory Was giysn up
What was tho loss Of territory compared with
the distraction of Saerman's army? Erery
mills that be advanced rendered his retrca:
tho moro diflialls and hin destruction the
mo!e certain Wasrs Tould Jobnston's ro
trs Il hays Cndc.1 Thai cannot toll nof could
Johnston Had Forrest, with his cavalry.
been teat, ns requested, to cut Shermsn'Aoom :
munnstion., il would hsYo onded long te!ora
J3hnrten reached h.lID;n. Why did he not
use tho cavalry which 10 had los this purpose7
Bccaues !is Tculd tiiaa ha7s boon without syea
Of ears. iIo Could csilhsr have neen nor
hes7d what Sherman was dCiog-hiS 1anks
w:u,d hs7s been exp ee1--hie own commuai-
U.tiCEs coald hay. b.en cut. The State would
ha.e bsen ihid waste by rsidiDg parties, and
the onem7 oouli haTo subss!cd himself upon
tho country, and disEenssd with The uss Of tho
road.
With his cavalry in hand johnston could
keep Shsrman within his lines, and prevent
kis obtaining bado Of iOddar or grain Of
oorn, except hy rsilSeai. Every foraging
parry and o7sry saidi1g party was driven 10
l.AcSashed.
up Atlanta. This is not tIue. HdSEa ecsefP.n.
ci upon nothing eEcospst the preservation Or nh
0:7n army aud tho destruction OF Sherman's.
If Atlanta could bs hald he in:eaded 10 hold
it. Lu. hs dii Eot intend to risk lhe safety oil
his brmy. That bsipg destroyed, whom and
where was another II be rsiseif With lar
seeing sosscity, he ssW tho Eoril to which this
armJ would b: eIp5s.d should Sherman be
pstmitscd to fsli upon it. eonmuhic.ticrs
lie aaw, too, The devastation o! country and
.les.7 .7uc!i3a q property Nkics wcu!a iuioT
ia Sl61lcnI'e track es ho tuszchs3 through
:ha aa.try, will. ro st.qucIs u.:i'c-y fdscsto
hold him ia caeck or Oppose ;.:u:. II, ant!ci
7ated, too, tic demorslsiIR e6:c; rp>s .ho
| psop's, whsn .hsy were left / IL. ss'i1sr
morcies ot an en=my, with No G:-.5 8 pro-
t.cs thrm lie vas pot guilty Of ths folly Of
uupposins taAt en- ssrilui.rrai population,
with their sho: RrRs, without cisoir'ins O:
drill ciLsr. could atop Ia. Darah Of an srmS
aud would attc:optit,
Tho Senator frCm Louisit ns l&r. SsrHss)
ha, bloushs in parcel o! ksfbled extracts
from Gen. Joanston's correspondence 70 thow
that lie did not intsnd to dsicnd A:lsDta.-
Tbs correspondence can BIS ssen by o Soma
tor, bet no: by the Ssasts. /. can be fur
nisbed 10 Senator'S in trik.n doses, 70 ~ to
destroy the reputation Of aEsllans and patri =
ot:c sn!di.r, bus i,oiE the public it is with
held, les. the Truth msy be knoHn. Tho ia
not tbs first instance of urfair dealing. A
resolution wss passed BY ths House, coon aftor
tho fail Of Vi,ksburs, asking far tho ccrrea-
ponderc. between G.oerals johnston and tho
President during tho monshs Of May, June
aad July, and it was promptly given. When
published it Was se.a that hnstoa's reply to
,bs pr,o;dantpo hill of ip1i ,trnsnt Eas iSft