The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-03-07
The Erneuatian Of Richmond.

That the rebel leaders have been
seriously celebrating upon the expe-
pediency of evscuating the city of
Richmond, there can be no doubt.
The question has been discussed with
much vehemence in the Richmond
papers, and they may be regarded as
but the echoes of leading men, on the
one side or the other. One of them,
the organ of JEFF. Davis, admits that
guns and stores have been removed
but it claims that this is only stripping
for the fight The Enquirer ridieules
members of Congress, numbers OF
whom have left the city, almost redu-
cling the number remaining below
quorum. The Examiner comes squarely
up 10 the mark, and makes strong
argument against abandoning the capi
tai Our limits are SO eircumscribed
We cannot give the whole article. We
therefore make an extract or two 1t
says:
The evacuation Of Richmond would
be the loss of all respect and authority
toward the Confederate Government,
the disintegration of the army, and the
abandonment of the scheme of an in
dependent Southern Confederation
The war would, after that, speedily de-
generate into an irregular contest, IN
which passion would have more TO do
than purpose; which would have no
other object than the mere defence or
present safety of those Immediately
persisting in it The hope of estab-
fishing a Confederaeyands securing its re-
cognition among nations would be gone
forever. The common sense Of the ccun-
try, the instinct of every man and wo-
man in the land, contradicts the idea
that any possibility of an independent
South would remain It's capital was
abandoned, its Government set adfift,
and its Withdrawn into the solitudes of
the interior
These positions are enforced with
great cogency of argument, and the
moral value of Richmond is then stated
by the Examiner thus:
IT has become the symbol of the
Confederaey. Its loss would be mate
rial ruin 10 the cause, and, in moral
point of view, absolutely destructive,
the heart and extinguishing
the last hope Of the country. Our ar
mics would lose the incentive inspired
by great and worthy object Of de-
fence Our military policy would be
totally at sea we should be without
hope or an object without civil or mill
tary organization; without treasury
or a commissariat; without the means
of keeping alive wholesale and active
public sentiment; without any of the
appliances for supporting a cause de-
pending upon the popular faith and
without the emblems or
the semblance of nationality
The Examiner next indicates, perhaps !
without due caution, what would be the
line of the rebel retreat after the with
drawal of the army from Richmond"
as we'll as what would assuredly be its
fortunes. "As the army would dwindle
in numbers" it remarks, ut s0Ould nOvs
more and more rapidly postcard, and be
fore reaching the banks of the Missis-
'ippi, would have degenerated into
mere body-guard for few officials !"
In this connection, We may make
of the fact that a number of |
rebels were captured on the Tennessee
River last week. They were from Rich
mond, and were on an expedition to
destroy our transports, etc, on the Ten
nessee river. Papers in their possession
Indicate that it was the intention of |
Lee to abandon Richmond in the early /
part of this month, and make his way
West through East Tennessee. 1t may
be possible that he has changed his |
mind But is he the man TO permit |
himself to be cooped up in Richmond,
and forced intoa surrender He must |
either abandon the city, or do this.