The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-05 00:00:00

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

(From the Special Correspondent
yciß
of the A
T;riesl . )
NEW2I.
It begins to be whispered that the attack on
Charleston was peremptorily ordered by the War
Department; that Admiral Dupont disapproved
it, unless he could be efficiently supported by
General Hunter; that General Hunter, not having
more than half the men requisite, declined the re-
sponsibility ; that their joint remonstrances were
unavailing; and that finally the Admiral was
ordered, nolens volens, to force the passage with his
iron-clads. The officials at Washington appear to
have taken a sudden fancy for the celebration of
anniversaries; and they calculated that if they could
but recapture Fort Sumter, and announce the fact
to the people of New York assembled in Union-square
on the 11th, they would perform a grand coup de
theatre, perpetrate a highly dramatic and agreeable
act of vengeance, fire the Northern heart with new
enthusiasm, and administer a heavy blow to the
South. But the President, though he issued positive
orders to the Admiral, is reported to have taken
counsel with his second thoughts, and to have come
to the conclusion that the War Department was

wrong in disregarding the remonstrances of its
officers, and to have despatched his private secretary
on a special mission to Port Royal, countermanding
all previous instructions, ordering that the attack
should be abandoned, and that the Monitors should
all proceed to New Orleans to co-operate with Gen.
Banks in a new attempt to force the passage of the
Mississippi at Port Hudson. The messenger, how-
ever, arrived too late. The attack had begun and
ended before he reached Port Royal, and many of
the iron-clads engaged in the unavailing struggle
had been so seriously damaged as to be unable to
proceed to the Mississippi without repairs. This

is the story which has been brought from Port
Royal by persons who profess to speak on authority,
and which is in all probability correct in its main
particulars. It will not tend to increase the public
confidence in the wisdom of the Administration,

though it may help to prove that Mr. Lincoln him-
self has more practical common sense than the
people who surround him.
General Banks is undoubtedly in peril in New
Orleans. He was sent to that city against his will,
with the malicious hope that he would so damage
his military and political reputation by his adminis-

:ration of that difficult department as to fall out o:

the list of candidates for the Presidency. This
question of the Presidency is the stumbling-block
in the way of every Northern man who aspires to
serve his country; and, lest Banks should become
too popular and powerful, it was graciously deter-
mined to give him a chance of ruining himself. But
the military authorities of Washington overshot

their mark. In sending him to Louisiana with a
force wholly insufficient to hold that State, and to
co-operate for the reduction of Port Hudson and
the clearance of the Mississippi, they incurred the
risk not only of ruining Gen. Banks, but the still
more imminent risk of losing New Orleans and the
whole of Louisiana. Hence it has been found abso-
lutely necessary to strengthen his hands ; and hence
the iron clad fleet, as soon as it has been repaired in
its weak and damaged places and mounted with
guns of greater calibre, will make its way, to the
mouth of the Mississippi. It is the wisest act of the
Administration. The possession of Charleston and
all the cities of the Atlantic seaboard would have
been of no real value to the North. M long as
they are blockaded, wholly or partially, the South
must suffer; but the capture of Vicksburg and Port
Hudson and the possession of the entire course of
the Mississippi from New Orleans to St. Louis
would do more than defeat the South, where it can
not afford to be defeated. It would sooth the suf-
fering and discontented North- Western States, re-
store some portion of their trade, and sensibly dimi-
nish the chances of a new secession. Unfortunately,
however, for the North, it is not alone Gen, Banks
who is in danger. Gen. Rosencrans is believed to
be in a most critical position. The Cumberland
River, which runs its long, tortuous course through
the heart of Tennessee, and floats the gunboats and
the steamers that supply his armies, is only navi-
gable in the winter months. Its waters have already
fallen four feet, and are sinking so rapidly as to
make it a question of a few days whether he can
continue to maintain himself without making a for-
ward movement against the enemy. The Confede-
rates under Gen. Joseph Johnson, their best, most
popular, and most trusted commander, are full of
confidence that, whether Rosencrans offers or ac-
cepts battle, he will be defeated. Thus it looks, as
the Americans say, " as if it would soon thunder ail
around." The indications certainly are that within
the next three or four weeks stirring news may be
expected both from Tennessee and Louisiana.
The Loyal League meetings, or, as they are now
popularly and appropriately named, " the Contra -
" tors' Meetings," are becoming a farce. They are
held in a succession far too rapid, and addressed by
speakers far too well-known and " ased up" to offer
any attractions to a public so enamoured of novelty
as that of New York. The anniversary meeting of
the capture of Fort Sumter by the Confederates
having been a failure, not only in number, but as
regards the gratifying announcement of the recap-
ture which its originators expected to make, it was
determined to summon another Loyal League meet-
ing, to celebrate the anniversary of what is called
" the great uprising of the people" two years ago
after Fort Sumter had been taken, and the Massa-
chusetts Volunteers had been killed in the streets
of Baltimore. The venerable General Scott, who
very recently notified by advertisement that the state
of his health and his daily increasing infirmities
would not again permit him to address or be present
at a public meeting, was persuaded to reconsider his
determination. It was arranged that he should not
attend to speak, but that he should preside from the
balcony of the Fifth-avenue Hotel, where he resides,
and that the meeting should be held in the street
below. It was expected by the originators of the
display that curiosity would draw together a con-
siderable crowd—and it did so. Madison-square
was tastefully decorated with flags ; cannon were
fired ; at intervals bands of music were stationed at
the street corners and at the stands where the
speakers were to hold forth ; a procession of sailors
from the Navy-yard at Brooklyn was marched to
the scene; and the "Express Companies," which do
the carrying and forwarding business of this
country, sent a long cavalcade of waggons, some
drawn by six and most of them by four horses,—
gray, bay, black, and brown—to add to the excite-
ment and attraction of the day, and please the mob
of small boys that congregated to see the show. The
and a cutting north-east
day was bitterly cold,
wind was blowing. But General Scott was true to
his word, and took his place on the balcony at four
o'clock, closely 'milled up Me large great-coat, with
a high collar, which allowed only a portion of his
He
face to be seen. was attended by his physician,
lest there should be any danger to his health. After

