The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-04 00:00:00

04 PR I L 4, 1862

THE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

(From the Special Correspondent of the Times.)
WASHING'I'ON, Mencre 21.
tast Tuesday morning the embarkation of Hein-
ztleman's corps commenced tit Alexandria; and by
2 o'clock in the day about 8,500 men were on their
way to Old Point Comfort, Fortress Mcneroe, They
Were carried in 12 large river steamers, some of
which tugged scows for horses and artillery. On
the previous Sunday, as I related in my letter by
last mail, the aspect of the troops after the march,
and rain storms of the day before was not very
cheerful, and the want of organisation which was
observed by my companion could not be disputed.
But it was wonderful to see how speedily they had
got all right again. Monday was fine, and the
good weather restored the spirits of the men. The
regiments embarked in the best spirits, and as the
swarming masses of human beings sidled off into the
stream, moved by the great beam of the engine,
they with ringing cheers again and, again evinced
their enthusiasm. There is, however, one great de-
fect in the American army which will no doubt be
remedied if field operations continue. The unparal-
leled luxury and excellence of the transport depart-
ment in horses, mules, carriages, harness, and ex-
penditure have not secured its efficiency because the
drivers are not an organised military body. In the
United States there is no power, unless the Presi-
dent orders it, to enrol men for the baggage and
commissariat trains under martial law. " Team-
sters," as they are called, are picked up at a great
cost—from 15 to 20 dols. a month—wherever they
can be got, and are attached to the various regi-
ments, instead of being under one head responsible
for the carriage of all the army and its stores.
The drivers are under little or no control, and
their superiors have neither authority nor
strength enough to keep them in order. Time and
labour are frittered away, and idleness is indulged
in by the lazy men whenever they can find oppor-
tunity. For four days I was amused by watch-
ing a group who had settled down in a field—one
of the open places of Washington—near at hand,
with waggons, mules, &e. They made a regular
bivouac, lighted with watch and cooking fires, fed
their mules from the hay in the cart in which they
slept at night, smoked their pipes, and were as jolly,
they averred, as " sandboys," wherever those beau-
tiful youths may be, till some passing official espied
them and broke in on their Elysium. But, with all
this, and with other drawbacks in the absence of an
organised and trained staff and in deficient provi-
sion for details, which will be found out in the field
—the army has, as long as it has help by sea or river
sufficient powers of locomotion. It will scarcely be
credited, however, tliat there is no system for sup-
plying men with ammunition when engaged with
the enemy. There is no small arm ammunition train,
nor pack mules to carry it. An officer, to whom the
deficiency was pointed out, said that " they did not
expect men to be closely engaged for more than 15
minutes. When they had fired away all their am-
munition they must only retire and let other regi-
ments come up and,take their places." The way in
which the men were enabarked:onTuesday was rapid
and orderly. The quays of Alexandria present faci-
lities for the purpose, and the large steamers can lie
nearly alongside. A host of tugs is massed in the
stream, and from the capital a forest of masts appears
to spring out of the Potomac. For the first time for
many months white sails gleam against the wooded
banks or stud the stream. Gen. M'Clellan was in
the town, at the electric telegraph office. The
ever-active, hard-working Duke of Chartres was
dashing about with orders, and the roads from.
Alexandria were crowded with waggons, cattle,
horsemen, and soldiers. The camps are left stand-
ing, so that as the regiments march in from Fairfax
and Centreville they can take up their quarters in
the Lents. The headquarters are temporarily re-
moved to a hou'se on the hill which rises at the
back of Alexandria, crowned with the Seminary,
and the staff has nearly all moved out there. On
going through the camps again, the contrast be-
tween the drenched muddy soldiers of Sunday and
the five bodies of men on parade was very re-
markable. A general was handling four fine regi-
ments on an open plain near the Seminary with
vigour; he never gave them a moment's rest—chang-
ing line of contiguous battalion columns at quarter
distance, changing front to the right flank, deploy-
ing on centre, advancing and retiring in line of
quarter distance column at deploying distance,
changing front on the flank of first line, &:c., andthe
men marched well and quickly without much noise
in the ranks and very steadily. They do not throw
out points, and the simpler commands are given by
mounted buglers in attendance on the General.
This was a portion of Sumner's division, I should
think, but all the camps and regiments are so
changed no one can tell where he will find any of
his former acquaintances. We had seen one of these
very regiments at parade on Sunday, with some 150
or more men short, owing to their falling out on the
road. These men had now all returned to the ranks.
On Wednesday the embarkation of the Artillery of
M'Dowell's corps d'armee commenced, and eight
batteries were got on board. This will be a very
powerful force, and will be commanded by the Ge-
neral in person. They are still embarking the rest
of the Artillery, and some regiments.; but until the
transports which have gone down to Fortress Mon-
roe have landed their freight and returned it will not
be possible tcedespatch the bulk of the force. A
constant current of tugs and steamers runs up and
down the Potomac, and a whole fleet of small pro-
pellers and paddlewheel river boats is lying off the
Navy-yard and below it. The politicians believe
the Federal flag will wave in Richmond in a fort-
night from this time. Mr. Sumner and others are
of that opinion, and will be disappointed if there
is any greater delay. However, it does not seem
quite feasible. The two corps -which are going will
number about 90,000 men, and they must take
stores and supplies of all kinds with them. As far
as I know, there has been no change made in
the programme of operations sant over by last
mail. They are keeping a bright look-out at.
Fortress Monroe. All eyes are straining for, all
thoughts are turning on another sortie of that
tremendous destroyer, the Merrimac. Neither
the fortress nor the Monitor could save the flotilla
of wooden vessels from destruction, nor the camps
from being shelled. Mysterious movements are
going on about Sewall's Point and Norfolk, which
attract attention, but nothing can be made out. At
night small vessels steam, out of Norfolk, appear
near the Rip Raps, are fired at, and retire. From
the front here there is nothing new. The recon-
naissance made by General Stoneman on this day
week did little or nothing to add to the knowledge
of the enemy's position. His force, which consisted
of the sth United States Cavalry, 6th United States
Cavalry, 3d Pensylvanian Cavalry, the MdClellan
Dragoons, and 57th New York Infantry (no guns),
only got as far as Cedar Run, which the Confede-
rates were burning, and which they tried in vain to
save, encamped on a ridge for the night, and fell
back on Manassas in the morning, having heard
that the enemy was preparing to cut them off.
There was some very insignificant skirmishing across
the stream. Blenker's division remains at Fairfax
Court-house. Centreville and Manassas are held
by some 15,000 men. The controversy about the
wooden guns continues, but it is pretty well estab-
lished that there were a number of dummies in the
embrasures. However, General M'Clellan is so
strongly sustained by the President, and by the
regular officers, by the Democratic party, and by
the moderate men in the country, that he can afford
to he indifferent to further attacks till time has
been afforded him to do some brillant action and
vindicate the good opinion of his friends. Although
many violent assaults are made by inuendo,
in
and out of Congress, no specific charge has been
preferred by any responsible body, and General
Burnside's express declaration in his despatch
from Newborn, that he has endeavoured to carry
out the instructions he had received from his chief,
has strengthened General M'Clellan's position, and
is considered good evidence that lie is a guiding
mind, and has a plan of operations embracing the
whole country. I have heard evidence which leads
me to think the recent combinations in the West
and those in the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers
were planned if not:cairied out by him. From all
sides comes- news of successes ; St. Mary's, Fenian,
dine, and Jacksonville are, as was reported by Com-

