Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-04-13
.r,.. rna a, ,nc .Conlederne,.r

- F4l
are blinded by insane rehel-symp"t"''''
Jeff Davis it is true, ,din his MESSAGE 't
delivered TO the rebel Congress AZ '"e
clos of last wear. that not the la'l Oh
picbmond nor Wilmington, nor Charles
,.or savannah, nor Mobile, nor OF
oil these combined, can effect the issue
or the present contest But words are
cheap aud JEFF. was then struggling TO
bolster up the falling courag, of his de
luded followers And although his
sympathizers abroad, aud some here ut
the north, have copied aud enlarged up
on and endeavorcd TO extract comfort
from Jefrs words the fact that with
Richmond cut Of the "Coufcderacy'
must be mUtlated trunk without II
head, and could possess no life beyond
possibly a brief spasm that might be
galvanized into it, has been apparent
enough even TO the rebels themselves.
They were not deceived by Jeif's empty
words as appears by the extracts below
from the Richmond Examiner of Feb.
9th Aside from the powerful moral
effect Of he fall Of the rebel capital
which is well set forth by the EXamin-
err itself it is only necessary to advert
to the facts that without Richmond the
rebels are without a government, cen
ter Of communication and authority
that they are without the means Of man.
,,P
war to supply the place Of what they
have lost; and they are furthermore
destitute Of supplies with no railroad
facilities wherewith or territory where
from to draw more.
The testimony of the Richmond EX-
aminer upon the effect Of the loss of
Richmond, was given in answer to that
portion of JEFF. Davis message referred
to above, and a little more than a
month before the rebel capital fell into
our hands. 1t abundantly justifes the
assumption of the loyal people that the
fall OF Richmond is the fall of the Con
federacy," and so it abundantly iustiaes
all their rejoicing over that grand event
independent of the immediate capture or
dispersion Of the entire army of Lee
which it renders probable.
The Examiner said
The evacuation Of Richmond would
be the loss OF all respect and authority
towards 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 degen-
crate into an Irregular contest. in which
passion will have more to do than pur-
pose; which would have no other OBJ
iect than the mere defence or present
safety of those Immediately perSisting
in it, The hope OF establishing a Con
federacy and securing its recognition
among nations, would be gone forever.
The common sense of the country, the
interest Of every man and woman in the
land, cOntradicts the idea that any pos
sibility of an independent South would
remain after its capital was abandoned,
its government set adrift. and its army
withdrawn, into the SOlitudeS of the in.
terror
1t is idle TO pretend that Richmond is
of no more Importance than Savannah,
Atlanta, Mobile or Norfolk, and that its
fall would not be fatal to the COnfeder-
acy. IF it had not been a vital point,
why has so much effort been expended
for it's reduction and in its defence 1t
has been the great objective point OF the
enemy through four successive cam
paigns, The Confederacy has spared no
pains or exertiOns, nor cost of blood or
treasure, to make good its defence 1t
is the capital of the last Of the border
States, commanding the entire portion
of Virginia east of the Alleghanies and
the most Important division of North
Carolina Ii Is situated 40 miles from
the sea, yet large ships can unload from
its wharves The occupation OF Rich
mond in strong force by the enemy
would necessarily drive the Confederate
armies out of Virginia, and render all
Eastern North Carolina untenable and,
once gained by Il power having com
mand of the water, it could never, IN
der any contingency, be recovered by
the COnlederacy
Each contestant in the war has made
Richmond the central object Of all its
plans and all its eXertOns. | has be
COME the symbol of the Coufederacy.
Its loss would be material ruin to the
cause, and in Il moral point Of view,
absolutely destructive, crushing the
heart and extinguishing the last hope OF
the country Our armies would lose
the incentive inspired by a great and
worthy object OF defence. Our military
policy would be fatally at sea we
should be without a hope or an object
without civil or military organization
without a treasury or a cOmissarat
without the means of keeping alive a
wholesome and active public sentiment
without any of the appliances for sup
porting the cause depending upon the
popular faith and enthusiasm; without
the emblems or the semblance of au-
tority.
The withdrawal of the army from
Richmond into the interior would so
narrow the area of conservation as
greatly to reduce our military strength.
As the army would dwindIe in numbers
it would move more and more westward
and before leaving the banks of the
Mississippi would have degenerated in
to a mere body guard for few officers
l.