, 1865-03-03
SOUTHERN NEWS.

NV - L H " aElN N = " So
TIC Rseel congress. YIN Lee
1i.e Slave 1sl1i-Hidins Cotton. !:
THE REBEL CONGRESS,
There are no proceedings of interest re-
ported In the rebel Senate, except that the
mtmhrre went into secret session on the Me-
gro Soldier bill sent up from the House.
THE COTTON In SAVANNAH
TIE Speaker laid before the House mes
sagc from the President in response to q reso-
luton OF inquiry, cnclos;ng q te1egraphfc dis
patch from Gen. Ha,dee conccsnin. the iall-
ure to destroy the cotton at Savannah. He
STATED that it was stored in cellars and gar
rets, md Its destruction would hare involved
that Of the city.
Mir. Harlrldge moved that the message Of
the President and the accompanying reports
Of The Secretary OF War and Lient. General
Ha,dec he referred to the Committee on Mill
tary Aaairs, and printed.
Mr.. Hart1idgc said the resolution, asked
the President to communicate to the House
yannah at the time Of It's evacuation was not
burned. The response Of the President and
The accompanying reports from Gen. Hardee,
who was in command Of the city Of Savan-
nah, disclose the fact that 1t was NJ utter in
possibility to burn or destroy the cotton in
crnment itself was not burned. Gen. H4rdee
asserts that not man or woman could ba
used to remove or, destroy the cotton, be-
cause all were used in the defense Of the city.
| The cotton was stored In cellars, garrets md
| warehouses all over the city.
Mr.. Hartridge said TINT, on recent occa-
sion high functiona,y Of the Government
| Secretary Of State-in the Course Of speech,
delivered in this city, for tho purpose Of ar-
rousing the patriotism Of the country. had
gone ont Of lis way to institute IN fnvidious
Comparison between the citizuns Of New Or
The destruction Of cotton on the approach OF
the enemy. The Secretary o: State, on that
occasop, had said that the people Of Savan-
nah had become disheartencd and broken in
spirit, and had not destroyed their cotton,
but had claimed British protection for it, and
had kept It in tue hope that the enemy would
| pay them for it.n
Mr. TartriJge said that there was not one
! single fact or one lota OF truth upon which to,
1 base this assertion and be appealed to the
lalation. The statement O: the Secretary Of
State WAS uncalled for, unfortunate, and ur-
| founded in truth.
It Aad become verT common to make insfn-
uations against The State Of Georgia, and, as
purt ot-that State. against the city Of ,Sa-
community than that OF Savannah could not
be found in the ConiedeNcy. When the
country offered at 11ana.sae its first great
sacrifice to tho God Of Independence, Saran-
nah had contributed her Barlow to be onu Of
the proto martyrs Of the cause, and band OF
hold If manhood, Of the best Of her blood
and breeding; md from that day to- this, in
| every ulmy Of tue Coufederucy, and on every
battlefield, tie sons Of Savannah had been
found. With voting population Of less than
3,5CO, she had given nearly 5 100 soldiers to
Jaaf oF
her best md noblcst had fallen around this
city to protect the worry house In which this
Secretary lives who now attacks the patriot
i'm Of 0.ir people. Her citizens we're even
now g.oanins under captivity which OK
POSED them 10 insults and priyalion5 Of the
most g,tevolis kind.
From the Richmond Enquirer. Feb. 81
WHAT LEE WILL. DO.
The newspapers Of the enemy arc discuss
irg thc route II Lees ietrea from Richmond.
An invasion of Maryland and Pennsylvania is
regarded US MT unlikely, even d highly prob
able, with She. man approaching from the
South. These journals say thai y retreat
running into certain capture; that Lynch
burg mag be the point to which Lee will first
fall back up1n 8n1 then take his line OF
march for Tennessee, now occupied by no ar.
