The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-12 00:00:00

CONFEDERATE CORRESPONDENCE.

The following intercepted Confederate correspon-
dence will be read with interest:—

" Adjt.-General's-office, Richmond, June 28.

" General,—While with the President last evening
I received your letter of the 23d inst. After reading
it to the President, he was embarrassed to under-
stand that part of it which refers to the plan of
assembling an army at Culpepper Court-house,
under Gen. Beauregard. This is the first intima-
tion that he has had that such a plan was ever in
contemplation, and, taking all things into conside-
ration, he cannot see how it can by any possibility
be carried into effect.

" Yon will doubtless learn before this reaches you
that the enemy has again assembled in force on the
peninsula—estimated between 20,000 and 30,000
men—from 6,000 to 10,000 of whom are reported to
be in the vicinity of White House, and the remainder
at Yorktown. It is impossible to say whether the
estimated number is correct, as the several accounts
vary and are not deemed altogether trustworthy ;
but the estimate, making due allowance for errors,
is quite near enough to satisfy the most incredulous
that he is in this vicinity in sufficient force in
cavalry, artillery, and infantry to do much harm,
whether his purpose be to make a demonstration on
Richmond or to confine himself to raids in breaking
your communications and devastating the country.
His efforts in the last case may prove more success-
ful than in the first, if we may judge by what took
place at Hanover only two days ago, when about
1,000 or 1,200 of his cavalry suddenly appeared
there and did some execution in breaking the rail-
road and burning a bridge, some buildings, and
public stores. It is important that this raid took
place only about two days after Gen. Corse's bri-
gade had left there for Gordonsville. Had it re-
mained at Hanover Junction it is reasonable to
suppose that most of the enemy's cavalry would
have been either destroyed or captured, and the
property saved from injury. Every effort is being
made here to be prepared for the enemy at all
points, but we must look chiefly to the protection
of the capital. In doing this we may be obliged
to hazard some other points. You can easily
estimate our strength, and I suggest for your con-
sideration whether in this state of things yon
might not be able to spare a portion of your force to
protect your line of communication against at-
tempted raids by the enemy.
" Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
" S. COOPER, Adjutant-General.
" General R. E. Lee, Commanding Army Northern
Virginia, Winchester, Virginia."

" Richmond, June 28, 1863.

"General,—Yours of the 23d received this even- I
ing, and I hasten to reply to the point presented in
relation to the forces on the coast of South Carolina
and Georgia. The hopes indulged as to our opera-
tions at the time which would intervene between
the discharge of the enemy's trained troops and the
substitution for them by others have been dis-
appointed by the very error against which it was
sought by warning to guard. Grant reached the
river, got reinforcements, made intrenohments, and
General Johnstone continues to call for reinforce-
ments, though his requisition was more than filled
by withdrawing troops from Generals Beauregard
and Bragg. General Bragg is threatened with
attack; has fallen back to his entrenched position at
Tullahoma, and called on Buckner for aid.
" General Beauregard says that no troops have
been withdrawn by the enemy from his front since
those returned toNewbern, and that his whole force
is necessary to cover his line. This being in answer
to a proposition to follow a movement of the enemy,
said to be to the west, with all his disposable force,
pointing him at the same time to the vital import-
ance of holding the Mississippi, and communicating
the fear that Vicksburg would fall unless Johnstone
was strongly and promptly reinforced. D. H.
Hill has a small force, part of which has been
brought here. Clingman's brigade is near Wil-
mington, Colquith's at Kingston, Martin's
nominal, on the railroad at Weldon, and C.
Cook's, Ransom's, and Jenkins's have been brought
here—the two last temporarily from the defence of
Petersburg and the country thereabouts.
" Wise's brigade is, as you left it, engaged in the
defence of Richmond and serving in the country to
the east of the city. The enemy have been re-
pulsed in large force at the White House, with
indications of an advance on Richmond. We are
organising
companies for home duties, and the
, spirit of resistance is increasing. Corse's brigade,