Year: 1863

Day by day the track OF the destroyer
becomes broader. Two.thirds of Virginia,
two-thirds of Tennessee, the coasts Of North
and South Carolina, part of Georgia, nearly
all of Florida, North Mississippi, West and
South Louisiana, part of Arkansas and
Missouri, have already been laid waste, and
every hour brings tidings of fresh destruc.
ton. kilograms of Saturday informed US
that the enemy had destroyed million of
dollars worth of property on the Combahee
and stolen a thousand negroes; it was but
a few days ago that they ravaged the coun-
ty Of Mathews in this State, and even while
we write tidings come to US that they are
burning private houses and destroying eve
-ry grain of corn they can lay handson in
the county of King and Queen


Enough has been said of the barbarism
Of this mode of warfare, and too much has
to be confessed of the entire impunity with
which it is carried on. Our outcries and
our admissions of the weakness or the i'm
becility of our forces in the field, but add
to the hellish joy of the foe, without Stim.
ulating troops, Government or people to the
pitch of retributive vengeance. The belt
of desolation widens hourly, nor is there
much prospect Of an abatement of the evil.
Citizens complain Of the Government,
which in turn complains of the citizens
Meantime common inquiry is made as to
the existence and present whereabouts of
the organized forces of the Confederacy.


We may be sure this state of things will
continue SO long as the war is waged exclu.
siyely on Confederate soil. Every day the
enemy remains in our territory will add to
the width of the belt Of desolation, and they
who now fancy themselves out of danger
will soon discover their mistake. If a
theusand Yankee cavalry can ride entirely
through the State Of Mississippi, without
molestatlon, what is to hinder like num-
ber from going through Virginia, North
and South Carolina to Port Royal? Ger
tainly unarmed and unorganized citizens
will not hinder them.


The belt of desolation serves many pur-
poses of the Yankee nation. 1t opens the
way to free labor and Northern settlers; it
diminishes production and concentrates
Southern population within limits made
.quate to their support; it prepares place
for Yankee emigration if peace on the basis
of separation is declared. But this is not
all. 1t answers the purposes Of war as we'll
as peace, by interposing country destitute
of supplies between our own and the Yam
kee border. Thus it is safeguard against
invasion. If Lee should advance, he must
move through desert, dragging immense
trains of food behind him. The case is the
same with Bragg, with Johnston, with Price.
Indeed we hear that Price will on this ac-
count fud it difficult, if not impossible, to
enter Missouri, In front of all our large
armies liesa waste, where there is food for
neither man nor beast. Girded by belt
Of desolation, the North is safe from inva-
sion; the broader the belt the greater its
security. As the months wane and the
years roll on, the South, unless something
b. DONE, will become, in the language of
Scripture, "the abomination of desolation."
We believe that something will be done
The necessity of the case demands it i'm
psratiyely; would that we could be sure
that it will be done speedily. This cup
can be returned to the lips of the North
drugged with ten fold bitterness. Mercy
to ourselves demands this act of retributive
Justice to them.-Richnond Whtg.