PRICE Ad.
STAMPED —.bd.

about half an hour's exposure he complained of the
cold, and asked for a shawl to wrap round his uc.:k.
Some one itumediately handed him a Federal ft. sg,
and it was wrapped around his chest and shoulders,
amid the vociferous applause of the spectators.
Either from inability to withstand further exposure
to the north-east wind, or from a sense of the ridi-
culous, the poor old gentleman determined to retire,
which he did about 5 o'clock. The proceedings
lasted until past 7, the principal speakers being Mr.
Bancroft the historian, Mr. John Van Buren, Mr.
Raymond of the New York Times, and other gen-
tlemen whose names figure constantly at these meet-
ings, and without whose presence the programme
would be considered incomplete. Nothing of any
note was said by anybody. It was the old story ;
the old "Buncombe," the old determination never
to listen to peace while there was a rebel in arms
(or a dollar to be made out of the war), and the old
boast of the immense resources of the Northern
people which would ultimately overpower all oppo-
sition, and defeat not only the South, but the world
in arms. The only novelty was the declaration of
Mr.lJohn Van Buren—received, however, without a
cheer—that a foreign war would be very inexpe-
dient. "We must," said he, " have no trouble with
any foreign Power. We must make this our sole
controversy until it is ended. We must keep friends
with Great Britain, with France, and with Russia,
so that there will be no interference from abroad.
I have no doubt we can do so." The sensation
headings in the newspapers proclaim that at this
meeting there were " Music, cannon, flags, and
cheers." They do not add, however, that there
was little else beside a crowd of idle people, not
one of whom will, in all probability, be induced to
volunteer into the fast diminishing armies of the
Republic in consequence of anything he may have
heard or seen, or any patriotic sentiment that may
have been instilled into his mind by the speakers.
The Herald, which is not slow in discovering the
current of public opinion, has declared against the
useless folly of such gatherings. " Those who
take part in them," it says this morning, " are
only losing their time and getting themselves
laughed at." Add to this the wide-spread feeling
that it was an act of heartless cruelty on the part of
these republican Barnums to make a show of Gen.
Scott, an octogenarian in very delicate health, and
the verdict of the public on this last Loyal League
meeting will be complete. It is estimated that from
12,000 to 15,000 persons were present. Two noted
Irishmen, Judge Daly and Mr. J. T. Brady, he of
" the silver tongue," were advertised to be present,
and the town was largely placarded within vitations
to their countrymen to gather around them, but
neither of them appeared. Mr. Brady sent a letter
of apology, and Judge Daly if present made no sign.
The murder of Col. Kimball by Gen. Corcoran
has excited so much ill feeling in the army, and led
to so much unfavourable comment everywhere ex-
cept in the columns of the newspapers, that the
General has deemed it advisable to explain the cir-
cumstances under which the tragedy occurred. He
says he was on duty at 3 o'clock on a dark morning,
bearing an order to the front for the Major-General