modore. Dupont in time for the last mail, in the
ba:ndinf thelederal forces. Pulaski is surrounded,
and a recent attempt to relieve the place made by
Comnaedare Tan all from Savannah was not 7..tc-
eessful.. The news of the attack on New Orleans is
hourly expected. Gen. Butler left Hilton Head
on the 14th for Ship Island. Porter's mortar flotilla
has been probably off the mouth of the Mississippi
13r some days back, and the attack was to have
been itti the day before yesterday. At Beaufort
all is quiet. The preparations for an assault on
Savannah are being completed. The action at New-
bern is most creditable to the Federal troops and to
their General, as it certainly is the very reverse to
the Confederates. But there is somethlng going on
about Island No. 10 which one cannot quite under-
stand. On the 17th the flotilla under Commodore
Foote engaged the batteries on the island, while
Gen. Pope, from New Madrid, made an offensive
movement against the forces on the mainland cover-
ing the island. Night came on before the long range
fire of; guns and mortars did its work. The bom-
h)treln3ent was to have been renewed next day, but
there are no precise accounts up to th© moment of
writing of the effect of the fire, though it was
stated Pope had repulsed an attack of the Confede-
rates who tried to cut their way through, and that
he bad them hemmed in between him and Foote's
flotilla, had sunk one of their gunboats, and da-
nitaged several others. The position is said to be
strongly fortified. Gen. Beauregard had been at
the place, and was probably in command. On his

