The Daily Dispatch: September 23, 1864., [Electronic resource]

We did not think proper yesterday morning to make any remarks, except in the news columns of this paper, upon the reverse experienced last Monday by the army under General Early. We preferred to wait until we could gather more facts and form a more decided opinion from the concordance or discrepancy of such portions of the testimony as were presented to our observation. Even now, after the lapse of several days since the action, the materials for a correct judgment are very scanty. These facts, however, seem sufficiently clear:

The army under Sheridan has, of late, been powerfully reenforced by fresh troops — believed to be from Sherman's army. The unfortunate truce, into which General Hood seems to have been seduced by a mistaken humanity, afforded an opportunity for this operation. Sherman has fortified himself at Atlanta, as it was foreseen that he would, and has worked upon the fortifications until he has made them nearly impregnable. He trusts their defence to a comparatively small body of men, and he sends off the remainder to Grant, who uses them at Petersburg, or in the Valley, as the occasion may require. In the Valley, they have enabled Sheridan to strike this blow. At Petersburg; nothing has yet been attempted. But there can be no doubt that many of Sherman's troops have already arrived in Grant's camp, and many more are on their way.--The same plan which failed so signally last summer is to be tried again this fall. A heavy force is to be poured into the Valley to capture Lynchburg, the Tennessee railroad, and the James River canal, and to obtain permanent possession of the Danville railroad. The Central railroad is to be taken and held by a column pushed on from Fredericksburg to the Junction, which will give the command of both roads. They are to lend the hand to another column to be landed at the White House. Richmond is thus to be cut off from all communication, and finally invested by a powerful army of Yankees; and not withstanding their repeated failures, they believe that they will capture it this time, with, probably, Lee's whole army. They do not regard blood or expense, provided they succeed.

There is one objection to this plan. It is the anaconda, (on a contracted field,) within whose folds General Scott proposed to stifle the liberties of the Confederacy. It places the troops of the Confederacy in a central position, and enables them to strike right and left at their enemies, always taking them in detail. That it will succeed if put into execution against such troops as ours, commanded by such a General as Lee, we do not believe for a moment. Yet, that it is the plan which is to be tried, seems plain to us, if for no other reason than that it was the plan of last summer, which failed so egregiously. These combined operations rarely ever succeed. They resemble a complicated piece of machinery, which is rendered entirely useless by the loss of a single screw. They are liable to a thousand accidents. A general may oversleep himself, or a column may take the wrong direction, or a battalion may arrive too late at the rendezvous, or some general may misunderstand orders, or some one of a thousand casualties, each of itself sufficient to upset the whole scheme of the campaign may occur to mar the plan. Nevertheless, the Yankees have made a good beginning, provided they can only keep it up. To seize Lynchburg is certainly their object just now. Can they do it?

We are confident that they cannot. General Early was defeated, certainly, and compelled to retire. But it is obvious that, though his loss was severe, (according to his own statement,) his troops were neither discouraged nor demoralized. He appears to have brought off his whole train of wagons and munitions with very trilling loss. He fought all day and he lost but three pieces of cannon. He seems to have drawn off his forces in a leisurely and orderly manner; and he occupied, at last accounts, a strong position, which can be attacked only in front, unless the enemy make a very long detour in order to turn his flank. That he inflicted a great loss upon the enemy is evident from their having neglected to pursue him. He is in a country where strong positions, in which a small army can set a large one at defiance, are to be found in abundance. There are many admirable spots for battle-fields between him and Staunton, and many more between Staunton and Lynchburg. He is now in a country which Jackson rendered immortal by the skill, rapidity and success of his movements; and he is not in a position so perilous as Jackson was after the battle of Kernstown, and before the brilliant exploits which set him free from the enemies that surrounded him, and enabled him to throw his whole force upon the right wing of McClellan at Cold Harbor. He seems to have fought a battle as obstinate as that which Jackson fought at Kernstown, and to have stunned his enemy quite as much as Jackson did on that occasion. Should he even not be reinforced, as he will be no doubt, he yet has it in his power to prevent the enemy from perfecting his plan of seizing Lynchburg preparatory to isolating General Lee, and he will exert his utmost to do it.

The enemy will raise a great cry of triumph over this victory. We should not be surprise hear that another day of thanksgiving had been ordered by Lincoln, who is always thankful for the smallest favors. The Yankee press will not he more than usual. That it could hardly do. But it will lie to the full extent of its very extraordinary capacity for exaggerating truth and suggesting falsehood. This battle will secure the election of Lincoln, of which, indeed, there was no doubt before. It will set a few croakers to work in our midst; that is easily done. But it will have no effect whatever upon the issue of the war. In the meantime, we are happy to perceive that it has not materially affected the spirits of our people generally, who have become accustomed to the casualties of war, and know that unvarying success cannot be expected. No disaster can be fatal, indeed, as long as the people continue true to themselves. The great poet says of Greece:

‘ "Enough! no foreign foe could quell
Her soul, till from itself it fell,
And self-abasement paved the way
For villain bonds and despot's sway."

’

The people of the Confederacy, or, at least, the people of Virginia, are fully sensible of this. No calamity has occurred during the war which has made a lasting impression upon them. Stunned for a moment, they soon recover and proceed at once to do all in their power to repair the disaster. It will be so now it has been so in cases much more serious than the present. The people of Virginia are aware that they are on the eve of a tremendous struggle for the retention of their capital. They are prepared for it, and will put forth their strength to the utmost. Should they even be overwhelmed, and lose the capital for which they are contending, they will not be discouraged. They know full well that there never was a struggle for liberty yet in which brute force was not on the side of the oppressor; that, in particular, this war would never have occurred had the forces of the parties been anything like equal; that in a struggle thus unequal, disasters must inevitably come, and days of gloom and uncertainty be consequent thereupon. But they know likewise, that by holding out to the end they will assuredly triumph, and this they will do in spite of all that fortune and superior force can do against them.--Virginia is as determined this day to persevere until her independence and that of her sister States be secured, as she was on the day that she seceded from the Union. Reverses in the field, the slaughter of her young men, the affliction carried home to nearly every family within her boundaries, the loss of property, the desolation of whole districts, the fury of a war unparalleled in dimensions and ferocity, have produced in her no change or shadow of turning. She thinks no more of giving up the day after a defeat than she does the day after a victory. Other States no doubt, entertain the same sentiments and resolutions. We speak only for Virginia.