Year: 1864

Early's Advance Down the valley.
Grants movement, made on Thursday, was
of the greatest Importance. His recent opera
tions on the north of the James had the effect
of keeping at Richmond portion of the force
ordered to the valley; and that portion would
have so strengthened Early as to give him
much greater confidence than he now possesses.
Moreover, the operations on the north side
drew that way so much of Lees remaining
force as to weaken very much his right This
was the legitimate result of the extension OF
Grants line. If Lee, with a smaller force,
guards line Of the same length, be must have
many weak points in it, and the perception of
one Of these has enabled Grant to seize the
Weldon road In this operation Grant appears
in his true light-not at all as lucky soldier,
who sees weak point aud goes at it, but as
man possessed of far deeper power and who
makes the opportunity that he intends to profit
by. His position is now really the one that he
has striven for all the way from the Rapidan-
q position that compels Lee to come out of his
entrenchments and assume the offensive. Grant
then fights in a position of his own choice. In





desperate attempts to drive him from it.


Though the occupation of the Weldon road is
an important point gained, we must not expect
that it is to give us at once a decisive result.
Its occupation now will not, of course, have the
great effect that it would have had at the time
when the other great line of supply had just
been cut Now, we must consider that the
Virginia Central road has been put in
repair, and also that the enemy has
column in the Shenandoah valley, and can
thereby doubtless avail himself to some ex-
tent of its harvest. But we should consider
also that this occupation Of the Weldon road
puts Lee under the necessity to keep column
in the valley, in order to hold it till he can get
the harvest, and thus necessarily weakens the
resistance on Grants front The valley
column is now necessity Of Lees position. He
cannot withdraw it at any time that he makes
up his mind to leave Pennsylvania or Washing
ton alone and give his whole attention to
the other hand, it now becomes more than ever
necessary to drive Early up the valley, and by
q timely reinforcement Of Sheridan's column
the government can improve the most golden
opportunity it has had this year.


For the first time in the history Of the war q
rebel column, on its march down the Shenan-
doah valley, is confronted by general who
cannot be stampeded out of the way. Early
Is reported at Winchester, with cavalry ad-
vance at Martinsburg, and Sheridan is in
place. The solution Of the position
in the valley is . pslpsble one. II Early wants
to 60 to Maryland be cannot do it without ex-
posing his flank, or without the certainty that
Sheridan will strike his rear as he crosses
the Potomac, aud force q battle under such
circumstances that the least re-
verse will endanger the escape Of Early's force.
If he should desire to approach Washington on
the front, he will have the same difficulty and
a yet harder road to travel. He must disable
Sheridan before he can take another step. His
necessity is battle, and such advantage will
be taken of that necessity that he will have to
fight his battle where and when Sheridan
pleases. Sheridan will, we do not doubt, sufl-
ciently retard Early's operations to deprive
them of their intended effect.