, 1865-01-24
From tie Spectator, December 81.
THE RESULTS OF GENERAL
SHERMAN'S SUCCESS.

and 9Th December, were eVentful days
In the great war on the other side Of the
Atlantic. On the former day Geueral
Sherman's greatanabasis, which the Times
has at last ceased to call a retreat, ended
in his gaining the sea coast Of Georgia,
and restoring his communications with
his WI Government by storming Fort
McAllister at the mouth of the Ogeeche;
on the latter day the mere remnant
which he left Of his 'fugitive" army un-
der General Thomas to defend East Ten
nessee, after amusing the gallant General
Hood for a month with dim hopes Of the
capture of Nashville and its vast stores,
and the consequent %reconquest Of all
Tennessee aud command of the Cumber-
land River, issued from his lines at Nash
vile, and, in o battle lasting two days,
completely defeated the foe from whom
General Sherman is supposed by some to
have fled. The two events are nearly
design. On the 18th the Federal admi-4
raj at Beaufort received news of the ar
rival of Sherman's army in excellent
health, and spirits within a few miles Of
Savannah. On the 18th the intelligence
had doubtless reached Nashville by telc-
graph, and General Thomas knew that
the motive for OBTAINING General Hoods
whole army in the west till General
Sherman's march should be beyond the
reach of injury from hat quarter no
longer existed, and that he might ven
ture an engagement. The consequence
will be thai if the defeat of the Confede-
rates before Nashville really amounts to
rout, DIS is reported, their army of the
west will have been disposed Of by the
smaller part of the Federal army of the
west, while its main body, under the
most brilliant of the Federal Generals,
transferred TO the Atlantic coast, will
form a second great army Of the east
ready to cooperate closely with the
plans of the Commander-in Chief by con-
Quoting a winter campaign in States
where a winter campaign is quite feast
ble,-a campaign which must tell fear
fully on the results of the next spring
campaign in Virginia. General Sherman
with his base on the sea coast will sOon
be in a position TO m a north
ward march on the railway system unit
ing Richmond with Augusta, Of q much
1GSS uIllICul1 CLIoL oCGCt tAdu LAfoL WIlCiI
carried him during the spring of this
year from Chattanooga to Atlanta. And
should he succeed, the effect will proba-
bly, be to crush the gallant Vlrginian
army of General Lee out of the interven-
ing States between the army of the Poto-
mac and the army of Georgia,-ihe up
per and lower jaw of the military double
lever. Augusta, too, is the military
workshop of the Confederacy, and the
Confederate Government will probably
think il almost as necessary to defend it
as TO defend Richmond. We should ex-
pect, then, 10 hear hat all the remains
of General Hoods army would be sum-
moned TO garrison and defend Augusta,
so that Tennessee will be probably set
free from any invasion more formidable
than that of cavalry raids. Thus the
escape" of General Sherman from At
lanta will probably, as the Times remark
ed, be the tugning-point' of the wal.
But this turning point" will consist in
providing the North with q double instead
Of single military lever for cracking that
hard nut the Richmond army of General