Feb. 1, 1862

Feb. 1, 1862: The New York Times publishes an editorial that features the ideas of an unnamed "military authority" who cautions against the On-to-Richmond strategy, instead arguing for an invasion of the Deep South in the West, with just a defensive army to protect Washington:
An eminent military authority of this country, has recently prepared some carefully considered strategical views of the campaign, which have been laid before members of Congress, and, we believe, also before the War Department. This gentleman, in opposition to the received opinion, takes the ground, not only that no "Advance from Washington" is intended; but that none ought to be made, if it were practicable. . . .
This strategical position our authority (a very high one) thinks must strike every military man as the only one which promises success and a speedy close of the campaign. To secure it, he advises at once withdrawing the greater part of the army before Washington, leaving say a garrison of 50,000 men in the intrenchments and on the river, and at once throwing 150,000 drilled and disciplined troops into Kentucky to unite with the armies of Gen. HALLECK and Gen. BUELL for a march upon Nashville. We should then have 300,000 men rapidly advancing on Nashville and North Alabama. Such a force would be irresistible, and Mississippi. Louisiana and Alabama would at once fall into our hands. …
With this plan our authority believes that the rebellion could in effect be broken down in two months, and the turning point in the military campaign be reached. –Gen. Grant wires to Halleck in St. Louis that he will be prepared to set out for Fort Henry on the evening next. He will have about 15,000 men in two divisions, commanded by Gen. Charles F. Smith (Grant’s former professor at West Point in days gone by) and by Gen. John McClernand, an Illinois politician. The roads being muddy and nearly impassable, Grant will ferry his troops upstream on river transports, accompanied by Flag Officer Andrew Foote and his flotilla of Navy gunboats.

–Private Emmett Cole, of the 9^th Michigan Infantry Regiment, stationed near Port Royal in Beaufort, South Carolina, writes home to his friend Marcus back home about the progress of the war:
Mark how does the features of the war look up there. I must say it looks rather dull to me, although our arms have been victorious in Kentuckey and many other parts but little skirmishers and scouting parties will never do tho to be shure they help, but I tell you what there has got to be some hard fighting done yet this is the long and short of it. they have got to be whiped before they will give up and if it is not done by next July it never will be done. what is Mc Lellan [McClellan] waiting for prehaps he knows his own business. but the American people understood that last fall was the time that the heavy blow was to be struck last fall passed and "all was quiet on the Potomac." winter came an open winter too and "all was quiet on the Potomac" the winter [now?] [I nearly?] gone and it is a splendid time for fighting "and all is quiet on the Potomac" next spring will come, then the roads will be too muddy, hence "all will remain quiet on the Potomac" next summer will be to warm and "all will be quiet on the Potomac" . . . . remember what I tell you that if we dont flag them before next July, the Eastern nations will recognize them as a confederacy and their excuse will be to trade. –Gov. Henry T. Clarke of North Carolina writes to the Confederate Secretary of War, Judah P. Benjamin, asking for more reinforcements and the help of military engineers. It is clear to all of North Carolina that Burnside’s army will soon be approaching Roanoke Island:

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,

Raleigh, February 1, 1862.
Hon. J. P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of War:
  

SIR: The various and conflicting rumors about the destination of the Burnside expedition is now settled by its rendezvous at Hatteras. It has no doubt suffered from the late storm, but not enough to divert its object or its means of successful assault. If you will glance at the map you will readily perceive the extent of injury both to North Carolina and the Confederacy by an expedition into the interior from any part of Albemarle or Pamlico Sound. And I regret again to allude to our inability to check so formidable an expedition, whatever route it may select, and I have refrained as long as I could from alluding to re-enforcements. I am aware of the zeal you devote to the immense labors before you, and of the great strain pressing on you from every quarter, and that you would send re-enforcements unasked if you had them to spare.

But I will respectfully tender a suggestion, and be gratified if it coincides with your views; that is, to spare us two or three-regiments from the Peninsula, particularly the Fifth North Carolina Volunteers. I make the suggestion on the ground that General Magruder has had every facility in men and good, skillful officers for seven months to fortify the Peninsula; that it has been successfully done; that his intrenchments, fortifications, and guns have been so successfully and extensively done that they can now be defended with one-half of the men required some months ago; that the place will only allow a defensive warfare, and he is prepared for that, and he can now spare some of his force. A commanding general always asks for more, and never consents to give up a single company. Upon these grounds I refer you to this position, where I hope you can spare at least our own regiment.

I thank you for aid of General Wise’s Legion to the Albemarle country, but I regret to say that Roanoke, not having the benefit of engineers and skillful officers, is not much benefited by the last four months’ occupancy of [it] by the Confederate Government. General Wise writes to me that it needs everything, whereas it should have been an impregnable barrier to the Yankees and a protection for a great extent of North Carolina and Virginia. There has been culpable negligence or inefficiency at this place. I hope Colonel Clarke’s (Twenty-fourth Regiment North Carolina Volunteers) regiment, now stationed at Petersburg, will have sufficiently recruited to be serviceable.

I have now to rely on an unarmed and undrilled militia for protection, and a draft which has been made for one-third of them has, I regret to say, developed or occasioned much dissatisfaction.

I tender these suggestions to you most respectfully. Should they fail in enlisting your favor, I shall regret to believe that there are other places besides our coast which claim your protection from overwhelming forces and need more help than we do, for I feel assured of your assistance if it could be spared.

Very respectfully, yours,
HENRY T. CLARK.