The New York herald., 1865-03-30
NEW YORK HERALD. THURSDAY MARCH 80 1865.

North Carolina, and the even more disastrous
defeat Of Lee at Petersburg, we have satis-
factory settlement of two important points
make an impression on Grants lines; second,
that it is equally impossible for Johnston to
arrest the advance Of Sherman. These are the
two important facts Of the military situation
Davis, Lee and Johnston had all decided many
days ago that success was impossible with
their present resources, and that their army
operations must fail. That was the verdict Of
calm review Of the whole position; but yet,
such was the desperate necessity Of the case
that they saw some attempt must be made;
and undoubtedly they hoped for q better
result than their reason thought possible. But
the stubborn evidence OF battle has showed
those hopes to be false, and justifes the most
respondent view Of the Southern situation that
Davis ever presented to the rebel Congress.
Our full reports of ShermanS progress
hitherto, and the very detailed and graphic
picture of his operations that we present to-
day, show how comparatively unopposed he
has been, and must in the future necessarily be.
In the failure of the attempt to arrest Schofelds
march, Johnston's whole attention was turned
to Sherman, and he saw, apparently, one
opportunity to strike an effective blow. He
supposed that he could crush Slocum's advance
near Bentonsville, and, following up his sue
cess rapidly, overwhelm the remainder Of
Slocum's command before Howard could help
it. Had he been able to do this he would have
crippled Sherman severely; and, as he is
reported to have forty thousand men, he might
have done this if he could have concentrated
with sufficient quickness. He made the
most desperate endeavor to do SO; but the
feeble and dispirited rebel soldiers Of to-
day do not make twenty or thirty miles
with the same easy gait and light heart that
used to carry Stonewall Jackson down the val
ley. Johnston could not concentrate in time.
Slocum's whole force came up, and the rebel
army was hurried away towards Raleigh, its
last chance gone and its leader not even con-
templating the possibility Of facing the CON-
bined forces of Sherman and Schofeld. And
yet, in relation to this movement, the Richmond
papers hurrah that "cockawhoop Sherman has
met his match" that he is "checked," and that
consequently "Richmond is SAFE"
The attempt at Petersburg was very serious
matter, and but for the failure of two rebel
divisions to come to time it might have given
us considerable trouble. The assault was made
at most important point on Grants line, and
shows that Lees eyes are still pretty good
ones. Had the enemy succeeded in rushing
large force through he would have cut in be-
tween the armies of the Potomac and the
James, and might have driven Grant from his
base. 1t is impossible to disguise the fact that
the enemy did not meet with the resistance
that he ought to have met with on our front
line. But his failure was none the less a posi-
tive and absolute one for him and fair vic
tory for US, since it was equally due to the bad
handling of his own troops and to the gallantry
with which he was met by our men when they
were once fairly at it The promptness with
which our position was retaken showed how
desperately the enemy would have been COM
PEELED to fight before he got anv further.
GENERAL HOOPS REPoRT.-Ihe report Of
General Hood of his campaign with the rebel
Army Of the Tennessee, from Atlanta to NASH
vile, and thence, with what was left of 1t, on
the back track to Alabama, has been published
in the Richmond papers. His argument is that
the retreat Of General Joe Johnston from Dali
ton to Atlanta, "retreating by night and dig
ging by day." had SO weakened and dispirited
the army as TO render it unable to do the work
assigned 1t. He says that Johnston, starting
with splendid, vigorous army Of seventy
thousand men, transferred to him an exhausted
army of only forty-eight thousand men; and
that in Johnston's report Of his losses he puts
down some seven thousand Of his troops taken
prisoners as "men absent without leave" This
is Hoods report of Johnston's Georgia cam
paign. Now let Johnston make up his report
Of Hoods campaign, and between the pair Of
them 1t will doubtless be made to appear that
from May to January last they sacrificed 6fty
or sixty thousand men, killed, wounded and
"absent without leave" No wonder Hood has
retired in disgust
PIENIP0TENTIARY WEBB ON THE NATIONAL
FLAa.-We see by the Rio Janeiro papers that
the Chevalier Webb Is governing American
interests IN Brazil in curious way. He had
recently detained in that port an American
steamer chartered from New York with coal for
the Spanish feet in the Pacific, and had the coal
discharged, against the protest Of the captain,
as the owners must forfeit fifty thousand dol
lars for non-fulflment Of their contract He
has, also, it appears, forbidden any American
citizen in Brazil to display the national flag on
any occasion without o permit from himself
There are great many Americans in Brazil,
as wen as in other foreign countries, who
would like to show their patriotism by flying
the Stars and Stripes on the news Of q great
national victory, and we never heard before
Of minister restricting the privilege We
should like to know whether this "extraordi-
nary" minister is acting on instructions from
the State Department; for, If not Mr.. Seward