Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-01-24

ont In the level interior Of Georgia than on
the cost of South Carolina. Topography
I has done 30 mach for US, and the uuproPl'
tious rainy season will do as much more
| that through these causes alone WeconsiueE
our dangers much lessened.
In regard to his probable movements, VIC
think, for various reasons not proper 10
develop, he will attempt-the stormlng VI
BranchVille rather than GROSS the terrlote
| lines of the Ssutee and Black rivers ~
march upon FloreuGs. Therefore, we THINK
WILMINGTON and Charleston is in no dam
ger 1t would not have been mus nAo 'ns
| federal armada taken Fort Fisher, ana
with it Wilmington. While we at CoIum-
bia and Augusta could have had nothlng 70
/ fear, Charleston would have fallen wei
don would have been in the enemy's hsnds
| in few days, the grand federal COM
bination would have been near consum-
nation with the appearance OF Gen. Sher-
man in the rear of Gen. Lee. We nave
therefore, much reason to be thankful.
The great combination is now postponed
| if not defeated, and if We have to suner
| instead we should doso cheertully, because
10 the benefit of the entire country serl-
GUS danger to General Lee and his lndom-
table army has been aVerted. wilmington
still being in the hands of the brave Gen.
H l.
General Lee by following a circuitous
route, upon which be will meet with many
Unforeseen checks. If he has men to spare
he will no doubt send a raiding party OF
two towards Charleston; but they will only
be gratifed by look at the still upwards
pointing spires of the noble old city by the
sea, by nothing more.
As inaccordanes Rt5sh the orders of the
csIernor ana the spirit of our planters,
everything that can be of service to the
invaders will be moved or burned. General
Sherman will soon discover that without
perfectly assured line of retreat, and of easy
communication with his base at Savannah,
he can venture upon Uothing very brilliant.
He has at present only one-the Savannah
river-aud it, if our military authorities
and the people of Georgia are not asleep,
will soon be doubtful one. He will then
be compelled to move with great circum-
spection, and in every direction we turn
we see difficulties in the way of the federal
commander which should raise up our
hearts and courage. At Augusta he will
meet the returning veterans of Hood, as
we'll as Cobb's and Smiths reserves; at
BranchVille he will be welcomed by Beau
regard and Hardee, and at Florence he will
be received by Bragg. If General Sherman
should occupy any one of the four railroad
points in this State-Hamburg, Branch
| vile, Columbia, or Florence-it will be only
until our troops can be concentrated to
} disledge him. He cannot aim at all
not even at any two of them
If Hamburg or Augusta, he sewers US
temporarily from a country from which
we atpresent receive no strength whatever;
if ne takes BrsnchVille, heWould be merely
little nearer to US, and the communica-
| ton with the far South ought not even to
be interrupted if the Hamburg and Co.
lumbia company is possessed OF but ordi-
nary energy. To effect, therefore, anything
} at all, he must hold Columbia or Florence.
If be takes Columbia he will have no more,
strategically speaking, than had be re-
manned at Augusta; and, politically, he
will have an empty town, with defenceless
women and children, and perhaps a few
cEoakers, left behind. And, finally, if he
takes Florence, he must have BrauchviIle
also to hurt Charleston. This would ne
cessitate the occupation of a line one hun.
dred miles in extent, which would be out
OF the question because of its impractica.
bility.
Gen. Sherman. fooled for the first time BIZ
the failure of Butler before Fort Fisher, is
now determined to push Gen. Hardee to
the wall before reinforcements, now has
teniDg to the scene of conflict, can arrive.
: His grand combination being postponed or
miscarried, we do not desire to judge him
nor any other general before all of his
movements are developed; we wish, how
ever, to say that we will consider him q
great captain if he ever reaches Weldon
with an army intact; if he does not, his
successes in the State of South Carolina
can only be temporary, aud his march
through Georgia will have proven what
we now strongly suspect it in reality to
have been, an absolute necessity-a move
ment which, while we cannot help admir-
ing its audacity, We would not wish to
cite as an example to be followed by mill
tary students.