in command, when he was stopped by a man whom
he did not know, but whom ha judged by his sword
to be an officer, and asked in a dictatorial manner
and with a profane oath for the countersign. He
declined to give it until his questioner informed him
who he was and by what authority he acted. An
altercation ensued, much foul language passed, Col.
Kimball would not give his name, rank, or autho-
rity, and persisted in blocking the way. " Bran-
dishing his sword in one hand, and having a pistol
in his other, as I then supposed," says the General,
" he made a movement towards me with the evident
design of using them, and at the same time said, I
will be God -- if you shall pass.' It was at this
point I used my weapon. Nothing but the conside-

ration that my life was in danger—which I had

reason to fear—and the duty incumbent on me at
that particular time, when an attack was appre-
hended, would have justified me in my own mind in
taking the measurel then did. It was not until after
the occurrence that I learned who he was; but had

he been my best friend I .annot see how it could have
resulted otherwise, from the part he acted on that
occasion. With no authority to demand the counter-
sign, I should have been derelict in my duty had I
yielded to his demand." Dead men tell no tales.
Colonel Kimball is in his grave, and in default of
his explanations it is probable that the Court of In-
quiry before which General Corcoran expresses his
readiness to appear may acquit him of all but rash-
ness. But no real judgment can be passed until the
fact be ascertained whether the deceased was or was
not on duty. If he was, he was murdered ; if he
was not, he was cruelly slain ; and as this point can
be cleared up by the evidence of the superior officers
of the regiment to which the dead man belonged, it
is to be hoped that an official inquiry will be im-
mediately instituted. As long as a doubt remains,
even the Irish Brigade will not fight willingly
under Corcoran, and more than ordinary discredit
will hang upon the name of every political general,
without education or experience, who, like him,
was promoted for other than military reasons.
The civil war has either greatly demoralised a

large portion of the Northern clergy, or too many
of the persons who exercise in this country the
sacred functions of ministers of the Gospel are un-

fitted for their calling by want of education, man-
ners, and Christian charity. Foremost among the
abettors of strife, loudest and most relentless in
their denunciations of all who disagree from their
political and social dogmas, fiercest and most perti-
nacious in preaching a policy of vengeance and ex-
termination, such men as the Beechers and Cheevers
have made themselves conspicuous for every duality
which the meek and gentle teachers of the religion
of love should not exhibit. Hitherto such utter-
ance have been individual rather than collective,
and have sprung in a greater degree from the idio-
syncracies of the preachers than from the corporate
action of the Churches. But now it would appear
as if the evil example of the few had corrupted
the many; that the worst passions engendered by

he war had communicated their contagion to

the pulpit ; and that the clergy as a body had
become as insensate as the crowd, whose mad
ness and violence it ought to be their duty and
privilege to restrain. No less than 260 clergy-
men of the Methodist Episcopal Church assembled
in annual conference in this city on Snturday last ;
and, in the presence of a vast number of ladies,
uttered such ferocious sentiments and behaved
themselves in a manner so unbecoming as to justify
all quiet and sensible citizens d
into in the hope that every
one of them may be draw„
hte the ranks of the
army and forced to fight withouti tthhee perliivfiele\vgaesofnoat
substitute. The business before the Conference was
to o present a report on the state of theof nation,acuhsreis
0t
f;
eTheiNa,si
thatl
document set forth that the rebellilovnor\l:
but wi th
intimately t t wickedness;
identifiedof t
the ha thet
Kingdom
themselves national
leled
only
with
and religious liberty all over the
theto unconditionalpeopl
interestspledgedovernment ; that although the Con-
t thehe
members
loyalty ees
mt t
bo e
ther s
G
the rigbtof
Con-
ference did not deny
dis-
cuss and criticise the management of publice ateffairs it recommended great caution and prudence in its
exercise ; that the conduct of those "who influenced
r t Southern sympathies," im-
peded the prosecution
by
Political
affinities
ofalitgny . the war, wa
, which had the m
withouts a
thec
man-
liness of the rebels in arms ;" that it heartily con-
curred in the President's proclamation, which

