The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-04-07

General Lee Headed On-Desperats situa-
tion OF His Army.
When badly defeated, exhausted, disheart-
ened and disorganized army Is, by q superior
force, headed Off on its lines Of retreat, and
from its reinforcements and bases Of supply, its
situation may be pronounced hopeless and
without remedy. Such, on Wednesday morn
ing, was the situation of General Lee. The
railroad from Richmond to Danville comes to
junction 6fiy-three miles out with the South
side Railroad, running from Petersburg to
Lynchburg. This railway crossing thus COM
mands both roads, and here, with Sheridan's
cavalry on the Danville road, some ten miles
nearer Richmond, q considerable portion of
Meades infantry had arrived in advance Of
Lee, who was thus headed off from both Dan
vile and Lynchburg by rail.
From this it would appear that all the railway
trains which General Lee was enabled to send
of from Richmond between Sunday evening
and Monday morning must have been occupied
with his provisions, surplus ammunition and
military stores, JEFF. Davis, his Cabinet, &C., and
that the movable remnants of Lees army were
compelled to follow on foot. Those trains had
doubtless passed by the junction before our
forces came up; but this would only aggravate
the misfortunes of Lee. 1t further appears that
he was provided with some ordinary wagon
trains, one, at least, Of which, in his advance,
numbering two hundred wagons, had been
captured by Sheridan's cavalry--another terri
BILE misfortune to Lee in his reduced circum-
stances. 1t was accordingly reasonable esti-
mate on the part of Sheridan: that Of Capturing
the Army of Northern Virginia, II we properly
exert ourselves;" but there were greater pro-
liabilities that the remains of that great army
would be broken up and dispersed all over the
surrounding country.
The only apparent chance of escape re-
naming to Lee, with anything in the shape Of
an organized force was that which depended
on the escape from collision on Wednesday.
On that morning he was at Amelia Court House,
some fifteen miles east of Burkesville junction,
and in line of battle. There was consequently
chance of avoiding collision till the evening,
for Meade's advancing infantry were fifteen
| miles further on. Assuming that they could do
nothing more than the march to Amelia Court
House during the day, Lee, by the common
roads Of the country, might gain another days
grace under cover of the night But, then, the
remorseless cavalry of Sheridan would be
down upon his struggling detachments and
trains in the morning, and thus, after vain
struggle of few days, Lee would find himself
in the condition of his "bad old man" EARLY
in his last escapado from the Shenandoah valley.
! What, then, is General Lee to dot Cut of
from the Danville Railroad junction, he is
| not only cut off from Joe Johnston, but from
the railroad to Lynchburg. In this extremity
wisdom would suggest the alternative of sur
render; but after his late foolshly desperate
struggle for Richmond, we are rather in
clined to the conclusion that the fate Of Early
will be the fate OF General Lee.
Newspaper Enterprise-What We Shall
Do with Our War Correspondents.
| The end of our great civil war is close at
hand. 1t is very easy to see that with the
return of peace this country will be the greatest
In the world. Midway between Europe and
Asia, geographically, we shall hold the
balance of power, politically, commercially and
financially. As our resources are developed
VIC shall produce the gold, silver, iron, petro-
leum, corn and cotton for the use ofall mankind.
| We are the centre of the world, and we shall
move everything by our immense central force.
In creating this nation Providence created the
acme of strength and of civilization. II is our
manifest destiny to lead and rule all other
nations.
| New York is the leading city Of this great
country; and as the power of the nation in
creases the importance of the metropolis will
increase also. Within the present generation
this city win supcrscde London as the financial
centre, Paris az the fashionable CENTRE and
| Rome as the centre of the arts and of religion
| For the past three centuries the world has
drfied westward. The recent rebellion. which
apparently interrupted our prosperity, has in
reality pushed US forward a hundred years in
our advance towards universal empire. In four
| years we have accomplished the work Of CEN
fury. Without borrowing o dollar from any
| foreigner, without the slightest aid from foreign
Powers and while still feeding the rest of man
kind from our incxbaustible granaries, we have
raised the largest army, built the largest navy,
and crushed the most gigantic rebellion that
| the world ever saw. Such achievements find no
parallels in history, and can never be surpassed
except by ourselves. New York city, which
has done so much to aid these tremendous
Developments will be the first to profit by them.
In Q short time this metropolis will be the
greatest city Of the greatest country on the
| globe.
Identified most intimately and inseparably
with this city and this country, the Nsw YoaK
HERALD must begin to prepare for the magnih-
cent future before 1t. The position which we
shall hold as the leading journal Of the leading
| city Of the leading nation Of the earth will
have its responsibilities as well as its digniHes
and advantages. Ever sikoe the establish
ment Of this journal we. have adequately re-