, 1865-04-03

THE NEWS.
Alter Three days terrific fighting, the army
4f the Potomac has struck d0ath blow at
the very heart of the rebellion. a gear ago
Lieutenant General Grant, by a'<cries Of bril-
limit flank movements, forced Lee back. step
ly step, into luis capita. Month atter month,
apparently accomplishing little, /: not lying
5dle..he IVES in reality gradually sealing up
every ayenue Of communication and tighten.
ing every rope in the tolls he was drawing
fort to break through, but the tension WAS
too strong, and he was forced back, while
Grant gained little trner foothoid. Pa
7icntly rs tue spider he worked until
The appointed time came to witness
the culmination of> his plans. Lee
rad prcsentiment Of the coming fate,
and made tle most tcrculcan efforts in his
attacks On FORTS Stcdman aud Haskell to
break through and escape, but al! in vain.
The Potomac fleet, strengthened by the ves
sells released from blockade duty, is made
useful at last, in guarding the right flank,
and the Army Of the James Is rapidly trans-
aerred to the left.
All is nov ready and Grant hurls bis 1e-
Eions with all the fury OF thunderbolt
against the .elel works. Sheridan, the hero
of the sheua ndoah, with his splendid 1idcrs
and the Fifth Corps. lead OF with the cap
1ure Of th1cc brigades, wagon train and
several batteries. Wright, Park and Ord,
with impetuous ralor, break through
the rebel center and pierce their cFumbling
line, while Warren nnd Sheridan come sweep
5ng down on their tlank, turn it aud gain tie
rear. The latest dispatch from the President
announces that several forts, guns and pris-
.oncss, have been captured, and that the South
Side 1ood Is in our hands, Wright being en-
gagged IN tearing It up, thus destroying the
last line Of rebel communication. General
Grant roughly sums up tho 1esults Of tho
fighting thus far ut II 900 prisoners and tlfty
pieces Of artillery, with Sheridan and War
,rcn yet to hear from. They will be likely to
Increase The figures, especially the former.
No reporter for the Potomac army has ever
sentmore welcome orimportant dispatches 10
the American Press than those wei publish this
morning from "a Lincoln, City Point, Va"
7!e beats MI the professional Bohemians In
point Of time clear out Of sight.
AT 8a- NJ April 2, be telcgraphs that Gen.
Sheridan with his cavalry and the 5th Corps
of Infantry had swept arou1d the rebel right
wing and captured utres bri2ades and s.grrdl
batteries, and that general advance Of the
whole line had been ordered. At II D.. N. hc
tclegraphs that Grants infantry had s.ormed
the rebel works in front Of Petersburg while
Sheridan WIS sweeping down on the rear and
that general smash up Of the rebel army
was taking place. We defy my "special re-
porter to beat thatnews, unless he announce:
the surrender OF Lees whole army and tbe
capture Of Richmond. We believe that "a
Lincoln " will be tho first to make e:cn thai
announcement, and TINT he Will be among
1he13rst after Phil. Sheridan to enter Rich
mond. We are prepared to read dispatch
from him before the week closes, dated
Spottswooa House. Richmond. Things art
working.
Ono dispatch fiom the President states tha!
Gen. Sheridan had captured three brigade.
and several oatteries.' There is no question
:tbcut his taking the batteries. He has 6
. lecn scent for rebel artillery. He never Sett
sight Of scccsh cannon but he makes dire
at 1t, and never 1ails to capture it. He is The
great artillery snateher. We predict that he
will gobble every great gun in Lees army be-
fore be gets through. he has passion fol
1vbcl ordnance which seems to grow on what
it feeds.
Font Sumter WIS bombarded into surrcn'
der to the rattle snake fig on the 18th day
of April, 1861. The wnr may be said to date
from that day. The bombardment Of Snnte,
was The declaration and beginning OF tht
dearful struggle. Ten days hence tile con
test Nill have lasted fur years. We predie
1hat, practically, the war will be over ere thE
four years are fully ended. The head Of ths
serpent secession will be bruised when Rich
mond is captured and Lees army "smashei
up" and We believe both Till be done befors
the 18th Of April. There may be some othe'
fighting On limited scale in Texas- The
tail of the snake may exhibit some vitality
after the bead is crushed, Int it dies wher
the sun goes down. So The rebellion, In it:
extreme points, must quickly succnmb afte
Lees umy1s destroyed and its capital takc1
possession Of by the Union troops.
Another Union force makes its appearance
on the scene Of action, in the shap. Of Stone
cuan's cayal1y from East Tennessee, who hav
captured Boone, N. C., end routed 8 rcbs
force there.
The onion force advancing through Al.hs
xna is capturing railroad trims, and ha
thrown Montgomery into panic.