New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-05-05
TrE FALL or E7CF.r-ONO
FROM rae -comleJerafe Organ.

So far. then, from the evacuation of Richmond
sitting the hopes Of the Southern people il will IN
spire confidence and arouse afresh the activity oi inc
widely scatteIed populations which COMP iihen, po'
altogether without the scmhllnce of cause oi being sac
rifced To mistaken point Of honor. We use the Term
evacuation adyisedly for II was deliberate act cis
fully prepared, ard carried out with c0nsumnate sAnl
in the pyTOtc chnlc ght Of Federal accounts ire
tact shines ou clear and distinct tat the assaaA's,
repeatedly repnsod with heavy loss became aW are {"
tile empty prize within their grasp only 10y me ule"p
pearanee of the thin rear guard which lad neld them "
So vast n work could not he done in the face of SUI
peror force except under cover Of battle pui thhl
ee Gnrht This bittle with tie greatest possible ccono
nv of his own force is evident from tie absence o. men
ton in the reports received. Of at least two oil Ms
div isions which doubtless already on the M OF
march We now know tat tire evacuation was deci
ded upon as early the latter end Of March, at the
Recommendation 4 Gen. Lee, IN conference OF the
'chief civil and military officers OF the Gomez gfacy
Tie special coavening Of Congress by President DAVIS
II discussions secret session. resulting In giving 10
he Government authority to borrow OF impress tie
specie in the Richmond banks and other similar acts oi
legislation required by the einergency were so many
preparatory steps.
II was scarcely 20 he expected that important
secret could long be Kept from the enemy and indca'
tous were rot wanting Ia attract The aitehton OF even
Ia less sagacious commander than Gen. Grant Some
weeks before Sheridan in his raid the james River
Canal net baieos laden with tie types AMI printing
presses Of Richmond newspapers and at the same time
these papers appeared suddenly on halt or quarter
y
IN exchange for their notes singuaiy liberal terms
before tLey were restrained by tie acton OF Congress
Grants anxiety was 10 defeat Lees plan, snd
either to delay s execution until the cooperating
forces of Sherman and Thomas should be IN positions
10 cut of the Confederate retreat or 10 attack Lee NJ
disadvantage IL tho very oot Of eyaCGhlng DIS suohs
holds.
'2th the unexpected vigor Of which appears "a have
completely deceived linn TO ito object, and Jed him u
mass bis troops at the point which Lee had selected io
the last stand - his guard These facts though
they ARE the current tax If ve.lif0rmed people
Throughout the North and are reported Substantially
~ W. have stated them by most Of the New-loA cor
rcspoudens ~ the London press do rot as yet IaA'e
in lie Sori.ern pIess and for OBVIOUS reasons The
best rroof of their correctness IL that the price 81 god
Ia AL remains within three or four per cent as hh
as before tins giorons CONTAMINATION
Respecting Lees alleged loss. We need mol NJ tns
stage of tie warn the reader ~ American lee
grnins against Federal arithmetic. He viii long since
have learned oy the simple process OF addition tuhs
two or thee times the whole adult male population Of
both Federal aud Confederate Amtfica Las already
been Killed crippled during the war; ana ihHt We
sontheruers have had at least dozen large am
utterly anuih ated and dispersed We pretend - no
exclusive Information tbs point, but feel morally
certain that when Lee j. next heard from. Il Wi. BE-
with his force materially intact and ready to slrEe
rapid and heavy blows where least expected.
trmRtcled az tie Couiederacy ~ IN numbers aud
resources II is only by modelling Us armies ana giving
them to sp.hk, uttfury that u can hope IN s"a'
dcrree 10 eouaze the contest; and ~ ths happy com
warfere requires. Gen Lee has proved himself 10 have
no living superior lie has military chest ~ about
900 no In gold furnished by the Richmond banks
and with this he can assurcdy DO IA loyal counif
what even enemy boasts 81 having DONE and. AZ all
events the subsistence of his army NUT bo lees ann
cult than In heencuerd city, Nor need We ave any an.
easness about hs arsenals ard stores 1h onederaie
armies az present better equipped tnh durng the
fret three years Of the war and with Tie exception oi
heavy artillery which IN now 10 longer needed have
always looked tie enomys wclpfo'ided trains as
their chief source ~ al Tles.
When the curtain again rises n vii b. upon that sec
opd STAGE OF the war WlIch have ~ late ccn.tanty
ed In n CSC columns stage upon which
r lcucfry because 1t gives the Confederate for the
ast me the full benefit II their vast icffloy scat
tered population aAl fertile soil OIL Of Which have here
fore served the enemy more than Themselves and II
nsugufafes tactics OF all others best adapted 20 their
genius and east 20 that Of their adscrsary loss d.
pr,ses in tire eyes Of Europe there unquesonnty D. IN
Lettering on this second stage Of the war, but that v'-
tic, proved barren and has aread! been too dearly
bought
Heretofore the war has been conducted rs between
two great rival powers appealing on equal terms t.
be arbitration Of arms In some quarrel for frontier
cr right; but now afier experience ~ anomalous
that no human foresight coud have anticipated IT, II IL
more than quesionabe whether II would not have been
wiser l. THE nd stage mad been made tie first II
the formation Of permanent constitution and The cum
bcrsoine machinery OF hrnyscaed government had
been postponed until the return of peace aud II the
war had been vgCcl more in accordance with tho ne
ces,ites Of the country than with the fornaiies 81
rank among nations which has not been recognized
We rust that tie lessons Of this experience VIII be
1consistently brought into practice and agility replace
the trsl 81 strength which has failed.
Let the archives be deposited IN safe and secret
place aud let the resdcIt and his Cabinet fix their
seat Of government at Gen. Lees headquarters. We
are not 30 pfcsumIuOus 20 deny that fustber mis-
fortunes may beiall this brave aud devoted people.
There may yet be behind ths second stage another and
yet another There may be stage even beyond these
when the pregnant epigram Of The Iimc' now prema
ture may become tIue-that II war; the struggle Is
drawing To a close If revolution, IL has just began
But While dare gaze with our Confederate friends
into the darkest ysias Of future OF reveres look
cheeriuly upon their immediate prospects with hope
which has not its Ia earnest wishes alone.