Review Of The Situation

The efforts made by the eneiny dunug the past three years of the wiir have been sueeessfully foiled. and the fourth year of the conflict fitids both belligerents in very nearly the sanie positions that they vvero it the opening of the contest. The loss of the Mississippi river and New Orleaus woro unquestionubly material injuries to the confedérate cause, but time and events have shown tbem not to be irreparable 'f ennessee and Arkansas wreeted from the control of the con fedérate authoritiee, have been of no practical iiuportance to the eneaiy. The work of conquest and subjugation lies yet in the future The ' anaconda" strategy weakeiied the enemy, and gave lessons of praolical inslruction to the confedérate authorities. Noue but a vain íílorious and boastfnl fee would have defied the lessnns of military experience, and essayed a policy which has been avoided by every great comtuander. It lias been at last abandoned, and the strategy of concentration determines! upon Bat, fortanately, the fulliea of three years have very mucli diminished the Corees of the enemy, and bis coneeniration for the nest campaign mut be made at the sacrifice of some 011e or more of the points that have already beengaiued. If Virginia is selected for the theatre of the war this yar, either the army in Tennessee, or" bufore Charleston, or beyoiid the Mississippi must be weakened beforo the nunibers neeessary oau be collected. The two millions of men wbieh the muster rolla of the enemy exhibit existoulyi idle boasi. Grant's Army of the Pototnuo numbers at best not more than fifty thousand of all anus. - The two corps, the Eleven tb and Twelfth reeently brought from Tennessee, numbering together but eight thoussnd men Buromde's corps, the Ninih, never very large, has been recruited with negroes and new men, and the more of these ho h:is collectjd the less formidable will they prove, befare tbo neasoncd and warworn veterans tliey 'vill meet, whether they adv-ince from the Kappuliannoek or up the Península. Sigel, in the lowor valley, lina a siuail forcé neither formidible in Dumbers nor in leadership. - Grar.t conoentrated about Dinetj thousand men in Chaitanooga, drawing thein from the Army of the Potomao on the e-)st, and the army at Vicksburg on the west. But from wiat quarters can he colloct ninety thousand for the spring eampaign? He may wi'hdraw the ten or üfteen thousand men tiiat havo been For nearly a year besieging - but these are in part negroes, and to that extent a positive injury. It ho furthei weakens Sherman's force in Tennessee he puts in hazard all the work of the last three years. These fact plainly show the advunce made tovvard final triumpl by the confedérate armies. The equali zation of foroes in point of Dumbers reduces the final triu:::ph withio the reacli of o"ne or two important yictories. The blückade has been very Eucoessful ; ii bas clossd ev.ery port but onp, and great j ly injured th-e trade through that. It has rnuíh enhanced ihe financial difiiculties of the confedérate authorities, but, it has done little elso toward accomplish ing tbo euds and objeots of tbe war. - VVhen to the oost of the blockade arO added the larga expenditures of the enee?t apdn ïheïr nï'iy, wbisb baS j)rJot èo