Year: 1862

From the Richmond Dispatch, Jan. 30.


The enemy exerting themselves with immense
vigor destroy leading lines Of railway commupica
tion Rosecrans and Cox spent the whole summer in try
ing reach the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad some
point between Lynchburg and wythcville. They were
provided with all the troops and with every appointment
they could wish and they exerted themselves with zeal
worthy Of better In their important
But they disappointed, bafed and held back upon


the Kanawha until winter to render thor pro-
ect utterly mpractcable For tho present that plan
Of approach abandoned by the enemy and our railroad
enjoys safe temporary protection In the rgors Of winter


Their next plan Of attack, upon the same line Of
necton farther West was from the direction Of Ken
lucky into East Tennessee by Of the army OF
nine days. hero Of unpron0unceable name, General
SchoepE This movement combined the double Cd.
vantage Of threatening chief line Of railroad leading
to the West and Of forming the left wing Of the grand
army Of invasion 10 Kentucky. Irrespectively OF the
design upon the railroad the movement Was i'm
portant part Of the INVASION and rrcspcctivey or the
invasion, the Of value threatening the
railroad. Independently besides Of both these features
the movement was important, AZ afordng countenancs
TO the formidable disa!ection in East Tennessee.


The temporary and accidental success Of Schoep6 at
Somerset has taken the enemy by surprise They were
expecting victory in that quarter and their eation
the unexpected and unusual excseds all bounds
Forthwith is Schcepf confirmed as Brgadier General
and the fertile invention OF the Yankee s excessively
busy in bringing out cttous instances OF galantry and
prowess alleged TO have occurred on the banks Of Mill
creek From small dimensions, the victory grows daily
into greater proportions. II has already been magned
into full Offset TO Bull rum and is in far way 10 be-
come American Waterloo or Bienheim.


We have candidly conceded them q victory but our
less OF life and little, If at all, exceeds their own
and balance against consists at last only Of
OF animals, wagons stores and other maerel Of
Tho problem remains after all unsolved whether
they reach railroad for their victory does not
secure that result, sinks into the uniinportancs Of
mere successful frontier skirmish.


We not advised what steps have been taken by our
authorities to prevent their approach to the threatened
line but have doubt that ample provision has
made against such consummaton OF leading move
ment in the enemy's programme Although that great
line OF road has heretofore been much exposed through
inadverance or ignorance OF its real value and left
thn ~ oEa anf sfaot L.
sure in sort OF danger. The number Of troops
nesdfu for its protection is small compared with the
transcendent importance Of the line itself, and its pro
lection is guaranteed by so many weghy considerations
that think may safely assume that the public
authorities have become acquainted with its value that


Turning our stst6n therefore to the great Southern
line OF railway leading the Gulf States and Gulf Cities
find two routes Of importance and value. One OF them
tom is threatened by Burnside; and The other. l1avis
this city and passing through Danve Greensboro sails
bury Columbia and Eslania along ths Piedmont country
that supports the feet Of the Asghsniss though not
threatened and the safest Of all our routes yet lacks
link Of forty miles between Danve and Greensboro
yet completed. The President with great ssgscty and
propr urged the completion Of this link upon the
country his annual message but whether Congress has
responded TO the recommendation by directing the mme
date execution Of tho work. is still involved in the mys
teries OF their secret conclave This much IL certain
that the work s not yet Accomplished perhaps II Is not
vet begun and the fact remains that only line Of
necon with the South except the through the noun





threatened by Burnside.


We confess 70 haze lost all apprehension Of serious danger
harm 10 result from the ndraI expeditions Of tie eneny
In their history far, they have pyoUsd pnceidy iHei
cient and frghy costly 10 The federal erchequer. They
hars inflicted hde comparative damage upon u.s. and in
military point of hare turned be the nsos eched
oLoTons Great expectations were cherished Of Burn
sides armada and the probabilities that 1t will prove
the most stupendous failure Of them ALL Notwthstand.
ing these things, however, the most harmless weapon
that be employed against adversary contempt
To pso and undcrrste enemy Is the most fatal
blunder known in warfsle; The presence OF twenty
thousand in the waters6f North Carolina with many
and all the equipments OF an army Ia asubect do
serving any other treatment than that of supns ndier
ence and contempt There troops engaged in this
war capable of better service than the brave
and the enterprise Of Burnside will him many lives
and casualties, IL IL does not cost his whole army. But
vet accident, successful sudden push OF hand
full Of troops unguarded direction may bring them
abreast Of railroad aud enable them break up the
line Of travel by burning few wooden bridges.


Is IL meet that should subject ourselves 10 90 mi
nent hazard without providing the remsdy9 Ought not
this Danvle and Greensboro work 10 be Immediately
put in hand and at completed Better that the
whole industry OF great region country contiguous to
the needed line Of should be stopped and put upon
the work than that the interests OF the entire
dependent upon open railroad communications should be
imperilled.