Year: 1864




Piping Tree, within eleven miles Of Rich.
mond, without an engagement with Cen
Lee. He might have come up the PENN
sula, perhaps. TO FAIR Oaks, and joined
hands with Butler on the south side, as
some still expect him to do, and this be
will doubtless proclaim, in the end, to have
been the object of all his circuitous route.
By each Of these ways Of advancehe would
have brought Gen. Lee from the Rapidan
nearer to Richmond. He did not take
them, because there were dangers and de'
fects. He preferred the first and the sec
ond before the third, and this before tue
fourth That he abandoned after trial
the two first. is due to two clear defeats
in battle.


SO far from losing ground Lee has gained
manifest advantages by each change Of the
lines. II is easier to defend that portion oi
his line which is near to Richmond than
that which was far removed from it. lie
is far better situated now than at Spottsyl
vania Court House, and that was better
than the Wilderness. In either place his
supplies, stores and reinforcements had to
come up from Richmond The country has
been long since scared and beaten into q
desert by the drums aud tramplings Of
three invasions. From the railroads to hls
camp weary miles of red mud were always
iuterposed by every shower His cavalry
is VIGOROUSLY defective, aud has always
proven inefficient To protect his comnuni-
cations at those moments whom they were
most needed. While operating on the
lower rivers all of these troubles are over.
A few hours give him his supplies. The
roads can no longer be severed with impu.
nifty. The difficulties under which he has
labored are transferred to the score OF the
enemy. Perhaps conviction that 1t would
be SO was the reason which made Grant
prefer to encounter Lee in the Wilderness,
instead OF coming straight 10 Milford.


Considering the whole facts we think the
time has come when Confederates may ex-
change congratulations No reAecting man
can doubt that the general situation is very
much improved since tue day when Grant
crossed the RaPidan and Butler landed at
Bermuda Hundred. That aoas indeed q cri
ticai moment. The Confederate government
had been well warned oi the concentration
against Richmond Ii was half convinced
of its reality. But it was only half belief;
| an idea rather theoretical than practical
1t was just enough moved to render it ac-
tive in recruiting the divisions which Lee
had with him on the Rapidan. 1t was not
so satisfied of the truth as to collect all the
divisions OF Lees army in their place, or
even in the State 1t made no unusual col,
lection OF material in Virginia. But through
out the winter the enemy marched up his
men from every quarter OF the United
States to the outer lines of Virginia. Fully
determined To make the blow decisive, he
spared no cost or means--aeted without reI
gard to future campaigns Uninterrupted by
any disturbing cause, he placed his armies
in positions whence they could be brought
| upon vital points OF attack in few hours
Of movement. When oil was quite ready,
and tie roads entirely dry, the signal was
given, and the two masses OF destructive
material struck us, warneG, but i'll prepared
at the same instant. That was indeed q
critical moment But the ship had an Or
iginal strength sufficient to standthe shock.
Lees thin army beat the chief force of the
enemy in the Wilderness; the second blow
was deadened by the Notifications near
Drury. Every moment since elapsed has
been gain to u.s. Time was all We wanted
to bring up Beauregard, and we got time
When he forced the enemy from his in
treuchments and reopened communications,
and when Lee had given final answer to
the question whether he was able to stand
up against the full weight OF Grant, the
chief danger the danger Of being crushed
under the rush Of an avalanche, ceased to
exist. IL is true that the chance of battle
may yet, some day, fall against us; but it is
certainly far less probable now than then,
and, therefore, We think there is convin-
cling, solid reason 10 believe that the mill
tary situation at this moment is much more
favorable to us than when Grant crossed the
Rapidan.