The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-01-08
-GenePal ee About 10 90 As.
ltOHiSh the WnFId."

i We hsve the rumor from the neigh
borhood of Petersburg that General
| Lee is engaged shipping off certain
heavy war materials from Richmond,
4 as if he n1editated ar early evacuation
f of that delectabie city. We presume
/ that if on any fine morning now Gen.
/ Grant should discover that his bird had
flown he would not be much surprised,
( and would know where to look for him
But We are a6monished by one OF the
rebel sympathizing journals CT this city
that Gen. Lee is pIepaIingfor a grand
I offensive enterprise, and taat in Its de-
EelOpment he viii "asl0nish the world
4 What can it be z The present cpndi-
tlon Of the Virginia Eud roads, and the
scarcity OF supplies IN the Shenandoah
I valley sFepelat once the idea Of another
raid into Mary land lee has hardly
the necessary water transportation 30
/ rush down the James river AMI make
sn attack.upon Fortress Monroe, ana if
lte sh0ulr mOye-direcdy sOuthward, for
the purpose Of securing Wilmington as
/ toe lastlo0pbOle OF escape tor eff Da-
VIZ, or ID order to gobbIe up the ar
! ray ofsSheTman, that tenacious man OF
war, General Grant w.ll undoubtedly
play the winning card in the game.
etwe think il very probable that Lee
IS medltating upon the dangers that
are thickening around him, and upon
the eXpediency OF providing for re-
treat before every avenue OF supply or
escape shall be cut otT Ia this view Of
the subject, what route is he most likely
10 ah,e 10 search OF the happy valley
OF Basselas
We guess that lie viii make for Dam
VILE, thrifty manufacturing town 90
the Dan river, close 10 the North Caro-.
lima border, about one hundred AMI
thirty miles. southwest from r chm0nd,
and two hundred miles inland from the
nearest point on the main seacoas- .
The Daa river, rapid, rocky and
aboundlng IN falls, is not naVigabio iur /.
gunboats, while its productive valleys, /
with those Of the StauntOn river, tie .
other main branch of the R0an5k-, T.
would sill furnish 10 Lees army abuud- /.
ant supplies for several ulOrths though .
Q Il off from all other resources. In ths .
l,extplace, should a remnant Of Hoods
army escape from Thomas, it Cal be F.
ir5ught over 70 Lee at Danville much /.
more readily than to Richmond, con- /
siiering the damage done 30 the roads, .
bridges, supply depots DC by Stone .
man and Burbridge along the valley of .
the railway which leads up from South
western Virginia to Lynchbutg
We incline 20 the conclusion. there
fore, that tins projected movement Of
General Lee which Is 20 '8stoni-h the .
world Is the transfer of his army, his .
ordnance, magazines, machinery and /.
military stores, and the rebel capitol /.
including JEFF Davis, his Cabinet, Con .
gress. archives and shinplasteTs, fro O /
Richmond to Dauville. We think So
because Danyiile Is really now about
the safest aud most elegi0ie place tar (
jeff and his UmOeTsOme establishment
OF al the places Left him i'm the CON
federacy. lt possesses, besides It's other
advantage, that Important rfqU s,lon
10 General ee, OF being inside Of Old
Virginia. which is the ol,y State In the
c0ntsderacy that he cares 10 Egu5 iu
Bat for the tenacity with which Lee
has adhered 10 Virginia, we doubt nos !
that, for purely straJeEeJicll cOus,i--a- /
tions, Davis would have abandoned 7
Richmond long ago a glance at the /
map val show LuaJ Lis scTlEces 10 h0li I
Richmond have cost him the loss OF all /
the cotton States from the SAVANNA /
river to Gexas.
But what are all these losses in ths !
ayes Of General Lee and bis Virgiuial7 /
compared with the maintenance 70 o. 9 .
uay OF R.chmond2 The Wing Of Jus, .
ciry says in behalf of the rebel cause;
: Oar reverses are considerable IGi
would DO folly to deny them Even
wish the los Of Hood's army the CoU-
iederacy is as strong as ever. Ano-n
er Ricbmodd journal logically proves
that the loss of Savannah immensely /
the arms OF DAVIS ls was
a good thing for him, as was the loss Of
Nashville, NicksbuFg, New Orleans and I
other places The 'con!ederacy' wla
not 90 up till General Lee and hIs Hir~
ginia troops are required 70 abandon
their State; and Lee Is tEe only nope OF
Davis We conclude, therefore, shat
tbe next move of JEFF bag and baggage |.
will be 10 Danvile, Virginia, aEd that
such is the projected enterprise which
is to "astonish the world. Is Lee go
ing to wait in Richmond the arrival Of
Sherman2 We guess noL-N Z her