" guaranteed" the boon of freedom to millions of
slaves ; that it rejoiced in the change of public
opinion abroad, especially in England ; and that it
prayed the Great Ruler of nations " to look on our
army and navy mercifully, and give success to our
arms so that this infamous rebellion might be
speedify crushed." The reading of the document
was received with the wildest enthusiasm. The
reverend politicians rose en masse, and marked their
approval of the most violent passages, especially that

3 (1,4,

which denonuee4 the "treason" of the fitortheri
friends of peace, by cheers, clapping of baniN, 4
stamping of feet: Bishop Scott, who presided,
was scandalised at the unseemliness of this be-
haviour, and informed the members that such
manifestations were not appropriate either to
themselves or to the occasion. The Rev. Mr.
Foster asked if the Bishop alluded to the clap-
ping of hands ? The Bishop replied in the
i.dlituaalive. Mr. Foster seemed to think the bis Lop
was wrong, for he declared that'' on the great event
of his life—ou the day when he was converted to
Jesus he arose and clappcd his hands unto the Lord.'
The Conference applauded as loudly as before; some
one cried out " Glory to God," and Mr. Foster sat
down, having, to all appearance, di6cninfited the
bishop, and carried off the honours of the discussion.
The Rev. Dr. Osborne, of White Blaine, said that
during the last year his mind had been in a constant
state of anxiety about his beloved country. ' He
had to contend against a great deal in his district,
for the infamous Copperheads were as thick as

blackberries, and he often felt as if he would like
thrashing a man to be a Christian virtue, that he
might have the privilege of digging into such fel-

lows." Here was loud laughter from the reverend
auditory as well as a fluttering of fans in the galle-
ries. Encouraged by this, Dr. Osborne went on to
say, " that if he were President Lincoln, instead of
suspending the writ of Habeas Corpus he would
suspend the Copperheads." The delight of the Con-
ference at this burst of wit, patriotism, liberality,
and mercy, having once again manifested itself by
clapping, stamping, and shouting, the presiding
bishop ventured to make a second remonstrance.
"He approved," he said, " of the resolutions, but
not of the clapping of hands and the stamping of
feet. The ministers ought not to forget their own
sacred character or the proprieties of the occasion.
If they wished to express their approval, let them
say, Amen ! till they raised the very roof above
them ; but let them remember above all things that
they were clergymen." The Rev. Mr. Foster, the
same who had "clapped his hands unto the Lord,"
said that the South hated the Yankees, despised,
scorned, and held them in ridicule, and he for one

hoped that the war would go on until such hellish,
devilish ideas were whipped out of the people of
the Southern States. To accomplish that object he
did not care if the war went on for one, two, or ten
years." A second Mr. Foster, recently from New
Orleans, where he had acted as chaplain to a regi-
ment, complained of the ladies of that city, who
insulted every Yankee they met in the streets,
sometimes crossing on the other side to show their
contempt. The common cry among them was,
" Take care of your pockets, here's a Yankee
coming." "He wanted that feeling whipped out of
the Southern people by shot and shell." The Rev.
J. R. Wakeley informed the Conference that " the
proper way to treat a Copperhead was to stamp your
heels on him." Suiting the action to the word he
stamped his foot violently on the floor, amid im-
mense applause of clapping, but not of Amens, suc-
ceeded by peals of laughter and a titter from the
galleries, when the Rev. Mr. Fox, apostrophising
the pantomimist, said, "Brother Wakeley, you
almost made a hole in the floor that time !" Up to
this point there had been perfect unanimity in the
meeting, with the slight exception of the Bishop's
mild remonstrances in favour of clerical propriety ;
but as soon as the votes were taken by yeas and nays
on the several resolutions appended to the report a
difference of opinion began to display itself. Two
gentlemen of New York, the Rev. Messrs. Cattell
and Setlek, objected to endorse or approve the Pre-
sident's Proclamation of Emancipation and the pro.
vocation to a war of races involved in it, and ex-
pressed their dissent with such a loud and emphatic

"No !" that the Conference was startled. Cries were
raised that Mr. Cattell should explain himself and
prove his loyalty. Amid much interruption, hisses,
and cries of " Sit down," "You're not loyal," he pro-
ceeded to explain that he loved the Union that he
was a Puritan of the old Massachusetts stock, and
that he was as loyal as any of them, but that "he
would not swallow their resolution on slavery, or
ever give up the right of free speech." By this
time the hour of adjournment had arrived, the reso-
lutions were carried, and the clerical brawlers dis-
persed. If the ideas they expressed be the Gospel
of the North, and they its recognised teachers, the
North may have a religion, but it is not Christianity
or anything like it.

6ir