Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-02-25
n-..1 r.tfIe Tnm.nent.

A Great HatfIe Imminent.
Those who infer from the recent move
ment of the rebels that they are either ut
terly dsfsnceless or utterly hopeless and |
despairing reckon vsry much without their
host. The cause Of tie rebellion Is indeed |
desperAte, and its power weak and weak
euing, but III leaders are not easily cowed.
They are playing losing game, but they |
play it with q certain wary eoursge,
though It may be the courage of despair.
Their great military leader, Robert 3. Lee,
has lost none Of the strategic ability, the
brilliant daring, the mastery grasp upon
HffAirs which he has always displayed, and
his Ieutenanes, Beauregsrd, Bragg and
HArdee, are able and experienced generals,
Their plan for resisting Sherman's adj
vance Is careful one, and, though des-
Persts. Is the very best within their grasp.
The bloodless evacuation and cession Of
Charleston and Wilmington are but part
Of it. It's, Is Is clearly revealed by their
recent movements, 10 Concentrate every
available man in the Confedersey for an
assault on Sherman. Lee understands per-
fectly that the moment that shermsn's
army unites with that Of Grant, the doom
Of the rebellion is sealed. His decimAted
forces could not stand q day before the
magnificent legions of the united armies.
Il is therefore absolutely indispensable that
he should, ct any sacrifice defeat Sherman.
For this reason, he abandoned Charleston
and Wilmington, looping of the extremi-
ties to save the life, and sends every avail
able man from these points, from Rich
mond, from Petersburg, from the Valley,
from the Wholerebel dominion, to re-enforce
Besuregard's retresting column. When
this is done the rebels will wait for Sher-
man to advance SO far that his defeat would
be equivalent to snnihilation, and will at
tack him, selecting as favorable place and
time as possible, and make 3 last, fierce,
desperate effort to stay his advance and
hurl back his columns in confusion. Il
will be their last and most terrible strug-
gle, and probably the most fercely con-
tested battle of the war. They viii en-
deavor to do for Sherman what Thomas
did for Hood--or, to furnish a more accurate
parallel, what Napoleon undertook to do
for WellingtOn,-Lee representing Nspo.
leon, Sherman Wellington, and Grant, Blu
cher. The similarity of the situations is
striking. We trust that the result may bs
the ssme-that the impending battle may
indeed prove Waterloo to the GOnfeder-
acy.
We have every reason to believe that it
viii. To suppose that Sherman does not
forecast their plan would be to esteem him
devoid of common sense. He understands
his foe and himself thoroughly, and there
Is no man in the country whose warinesa,
caution, ability and successes have been
more marked than his. We can leave the
matter in his hands, and in those of Gen.
Grant with perfect confidence. Then, too,
Shermsn's army is stnnng in nnmhars. and
almost fanstically confident Of themselves
and their leader. Besuregsrd's force, on
the other hand, lacks both numbers and
prestige. Lea dare not detsch many men
from Richmond and Petersburg, for fear of
the Lieutensnt General, quiet but watch
full, who waits only such movement for
8 tiger-spring upon the rebel capital.
Meantime, it is problematicsl whether the
garrison Of Charleston, under Hardee, who
are now Fastening forward to Join Besure-
gard, may not be met and routed by Sher-
man before they can effect q junction with
the HgGIlant Creole" Moreover, Schofeld
is now making every effort to reinforce
and cooperate with Sherman from Viii
mington and Eewbern, and, should he
succeed, their united armies would be ire
sistsble. We, therefore, await the ccming
battle with confidence.
Present indications would seem to point
ont Florence IS the probable site of the
Impending conflict" Hardee is running
toward that place from Charleston, strain
ing every nerve to escape Sherman and
unite with Besuregard; Sherman is NOV
ing on it from Columbia, intending to cut
of Hsrdee; Schofeld is approaching it
from the direction Of Wilmington, TO CO.
operate with Sherman; and Besuregsrd is
doubtless gathering his forces together near
It, and awaiting Hsrdee. OF course Beau
reguard will endeavor to prevent the juno
ton between Schofeld and Sherman, and
in his efforts to do 50, will probably pre-
cipitate the battle.
The struggle viii probably be the hercest
and most ssnguinsry Of the war. The
rebels viii fight with the wild energy of |
despair, the Uuion soldiers with the glo-
rious prestige of unbroken victory. The |
result of the conflict will bemost moment
onS If Sherman is defeated and forcedto
retreat, his rout would be hardly less dis&s-
trous than that Of Hood. But if he con-
quers, and Beauregsrd is beaten back, the
rebels will hardly fight smother battle
Richmond will fall like ripe pear intothe |
hands of Grant, and the tottering Confsd-
eracy viii collapse into shspeless ruin.
RiImtnrtonI