: my Of the enemy. F." 1t Is supposed BY those
best informed that at any moment nc tthe
1
Amy making his way to Maryland, and leav-
Ing Richmond to the defrnse Of its works and
the limited garrison, hoping with gamblers
/ deEpe1 ntlon, that something would turn up
thai Washington or Philadelphfa might be
captured, and the North thus become tired Of
even In apprehension Indeed, we do not
see why ''all this :" should be now beyond
appsehensiunL
According to the enemy, Lee cannot, il he
would, 20 eouth Of course he Will not stny
to be starved into surrender in Richmond.
Whence therefore can he 60 but North? Ac-
co1dtng to the enemy. to 60 South is but
swapping Grant for Sherman-the devil for q
witch-to stay in Richm nd Is eyen worse !:
First, capture; eecond, starvation and cap
tufe-either horn Of that dilemma Is certain
ls1uin. What. therefore. Is there for Gen. Lee
invasion. Twice We have failed, but "t4ere Is
luck In odd numbers" and the thid time
may bring crowning success-but the Tines
says: ;.,, -,
gether most likely before the teIrlbI= neces-
Bity is upon Lee Of abandoning Richmond,
that We shall have another great battle On the
soil Of Virginia with the last Of the rebel
armies" Fortified as both armfes are before
tacEing party to the Necessity 5of assaillng
strong works defended by a force equal to
that Of heassallants, renders great battle
On the soil Of Virginia lar too uncertain for
Gen. Grant. He will never again attack the
amy Of Northern Virginia, Of with it fghs
tanght :by d master whose lessons are
not easily or soon forgotten. He knows the
penalty Of such attacks, and as 1t Is h1s work
to take Richmond, and TINT Of Lees to de-
fend it, he must attack and Lee defend. We
Gen. Grant will risk his lauees in the bitches
, 9: Lee'e works. Strategy Is specially with
the Nex York TINES. and when ut loss Tor a
leads~ that paper lalls back upon its forte
Hence his demonstrating Of military event:
so usual nth the Times, at the expense @
Worth-uothng.
Grant ia done lighting, except just enousst
to Keep up Appearances. Sherman will do al
that remains 10 de dome In this war. He wil
bring It to IN end one Wny or the other. HI
is now beyond reint,rce1Aents: Co-operatine
columns from the East and from the Wes
;; may start TO his did, but IL there is any mill
! tary ability opposing Sherman, he will not b.
!! permitted 10 receiyo aid aud comfort frou
!! any source. This matter Of converging col
I umns fr1m different points has always beer
: regarded Us dangerous and seldom SUCCESS
! full
! Last years campaign illustrated the fallur
OF several, and this years. may put such a,
extipgulshcr upon the rnteTprisIug Sherman
: US vii! put ont the light OF his Invasion alto
: gethcr. We must stop these leopie, and ",
{ bclieye it will be effec,ually done; int how
or when, or by whom, we do not know. Bu
: the route Of Lees retrcat from Rich1naut
9 has not yet been decided upon. II North
r the IY,qes shall have due notice bnt, sine
= personals have been stopped, tue Times mus
}, await General Lees mode Of conveying intel
' ligence.
TIE SLAVE BlLL DEFuNcr.
The Confederate Senate on yesterday re
= moved the injunction Of secrecy from til
: proceedings on the Senate bill introduced b
Nj. Brown. Of Miss, to provide for ra1sln
= 2o0o Geo negro troops. It appears that th
! bill was lost in the Senate on Tuesday, til
. = 21st inst, by yote I'll to 10. Those nh
r voted for m indefinite postponemcnt Of tn
:, bill,~ which amounts to It's defeat, wer
= = Mc:srs. Baker, Ea.nwe1l. caperton, Garland
! Graham, Hunter, johnson ofGa., johnson q
= = Mo-, Maxwell, 0rrand. and Wisall. Thos
. who voted in the negative were MessEz
. . Brown, Burnett, Haynes, Henry, Oldham
= Semnee, Simms, Vcstwalkcr, and Watson
u In official circles this Is considered US dispos
4 ing Of the question Of putting negro soldier
- Into CUR armies finally. The House Nege
= Soldier bill, which is very similar to the Sen
II T. LII