arrival he issued the following :
" Head luarters of the Mississippi, Jackson,
Tennessee, March 5, 1862.
" General Order.—Soldiers,—l assume this day the corn,.
wand of the Army of the Mississippi, for the defence of our
homesteads and liberties, and to resist the subjugation, spo •
liatic.,n, and dishonour of our people. Our mothers and
wives, our sisters and children, expect us to do our duty,
even to the sacrifice of our lives.
" Our losses since the commencement of the present war,
in killed, wounded, and prisoners, are now about the same
as the enemy.
" He must be made to atone for those reverses we have
lately experienced. Those reverses, far from disheartening,
must nerve us to new deeds of valour and yatriotism, and
should inspire us with an unconquerable dotermfnation to
drive back our invaders.
" Should any one in this army be unequal to the task
before us, let him transfer his arms and equipments at once
to braver, firmer hands, and return to his home.
" Our cause is as just and sacred as ever animated men
to take up arms, and if we are true to it and to ourselves,
with the continued protection of the Almighty, we must
and shall triumph.
" G. T. BEAUREGARD, General Commanding."
Bat, if the Confederates do not behave better
than they did at Newbern, these are but vain
words. Under very great difficulties the expedi-
tion proceeded up the Neuse from Roanoke, landed
below the place on the 14th, passed the night un-
disturbed in the rain, and next day, after a most
fatiguing march, came upon the enemy inside
strong intrenchments, and in a formidable position ;
engaged them, and after taking some sharp encoun-
ters routed them utterly, taking six forts, 54 guns,
and five steamers, as well as the city, and suffering
a loss of less than 500 men. Gem Burnside's de-
spatch, and the accounts in the New York 7ribune
and Times will be read with interest. The opera-
tion must distress the 'Confederates most grievously,
and places the Federals on their lines of communi-
cation throughout the country, rendering Golds-
borough and- Raleigh and Norfolk alike unsafe.
With the exception of Nashville, however, there is
no trace of Union sentiment detected by the
Federal iron in the places brought under the
sway of the Union. The hoisting of the Stars
and Stripes by the authorities at Jacksonville
may be taken as an equivocal act, for the flagstaff
was cut down that evening. Everywhere the women
are said to exhibit the most intense hatred to the
Federals, and the recitals of their bitterness would
be amusing if they did not prove how deeply-seated,
how " national" is the animosity of those who form
the minds of the young to the Government which is
forcing itself upon them at the point of the bayonet.
In New Mexico, the Texans were carrying all before
them, and it was, admitted that in the action near
Fort Craig, on the 21st of February, they had de-
feated the Federals, taken six guns, and had sur-
rounded Col. Cauby, the United States commander,
near that place. On the Tennessee River there
have been no moxements of any consequence. The
Confederates were assembling at Corinth, on the
road from Jackson, Missouri, to Memphis, and at
Decatur, Alabama. They have destroyed the rail
between Florence and Eastport, and have learnt to
keep out of range of the gunboats. They have
abandoned their batteries on Acquia Creek, and de-
stroyed the railroad. As they retreat they carry off
the ablebodied men, according to Federal accounts.
The Potomac may be considered now open from
Monroe to Washington. General Shields occupied
Strasburg, in the valley of the Shenandoah, and the
terminus of the Manassas Railroad on Wednesday
last, after a skirmish with Jackson's rear-guard,
which destroyed the bridge over Cedar Creek. The
magnitude and severity of the action' at Pea Ridge
are shown by the official returns of the killed and
wounded on the Federal side, which General Curtis
places at 1,400. It must have been a picturesque
combat, and is well described in the World, Sigel
and his Germans behaving nobly, and saving the
baggage train and rear-guard by determined hard
fighting, against which the wild Texans and In-
dians, with shot guns, bowie knives, and scalping
knives, could not stand. Their batteries ran short of
ammunition also, and the loss of the leaders—the so
often slain Ben M'Cullough, as well as Mackintosh
—accelerated their headlong rout under Price and
Van Dorn. The Indians acted as savages—scalping
dead and wounded on the field.
In Congress the debates on the President's Mes-
sage and on the abolition of slavery in the district
of Columbia still continue. The President is not
well ; his incessant labours are too much even for
his powerful frame. The White House has been
visited by severe sickness, and Mrs. Lincoln is in-
disposed, and sees very few persons. The weather
is exceedingly variable. Last night a heavy fall of
rain covered the roads with mud, and drenched the
troops in their bivouacs at Centreville.
There is a story this morning that Mr, Yancey,
disguised as a sailor, was captured in a schooner
which was endeavouring to run the blockade on the
coast of Florida, and has been taken to Fort Monroe.
The question of the Labaun is, perhaps, the
only one which now exists between the two Go-
vernments. In all other matters there is a cessation
of eontroversy. The Labuan will no doubt be sent
before a Prize Court for adjudication ; and as, to our
minds, there is not the least ground for declaring
her lawful prize,' she will be let go, with an award
against the captors for damages.
The troops in many parts of New York have not
yet been paid for the two months due on the 28th
February.