Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-01-11

TAG "veteran Observer correspondent
of the New York Times, who is understood
to be Gen. Mansfield, of Ohio, and is a
West Point man, has some observations in
the last number OF that paper which strike
us as forcible, in relation to the peculiar
situation of the South at this time, and
the effects of the present winter campaign
upon the fortunes of the Confederacy. He
says:
They have now, what they never had
before Winter campaign, in which their
forces are destroyed and their country des-
| plated, with arapidity never known before.
Hood, ordered to advance on Nashville By
the luDacy of his master, (Davis,) and no
less lunatic himself, has half his army de-
stroyedi with no earthly prospect of ma
kinga successful stand agaiu. Even such
raids as Stoneman's and DaYidson's prove
destructiVet to them, and in mid-Winter the
avalanche of Union armies is crushing
them at every point. If they wait till
Summer, the war, which only began.
properly, in 1864, will carry destruction
to every door-men and cattl4, horses and
food, will disappear before the aveneiug
swords of Sheridan and Sherman. Thomas
and Fitzpatrick. No more will the hand
of destruction be averted by any consid-
erRtions of mercy or humanity.
Now, let US look at the other eide. By
what means do the traitors ct Richmond
hope to avert such a catastrophe? If they
will not submit how do they propose to
prevent destruction? We are quite viii.
ling to look at their side of the case with
calmness and fairness. Wewant to know
what they can do. We want TO prepare
our means for the work to be done. Well,
what do the rebel chiefs sayH Let us hear
what they think of themselves. First,
the readers of the Times have just heard
what Davis said in Georgia-what the
Richmond press boasted, and the long rig
marole OF SILLY trash about Thomas march.
We we're to be driven back to the Ohio
Hood was to take Nashville-Shermanw was
escaping. All this ia over, and now we
have a new programme, and what is it?
The Richmond Wing has made an elaborate
calculation of how many able bodied men
they had between II and so. Well let US
submit this to the test, the e1perimentunI
cTUciS. The Wing makes out that Georgia
had about 10000 able bodied men. Now,
suppose that were true, where were these
men when Sherman invaded Georgia {?
Suppose Hood had been in the heart of
Ohio, what would you have seen 2 From
every hill and every vale hundreds of
thousands of men would have rushed to
arms, and, without any art or discipline,
their very weight would have crushed the
foe. What did you see in Georgian The
most furious and impGssioned appeals were
made from Richmond, and Augusta, and
Macon, to turn out en- music, and who came?
Nobody. A few militia, with the scattered
brigades of Beauregard and Hardee at
tempted vain and useless resistance
Sherman lived on the country, and marched
his army through as regularly as if they
were on parade. Now, the Richmond WHO
has proved one of two things couclusivcly;
either that the men are not there, or that
they are not 'OitEing to fight for the Conftd-
erGcy. Either alternative is fatal. Now,
in the absence of white men, what ia left I
Gen. Lee says, arm the SLAVES. Well, don't
doubt the slaves will make good soldiers.
and with their masters for officers, will re.
main come time. But there are three things
which will end that dream at an early dny.
First, half the slave country is in our pos
session, or cut off from the rebel Govern.
menti consequently they can get but COM
ParatiVely small uumber''o able. bodied men
slaves. They will not get as many as we do,
and it will require several month to disci
Pliue them. Secondly. as fast as their slaves
are taken prisoners, or can get within our
lines, they tOiEI never return. Thirdly.
the arming of the slaves by the Oonfeder.
acy will end the last doubt or question
upon Lincoln's Proclamation OF freedom.
Slavery lie, by the confession and consent
of the rebels, ended forever. Then, let
them be armed by the South, that the ju-
bilee of freedom may come, and this eonti-
nent ring with the shouts of universal
freedom Let no man mistake this matter.
1.-THE rebels arm slaves. euerg negro on thi,
continent is free. Nor is this all. We shall
sweep the South with the bosom of de.
structiou. We shall put such an end to
the war that slavery, and Southern rights,
and State sovereignty shall be heard Of no
more in this land. And this was the end
to which we were destined from the begin
ming. Liberty and Union, one and insep
arabic. A great country cannot be gov
erned and sustained by the miserable
dogma of State rights, The country must
have strong Government, founded on the
representative principle, centralisiug the
power OF great nation, and extending its
arm OF protection to every individual with
in its vast embrace.