The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1865-01-20
A Confederate Review.

The Richmond Wig Of the 31st ult.
compares the pres, mt situation with that
of the close of the previous year. We
quote:
In our estimation our cause is far strong.
er to-day than it was Gu the 3lst of De-
cember, 1868, What was our condition
then? Our arms during the year had
been generally unsuccessful We had,
indeed, been victorious at ucellorsville,
but our success was qualified by the loss
of Stonewall jackson. We had invaded
Pennsylvania, and, after the bloody battle
of Gettysburg, bad been compelled to re.
linquish the enterprise. We had lost
Vlcksburg, and with it an army of p, COO
men. We had lost Port Hudson and an
other large army. Our enemy was every
where successful and everywhere exutant.
Never had the fortunes Of tle country
been at SO low an ebb, and never had the
people such just reason to despcnd At
that moment, ur little after it was an
no"uced that the character of the war was
to be entirely changed hrreafter-that the
anaconda system was to BE- Abandoned
that the policy in future was to be con.
,enuatinn-lhat the enemy was to operate
IN masses-and that the most famous of
all their generals was to have the direc-
lion of their operation. Such was cur
condition last winter. The enemy held
nearly all Louisiana, Arkansas and Mis-.
s"nr--the whole Of kentucky. nearly the
whole Of tennessee, the greater part Of
Mississippi, and at least one.tbird of Vir-
giDia. They confidently predicted that
short eampaisn would give them Texas,
ard II acruss the Mississippi, the whole
OF Virginia, with Richmond, and the
whole country from the Tennessee river
to the Gulf aud the Atlantic.
Who tina, recnlects how these hopes of
our eucmies were disappointed will not
feel his spirits reviveoin presence of the
difficulties which now surround us? The
first attempt WAS made iu Louisiana. A
large army and vast feet assembled the
Rcd RIVER, and were beaten aud almost
destroyed in the attempt to conquer Tex
as This opened. the campaign. The is
sue revived the spirit of our people, which
had been cast down by the ill-succcss of
the preceding campaign. In few weeks
more came On Gen. Grants famous cam
paiga for couquering Virginia and taxing
Richmond. In Que month he fought six
or seven pitched battles and many combats,
and he was beaten in them all. From
the Rapilan tn the James he lost 125 900
men. Had he not been repeatedly rein
forced his whole army would have been
destEoyed ln the several armies which
he brought to operate against Richmond,
his losses were NOT hess tham 250 900 men.
La Georgia the operations of G,n. Juhn-
St"n, as long As he was in command, cost
the enemy So 600 more In Louisiana
the l"ss of Banks was not less than 80
600
In a word, the enemy during the pres
eni year, at the cOmmeucrn, ut If which
their ar,nius threatened to overwheIin US,
have lost at least $50 900 nea--a less in
"n" campa, ga almost unparalleled. AID
what can he show AGAINST thi, loss He
defeated Gen raj Hood IN Georgia, aud
a.a,n in Tennessee. H. III !rchrd thr uyh
Georgia, and mas taken prs>c>sl"n OF Sa-
vannah, winch N military sense was OF
no u,e 10 us He does not at this mo.
meat, hold one-half of the territory he
hel This time last year. BY bis march
t. S'vannah, he has left oren all the coun-
Try fron the Tennessee to the Gulf and
the Atlantic
So far then from being depressed there
is every reason to feel hopeful We are
hot IS badly off as we were this time last
year. The enemy has tried his best, and