The New York herald., 1865-01-09
Thomas and Hood-The War I'm thu
Southwest.

lows:-Lincoln, AHA; Mcclellan, 7as.
Thomas and Hood-The War I'm the
Southwest.
The original compact and formidable South
ern confederecy organized under JEFF Davis is
now cut up into three sections, detached from
each other-the section on the west side Of the
Mississippi, the section between that river and
the State Of South Carolina and the section ex-
tending thence to the Richmond peninsula.
The trans Mississippi section, with military
station here and there, and with the river ac-
lively patroled by our gunboats, may be left
just as it is until the completion Of the work
still before our armies on the eastern side. The
extreme eastern section, bounded on the north
by Sheridan's army, on the west by the Ale
ghany mountains and our military posts at
Knoxville and Chattanooga, and on the south
by General Sherman and the Savannah river,
with the army Immediately under the eye of
General Grant in the centre, embraces now, In
point of fact all that is left to King JEFF Of his
late extensive dominions.
The vast intermediate section between the
Savannah river and the Mississippi is now vir-
tually subdued for the armies of Sherman and
Thomas, or either of them, may roam over it
without serious molestation in any direction.
Assuming, however, that General Sherman's
next business will be a movement in sup
port Of General Grant, the country to the
west of the Savannah river will fall within the
new department of General Thomas. Over oil
this vast region, including the great productive
States Of Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mis-
sissippi, there are no rebel forces worth men-
i0ning but the remnants of the army Of Gen.
Hood. They are now supposed to constitute
an army of less than twenty thousand men,
with less than twenty pieces of artillery con-
siderable reduction from the forty-fve thou
sand men and their one hundred and ten can
non lately confronting General Thomas in
his works at Nashville.
Hood, with his shattered, diminished and de-
moralized forces, has succeeded in recrossing
the Tennessee river into Alabama, and the
late heavy rains in that region will, perhaps,
der an immediate pursuit impossible, from the
miry condition Of the roads, But the same diff
culties which will arrest the pursuit will check
the fight Of the fugitive. His only railway line
of retreat Is down the Mobile and Ohio road
through the State of Mississippi; but, unfortu-
nately for Hood, that famous Mississippi raider,
Grierson, from Memphis, has been at his old
tricks again, and has dismantled said road in q
very shocking way from Corinth down to Okla
Iona, q distance of nearly hundred miles.
Still below Grierson, in Mississippi, other
Yankee raiders, from vicksburg, have been at
work; so that Hood cut off from every railroad
and river line, east, west and south, even if not
further disturbed, will perhaps be compelled to
pass the balance of the winter in Northern
Alabama, depending upon the surrounding
country for his supplies.
Meantime, Gen. Thomas with his new base
on the Tennessee river, is admirably posted to
watch the movements of his unfortunate adver-
sary, and to head him off in any direction he
may take. We know that Thomas will do the
work assigned him, whatever 1t may be. If re-
quired he could now afford to lend the Army
of the Potomac twenty or thirty thousand men
for month or two; but 1t is more probable
that his first business will be decisive settle
ment with the remaining fragments of Hoods
army. This object accomplished we shall next
expect Thomas, in triumphal march down
the abounding corn and cotton valleys of Ala
bama to Mobile, to repeat, If necessary, the
holiday excursion OF Sherman from Atlanta to
Savannah.
We await, in easy confidence, the further de-
velopmcnt of Gen. Grants magnificent plans
and movements, as worked out by such skilful
energetic and efficient supporting generals as
Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan, Candy, Granger
Stoneman, Burbridge and others. We may
consider the trans-Mississippi section Of "the
confederacy" as out Of the fight; the
eastern section as fairly within the grasp
Of Grant, Sheridan and Sherman, and the inter-
mediate section as substantially subdued and
ready to give up the ghost. II will not be
matter of surprise II with, or even before, the
next overhauling Of Hood, we shall hear Of a
general uprising of the people of Mississippi,
Alabama and Georgia in favor Of submission,
in order TO save their two or three millions of
bales of cotton still on hand from the dangers
Of searching Yankee invasion. To this end,
including the negro question, the political com
binations at work in Richmond against Davis
promise 10 be as effective against him rs
the rosistless military combinations Of our
Generalin-C Chief Never were all the various
elements Of the military, political and social
situations OF the South 80 favorably disposed
as now for sudden collapse OF Richmond, and
the ignominious fight Of poor JEFF and his
ruling confederates for parts unknown.
THE CANADIAN PASSPORT GRrEvAScE.-Our
Canadian ncghbors are making terrible out
cry about the inconvenience Of the passport
system. This time II Is their OK that is gored.
They had but few words Of sympathy for us
when our border towns were invaded by the
thieves and tutthroats whom they had en-
couraged. Now our measures Of selfdefcnce