The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-29 00:00:00

~ `~

n
Wit:

.;
_!.7 ~s , 42"1191
, . :, : . rye!
' r
j,-7114 (Or-4.
'fillt;? ~.'Fi
2,.t.,

~~;
.; c ,

-27

._ ,
rl~l: (il l'~

~~

THE SUN.

LONDON, MONDAY, SEPT. 29, 1862.

The fighting in America is now warm work.
It must, indeed, according. to all appearance,
be said for M'CLELLAN, that LEE and STONE-
WALL JACKSON find him a very different man from
POPE and M`DOWELL, and apparently different
from himself before Richmond. It is not that he
has more men, or better men, but he has more
authority and a better cause, The Federals evi-
dently regarded the Confederate attack on Mary-
land as indicating a design to appropriate that State,
and thus to deprive them, in the event of separa-
tion, of their historic capital, of a river boundary,
and of the noble bay of Chesapeake. The battle, in
their estimation, became, therefore, one similar to
that which the Confederates fought for Richmond
and Virginia ; and the Federals appear to have re-
trieved their honour when fighting on what they
regarded as indubitably their side of the Potomac,
and repelling invasion. England generally
will read of these victories with pleasure.
We do not here want to see the slaveholder
triumphant. We should like to see him compelled
to sue for peace, and to surrender as many States as
possible toFreedom: and, would the North but give
up its anti-negro policy, we should rejoice to see
her carrying liberty to the Gulf of Mexico itself.
As she will not, we are still gratified with victories
which, we trust, mean the retention of Maryland
and other Border States by the Federals when the
great division comes, and the consequent emancipa-
tion of the comparatively few slaves held by them.
We must not, however, be too confident yet. The
latest news we have, which consists of unofficial
accounts of battles from the 15th to the 17th of
September inclusive, leaves still another battle to
be fought, to decide whether the Confederates must
retire to the south of the Potomac, and the
Federals remain sole masters of Maryland. By
previous ships we received M'CLELLAN'S
official account of Sunday the 14th. That, on the
word of a truthful soldier, was a • Federal victory.
It drove the Confederates from strong positions at
Hagerstown, and left them retreating, INITLELLAN
knew not whither. It now appears that they re-
treated south-west to Sharpsburg, near the river,
and the newspaper reports, which are our only
source of information Since the 14th, describe
M'CLELLAN as having overtaken the Confederates
there under LEE,and again en
gaged them on Mon-
day, the 15th. From the same source we learn of
a third engagement on Tuesday, the 16th. No
result is mentioned of the battle on the Monday;
but in that of Tuesday the Federals for Once took
their enemy on the flank, and under General,
HOOKER and PORTER punished them severely.
It would appear that the movement of I..xx
south-west to Sharpsburg had been made to
obtain the co-operation of STONEWALL JACKSON,
who had previously crossed the Potomac, and who,
while M'CLELLAN was beating LEE, was himself
engaged in capturing 6,000 Federals in garrison at
Harper's Ferry, just south of the Potomac. By
Wednesday the 17th JACKSON had joined LEE, and
reinforced him by crossing the river. But M'CLEL-
LAN had also been reinforced ; and though the Con-
federates commenced the battle on that day and
fought desperately till four p.m., they had at last to
retreat, leaving General LONGSTREET and part of
his division prisoners in the hands of the Federals.
It is this last and fierce battle which is said to have
been decidedly in favour of the Federals, although
it left another battle nee essary to decide who is to
be announced as the final victor. Four days' fight-
ing has all gone against the invaders of Maryland
--will a
its s,„" ,fifth day's battle expel them from
that
, This quLestion will probably
t
answered
by next mail. We confess ,
allowing for the ee latomary exaggerations after