The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-01 00:00:00

AMERICA.

-
The New York Times of the 19th ult. contains

the following summary of intelligence:—
" Our reports from the army of the Potomac are
to the effect that all was quiet along the front—.
Wherever that may be. A rumour prevailed in
Washington last evening that our rear column had

had an Ongugement with the enemy, but it could
not be corroborated."

A special despatch from Warrenton, Nov. 17, to ,
the Philadelphia Press, says:--
"The whole army will be in motion when this
meets the eye of the reader. General Hooker was
advancing by daybreak this morning. He will be
followed tb-day by the grand divisions of Sumner
and Franklin. Jackson is retreating behind the
Manassas Gap, He lingers in the valley to observe
our movements and try to entrap a traia of stores
occasionally. In this he has failed several times of
late) and he is now falling back toward Charlotte-
yille. Our army moves with renewed and buoyant
spirits, and we may look for the happiest results
whenever and wherever the enemy is found."
The Wheeling Intelligencer is of the opinion that
the apprehension, of a raid by " Stonewall " Jack-
son on Cumberland and Creek is without foundation.
It says :

.‘ A highly intelligent gentleman with every faci-
lity for obtaining correct information, and who
made it a part of his business to do so, has just
come through from Baltimore to Hancock. He has
satisfied himself, from evidences obtained along the
route, that Jackson's main army is stationed at Ste-
phenson's depot, four miles north-east of Winches-
ter, on the Winchester and Potomac Railroad. His
men are destitute of tents, and it is believed that he
cannot possibly in their present situation even en-
tertain the
,ea of such an enterprise as the move-
ment aPPreheaded. He certainly could not perform
it unle-,a the weather were remarkably mild, and
he would hardly risk such a contingency.
In connection with this the Harper's Ferry corres-
pondence of the Baltimore American is of interest :
4, The river is slowly rising, and when the flow
from the mountains comes down, will be fordable
only at the most favourable points. With the river
in its present condition, and the likelihood of its
soon beingnitzth higher, it is hardly probable that
Jackson will cross into Maryland, unless he should
get po%session of the railroad bridge at North
Branch, eight miles below Cumberland. It is to be
presumed that point is so well guarded by this time
as to render it safe.
" The most stringent measures are to be adopted
with regard to those officers of the army who per-
sistently re :Hain absent from their commands with-
out adecpltate excuse, and proper means are to be
adoPte'a to reduce the number of absentees from the
arnri generally."
A despatch from Washington to an evening paper
says ;—..

" It is believed here that an attack upon Charles-
ton will not be long postponed. The rebels have
been making preparations for the attack for several
weeks, and if they are to be believed, will not sur-
retkder the city, simply bedanse it may be at the
mercy of one of our ironclads. The inhabitants will
be ordered to leave, and the town, if necessary, will
be consigned to flames rather than be surrendered.
So far as I can )earn, both army and navy desire
that the rebels should take precisely this coarse,
feeling that it would befit ~nd proper that this trea-
sonable city should be destroyed. The preparations
for attack are so perfect that there can be no doubt
whatever that one or more ironclads will succeed in
approaching 'che town, at least within shelling dis-
tance."

Gen. -Morgan's Cumberland Gap army has been
ordered into Kentucky from Western Virginia. The
oth Tennessee Regiment passed through Louisville
on Friday, and the other two Tennessee regiments
were en route.
The friends of the admistration, in reply to the
censures of General M'Clellan's partisans, confi-
dently assert that the Government is in possession
of letters from that officer, written during his Penin-
sular campaign, admitting that the force under his
,c,ommand was ample for the objects he had in view.
I hey also aw-,ert the exlsteuce ul evidence, that while
he was seemingly anxious to continue his operations
against Richmond from that base be was actually
intriguing to be recalled, and that he anxiously
awaited those orders to that effect against which he
so vehemently remonstrated when they were received,
The New York Times says, in reference to the
alleged complaints of foreign powers relative to the
seizure of vessels attempting to run the blockade :
" The sending of a commissioner to New Orleans,
and the appreciation of his impartial report upon
the subjects which he examined according to
the strict principles of law, are regarded as an ear-
nest of the intentions of the administration to
act with circumspection' and justice regarding all
matters in which diplomatic relations are involved.
Probably the public will soon know that our own
government has in turn complained about the Ala-
bama, and in other cases of violation of neutrality.
The meeting of Congress will, as usual, bring out
the correspondence, which cannot fail to acquaint
the country with the true condition of our foreign
relations.
The New York Herald's summary contains the
following
" The Union forces, consisting of over 700,000
men, are distributed and commanded as follows :
Gen. Burnside, with the whole army of the Potomac,
aided by Heintzelmann and Sigel, is to take care of
Richmond ; Gen. Cox is making a rapid march to-
wards the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad; Gen.
Peck and Gen. Foster are to look after the Southern
communicaticn of Richmond ; Gen. Banks and Gen.
Hnnter ace to look in at some of the Southern ports
now held by the rebels; General Rosencranz is
moving through Central Tennessee, General Gran-
ger through Kentucky, General Grant into Mis-
sissippi ; General Schofield defends Missouri, and
General Curtis is below him on the west side of the
river ; and General M'Clernand will soon be on his
way down the Mississippi river."
The following is the latest intelligence from the
seat of war :

" Washington, Nov. 17.
" The army of the Potomac is again on the move,
not toward Richmond by way of Gordonsville, but
toward Richmond by way of Fredericksburg. In
other words, the basis of operations has been
changed to Acquia Creek, and the advance is to be
made along the Richmond and Fredericksburg
Railroad. Fredericksburg is nearer to Richmond
than Gordonsville, and will be occupied without a
battle. This change in the programme was known
in Richmond twelve hours before the Federal army
commenced to move."
General Burnside has officially informed the War
department that no resignations of officers in the
old army
of'Clellan have been tendered, and that
everything itivi
pected, lying on as smoothly as could be ex-
The Washington
7 imes obser correspondent of the New York
movements ves
of
the
the fact of the change in the
Richmond:— e Federal army being known in
To stop the leaks of intelligence in the adminis-
t
rative vessel seem
pertalaopeless task. Not a dayl
passes but some irn
jealtort of the government,
guarded with savage
loyalty, comes to us from Raiyehagainst inquisitive
its agents.
The latest was the proposed change "base in the
uptrations of the Potomac. It" Of
termiued on Thursday Italy de-
night, al.':
ot General Halleck to the headquarters the visit
of
General Burnside ; and on Saturday
we learned via Baltimore of the quaking ani,Pe-
igbt
bension which this decision had inspired in
the [nintds of the citizens of Richmond. This was
twelve hours before the army had struck its tents
.tnd commenced its new movement.
eidPn ts like this show that the fatal defects
in the A Ajnini,tro4 ion of our War Department, so
and whether
long deplored, are still in ex.istene.e,.
they result from treachery or intbee.aity—t e reve-
latioas of official spies
or the babblings of senility
—must be cured if we are in earnest in our work."
Major- General M'Clellan is expected to visit New
York in the latter part of the present or early
.next
week, and measures are being taken by his friends
to give him a public reception. The Common
Council has already complimented the general by
resolution, and it is more than likely that at the