Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-04-10

imm adiatey peYs sting 10 i. Inc cope OF e'taoi5n-
ing Confederacy and occurring its recognition among
nations would be g.ne forever The common 0erse
of the couory tie instinct Of every n;a1 and WI an<
10 thu land conraiicts the idea that any possibility
Of an i.depeudeut souih would remain after its Capt.
tai vas abandoned Its Government set sdriit, and Its
army Withdrawn into the soltudes OF tie interior
r. Richmond were Of no more importance 70
Coufederscy than Savannah or Charleston, OF W
njngtop, CT Mobile. or Norfolk, as jeff Davisp
tended. the Eram;rer wants TO know why such gu
perbuman efforts we're made to defend it:
Of It had not been vital point, why has 50
nucb effor. besn expended for its reduction and In
It's deence' It has been TIE great objective pdnt Of
The enemy shrough four successive campaigns. Tie
Corfederacy has spared no i aims OF exertlcns, no
cost of blood or treasure, tn make good Its def'nSs
Each contestant In the war has made Richmond
the central object of all its plans and all its exer-
tons. It has become the symbol of the Confede-
racy Its loss would be material ruin to the cause,
and, in moral point of view, absolutely destructive,
crushing the heart and ex nguishing the last hope
of the country. Our armies would lose the incen-
tive inspired by great and worthy object ct de-
fence. Our military policy would be totally at ses
we should be without hope or an object; without
civil or military organization; W thout treasury
| or a commissarist without the meals OF keeping
alive wholesome and active public sentiment;
without any of the appliances for supporting a
cause depending upon the popular faith ana entnu-
siasm without the embe.ns Of the semb'ance OF
authority. 49,
| "The withdrawal Of the army from Richmond
into the interior would 50 narrow the area OF con-
scrpton as greatly to reduce cur military strength
| AS the army would dwiDdle In numbers,it would
move more and more rapid vestwsrd and befor
reaching the banks of the Mississippi would h.
degenerate into q mere body guard for few o.
Gals. From the hour of giving up the seat CT Go
yerpment our cause would sink into mere rebel
lion in the estimat OF foragn powers, who would
cease to accord to Us the rights OF beligerents;
while the enemy would be free to treat our officers
and soldiers as traitors and criminals 20 that every
rebel would fight theroefcrward with halter
round his neck
| After eulogiMng Virginia az the common battle
Ground of the bloodiest cor aicts of modern times
and declaring that that worn and devastated, but
all powerful. Common wealth" could rot be cast
awsy ike an old SHOE the Eramtner decIares in po-
| sltive terms that "ths evacuation OF Richmond
would be the abapdonme OF Virginia forever, and
without any rational hope Of return. 1t then
proceeds ;,
such irgati,ude, the Confederacy could not sfcsa
10 put General Grant into possession of Richmond,
depot and base hundred AMI forty miles from
the sea, and in the mids. of Southern Wig MIA yet
VITA water carriage to the door, and thus rel'rqush
s lps hold upon the last Of the Border States. II
could not pect to continue the struggle with any
hope of succs 49, after abandoning States whence it'
m ,st numerous recruits are obtalned-a coll on
which Its arms have heen uniformly victorious, and
withdrawing to States where defeat has constantly
attended them. The abandonment of Virginia
would be equivalent to executing quit claim deed
t. all the Border States, together with Tennessee
and North C,rolipa.
ave have not the slightest te-
lief or expectaton that thoughtiess friends eager
enemies will ever be gratifed by the sight Of such
national suic de as the evacuation OF Richmond will
be while that noble army exists in any part; but
with the hope Of putting an end to the talk Of the
Idle aud short sighted on this matter, we throw out
these hints as to the consequences Of the act OF which
they speak so lightly"
Much of tn 8 very rem rkab.e language is pro-
ph,tic 1t Was uttered on the 9th of February
Since then the Examiner and its editor have both
e,ded their earthly caresr and Redmond has fallen
We may now look for the consequences which theJ
50 grapl ically portnyd