Year: 1865

little while ago. Just after Buffers failure,


while they crowed over his repulse, they


seemed to tremble with the consciousness that
they had been at the edge Of d precipice, and


that little push on Buffers part might have


toppled their whole establishment over into an


abyss of ruin. Then they showed elaborately
what disaster that loss would have been.
There has been no change since that could
affect the result Of such an event. Just what
the loss Of Wilmington would have been to the
confederacy at the time of Buffers failure, that
it is now; and now that Fort Fisher Is in our
hands-and the Southerners admit that Will
mington must follow tive may, in the view
they gave Of what q disaster that event "might


have been," find very honest Southern view


Of the situation as it stands at present


One Of the best Of these articles appeared in


the Carolinian, published at the capital of South


Carolina That paper apparently did not con-


slider that there was any military situation


except in the Atlantic States, all efforts else


where being Of no account In the Atlantic


States there were Sherman and Grant, and the


armies commanded by these generals were but


the parts of one grand combination for the


capture of Ricomond and the destruction


of Lees army. Such, indeed, they are. But


the Cdrolinian thought the capture of Fort


Fisher and Wilmington necessary conditions


without which the combination must fail, and


with which it had every probability Of success


before it. Therefore it uttered its congratula-


tions over Buffers repulse as having averted "a


serious danger to General Lee and his indomi-


table army" and as having "foiled Sherman for


the first time" So, in the last victory Sherman


has another success and Lee is in a new dam


ger. Sherman, in the opinion Of the Cdrolinian,
could never reach Virginia marching through
South Carolina, because Hood, Cobb, Smith,
Beauregard, Hardee and Bragg would be in
the way, and on account of the difficulties of
the country; neither could he take Charleston.
Union armada taken Fort Fisher" In that case
"Charleston would have fallen, Weldon would
have been in the enemy's hands in few days,
and the grand federal combination would have
been near consummation with the appearance
Of General Sherman in the rear of General
A1UCs NO, IL uO oPAAiiOA Va CiO oOu0A O"AOAAAAs'


rebels, the game is up. Charleston and all other
| important places that the rebels hold are
as good as ours. Lee and his army are Gin


serious DANGER" and Grants grand plan is on


the very eve Of triumph. All this the Richmond
papers call a blessing in disguise"


Such is a Southern view of the situation Is


it possible that the rebels can change this so as
to save the rebellion yet On this point we
have a very decided opinion from another
ardent rebel. "There is really no prospect"
says the Richmond Erdmisser, "of change in
executive policy. The defects of mind and


character which have produced the past will


continue to operate in future events" Davis
is ga weak but presumptuous ofaciaW-a sort
Of "wooden clock, wound up to run six
years'-and is worthless in his present place
under present circumstances. So, according to
the rebels themselves, the capture Of Fort
Fisher well nigh ends the war; and it is no
wonder if the rebel Congress and JEFF. should
each be very eager to make peace on its own
account, careless whether or no every one else
is left out. in the cold, SO that the successful
peace maker-the highest bidder-can save his
own particular bacon.