The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-10 00:00:00

'"i THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

(From the Times' Correspondent.)
NEW YORK, OCT. 25.
The great and crowning achievement that was to
carry Mr Lincoln into the Presidential chair amid
a blaze of glory was to have been the capture of
Richmond. It must be admitted that Gen. Grant
tried hard to attain the end ; that the War Depart-
ment cordially supported and aided him ; that he
had all possible supplies and reinforcements; that
he no sooner sacrificed ten thousand lives in one
failure than another ten thousand were placed at
his disposal; that the country saw a full hundred
thousand of his magnificent host melt away in the
battle field, in the camp, and by desertion, without
much complaint, and, in fact, with scarcely a mur-
mur; and the strategy of the Lieutenant-General,
whether it seemed to promise success or to bode
failure, was subjected to none but the kindest criti-
cism on the part of the Government, the press, and
the people. After six months of continuous effort,
Grant, thus highly supported, encouraged, and
favoured, finds himself no nearer the consummation
than he was when he crossed the Rapidan early in
May, and the friends of the Administration are be•
ginning to resign themselves to a close of the cam-
paign, and the postponement of further operations
against the Confederate capital until the spring of
1865. But as such an apparent defeat of a great
purpose might have a bad effect on the public mind,
it has been resolved to strike a heavy blow and
snatch a brilliant victory in another direction.
Nothing that Gen, Sheridan can do in the Shenan-
doah Valley will be adequate for the political emer-
gency which Effli3ts the Government; and Gen.
Sherman is too far away, too isolated, too uncertain,
and in too critical a comdition, to allow much room
for the hopo that any success he may achieve will
be great or opportune enough to pin votes for
Nlr Lincoln on the Bth November. A new scheme
has therefore been devised. Gen. Grant has been
to Washington to give his opinion upon it. Mr,
Stanton has been to the camp of the Army of the

Potomac, accompanied by Mr Fesseuden, to hear
further details, the one to calculate the cost in men,
and the other the cost in money ; and, last of all,
Admiral Porter has had several long private inter-
views with the Lieutenant-General in his tent. The
scheme is no other than a combined attack of the
land and naval forces upon the city of Wilmington.
The fact has not yet found its way to the newspa-
pers, but has for some days past been the subject
of conversation iu the upper circles of politics and
finance in this city and Washington. The sudden
attack of Gen. Early upon the Federal forces under
Sheridan on the morning of the 19th, an attack
which at one time was within a hairsbreadth of
being the greatest disaster the North has sustained
since the first battle of Bull Run. caused a tem•
porary postponement of operations, and General
Ricketts and his division, who were under orders to
proceed to North Carolina, were transferred to the
Shenandoah, and took part in the battle of Cedar
Run, where the General received a wound which is
likely to prove fatal. There being considered no
farther danger on the Shenandoah, or adequate
measures having been taken to strengthen General
Sheridan against the possibility of a renewed attack
by General Longstreet, who is known to have
assumed command in the Valley, the expedition
against Wilmington has been resumed, and WuB to
have started between the 20th and 24th inst., un-
der the command of Admiral Porter. The invading
fleet is reported to consist of upwards of 40 vessels,
inclusive of either eight or ten ironclads ; and the
co-operating land force will number about 40,000
men. The Admiral's orders are "to go in and
win," and the friends of the Administration are
confident that he will do so, though he should sa-
crificer third or oneehalf of his fleet in the attempt.
In short, they believe that the capture of Wilming•
ton will be the biggest thing of the war, and
throw all former Federal victories into the shade
by its dash and completeness. Letters from naval
and military officers to their friends and relatives
in this city tell them to expect to hear stirring news
within ten days from the 20th inst., or about the
Ist of November, and add that the Admiral evi-
dently anticipates hot and hard work, inasmuch as
his surgical and hospital appliances are of a magni-
tude such as have not been customary in previous
battles. Little seems to be known of the land or sea
defences of 'Wilmington, but there are North Caro-
linians and others in this city who assert that the
Federal Government is " counting its chickens
before they are hatched," in expecting an easy or
any victory ; that Wilmington will be found as
difficult to take as Mobile and Charleston—that the
Confederate Government has long known that such
an attack as that now threatened would sooner or
rater be made—and has spared neither time, nor
skill, nor expense, to construct such defences, in
addition to those with which it is favc,ured by
nature, as to make it impregnable.
Such is the immediate military situation, present
and prospective. It must be added, however, in
reference to the election, that Mr Lincoln is doing
hie utmost in the few days remaining before the Bth
of November to diminish the opportunity which
the control of the army and the use of the national
puree have given him of perpetuating his power.
While Generals Grant, Sheridan, and Sherman, to
say nothing of Admiral Porter, are busily working
in his behalf, and striving to win the victories that
shall secure him tile votes of hundreds of thou-
sands of waverers, who consider him a military as
well as political failure, he on his own part is
doing his best, though unintentionally, to nullify
these advantages, and to prove to such Americans
as still respect the law and the constitution
that he is unscrupulous enough to attempt
to win unfairly if fair play will not answer. It
was evident, from his undignified reply to the Ten.
nesseean deputation on the 15th inst., that he some-
times forgets, in his vehement desire to be President
from 1865 to 1869, that he is President in 1864,
and that his duties as actual chief magistrate may
conflict with his interests as candidate for a second
term of office. Whenever such conflict does occur,
it looks as if he would be not only ready but eager
to give his interest the precedence, if not to sacrifice
hie duty altogether. The Tennesseeans waited upon
him, not because he was Abraham Lincoln, one of