The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-16 00:00:00

THE BATTLE NEAR WASHINGTON.

A writer from New York says :—I have mentioned that
50 or 60 surgeons were telegraphed for, and ordered to re-
pair yesterday from Baltimore to Washington. It appears
that they started very early yesterday morning, that they
got to Washington, found there universal dismay and con-
fusion—no orders, no carriages, no accommodation, no pa-
tients. Out of the thousands upon thousands who were
known to have been wounded in the battles of Thursday
and Friday, the 28th and 29th of August, only 150 suf-
ferers had yesterday been conveyed to Washington. Sur-
geons from New York, Philadelphia, and Boston were
arriving, enhancing the confusion by their numbers and
want of organisation. The surgeons from Baltimore had
no alternative but to returnyesterday evening to wuere they
came from. The confusion at Alexandria, six miles from
Washington, and the term,nus of the railway leading to
Manassas, is said to have last week baffled description.
There, in utter demoralisation, were the debris of General
M'Ctellan's army. Many soldiers were drunk and cheering
for Jeff. Davis, many in prison for open mutiny and re-
fusing to march. It was understood that Franklin's divi-
sion was ordered early up on Friday to reinforce Pope, and
that they did not leave Alexandria during the whole of
that day. The soldiers complain of their equipment,of their
leaders, of their food, and want of bodily health. Are these
the men to lead against masses of triumphant and
enthusiastic troops, flushed with victory, and
rapturous about their leaders. In all these recent battles,
Southern horsemanship and Southern knowledge of Vir-
ginia have more than out balanced disparity of numbers.
One fact alone is characteristic of the perplexity of the
North. After the raid upon Catlett's Station, such was the
di,satisfaction with General Pope, that General M'Clellan.
(whose long popularity with his men seems at last begin-
ning to break down) was advanced to the supreme command
in Virginia. On Friday came the battle of Groveton, with
respect to which your readers will know as much as has
hitherto reached us, revealed to them by the despatch from
tieneral Pope. Acting immediately upon the impression
and prestige of this victory, the Government again deposed
M'Clellan from supreme command and reinstated Pope ;
but on Saturday morning the Southerners, reported by
Pope on Friday evening to be retreating towards the moun-
tains, returned, heavily reinforced, to dispute the field, and
again to try conclusions with General Pope. Nothing fur-
ther from that General has hitherto reached us; but it is
known that, unsupported, for reasons mentioned above, by
Franklin, he was driven headlong back to Centreville.
From that moment, it is said that no communication from
Pope has reached Washington up to a late hour last night.
What must be the sufferings of thousands of miserable
wretches scorched with the death-thirst, fevered, writhing
in agony, and neglected for long weary hours, I leave tes
others to attempt to pourtray. It is a poor consolation
to the North to know that General Pope pleads guilty
to a loss of 8,000 men on Friday, and that he esti-
mates the Southern loss as being in the ratio of two to one.
If all the Southerners who have been killed on paper by
Northern Generals since this war began had really fallen,
the South would already be the howling wilderness to which
some frantic Abolitionists desire to reduce it. Nothing is
more certain than that from the commencement of this
war the South has waged war at about one-fifth of the ex-
pense in money and ons•half the expense in men incurred
by the North.
It seems probable that M'Clellan got off from the penin-
sula between the rivers York and James, with at most
60,000 men. A Federal General in this town claims that
more than 100,000 men got safely to Alexandria—a very
small proportion, in his estimation, of the imposing force
which followed MClellan to Richmond. There is excellent
reason to think that this statement, although corroborated
by an official report, is a gross exaggeration. It is not ne-
cessary to tell you that official reports have participated
largely in the general demoralisation as regards truthful-
ness, which is one of the bitter fruits of this deplorable
struggle.

Considerable reinforcements were last week sent by the
Federal Government to Harper's Ferry—at least 10 regi-
ments and a battery. An additional pontoon bridge, to fa-
cilitate retreat, was there erected, by the side of the existing
railroad bridge; the Maryland heights were heavily forti-
fied, Previous to the arrival of reinforcements, there were
some 600 Federals at Winchester, and 3,000 at Harper's
Ferry. Inasmuch as all the Federal forces have been with-
drawn from Western Virginia, it will be seen that President
Lincoln holds now, of the "sacred soil," the small area round
Washington from Alexandria to Leesburg, and theground at
Winchester and Harper's Ferry, on which his troops stand.
To show what has been the recent consternation in Wash-
ington it is understood that the chain bridge over the Po-
tomac, within slx miles of the Capitol, was on Friday last
rendered impassable for fear the Federal troops should be
unable to hold it.
These hasty notes, jotted confusedly down, will prepare
your readers for one inevitable inference. It is that the
South considers that all heavy fighting in Virginia is nearly
at an end, and that the next struggle, probably a bitter and
bloody one, will be on the soil of Maryland. It may be of
interest to mention that Beauregard is virtually laid on the
shelf ; that he is an excellent engineer, and one of the most
popular and conciliatory officers in the army is universally
admitted, but the despotic and centralized authority of the
ablest living American, President Jefferson Davis, exacts
higher qualities than popularity in the men whom he
trusts,

There is one other incident so momentous and pregnant
with possible consequences that it must not be omitted. On
Saturday, the 23d of August, the first great mass meeting
of the Democrats of Philadelphia which they have held for
nearly two years took place. For many months past local
or ward meetings have constantly been held, in which, un-
reported as they are by the press, the language of speakers
in denunciation of the war has been bolder and bolder, and
at last with a view to the public expression of the same
opinion, it was resolved that the larger or mass meeting
should no longer be delayed. To the assemblage
of this meeting violent opposition was offered
by the Republican party. Such were the threats
and denunciations uttered against its promoters,
that it was deemed advisable to modify the original
resolutions to infuse more loyalty into them, and to add one
which was tantamount to an endorsement of the further
prolongation of the war. But it soon became evident that
the modification of the old resolutions, and the expression
of approbation of the war was but a juggle with a view to
preventing any prohibition of the meeting. The Democrats
gained their point, and were permitted to come together.
The meeting was one of the largest ever known in Phila-
delphia, the speeches unexpectedly bold and outspoken in
these days of Forts Lafayette and W arren and of letters de
cachet. For one of these speeches Mr. Charles Ingersoll,
a man of the highest character and standing, was arrested
and carried before a justice of the peace, by whom he was
admitted to bail. Intelligence of his release on bail having
reached Washington, instant orders were despatched that
he should be arrested again. This was done by the United
States Marshal. A writ of habeas corpus was taken out
by Mr. Ingersoll's Mends, and he was brought before
Judge Cadwallader, who ordered him to be detained for a
couple of days, when he would dispose finally of his case ;
and in the meantime the United States Marshal was by
Judge Cadwallader notified that if Mr. Ingersoll was re-
moval from Philadelphia the Marshal should be held
guilty of an aggravated contempt of court. To this the
Marshal replied that if orders to that effect came from
Washington he would carry Mr. Ingersoll thither in defi-
ance of the ceurt. At this moment intervened the death of
Mr. Ingersoll's aged mother. He was released to attend her
funeral, and thus the matter stands. If he is arrested and
carried to Washington, the State of Pennsylvania is at
once brought into collision with the Washington Govern-
ment, and the writ of habeas corpus practically suspended
throughout the Northern States. If Mr. Ingersoll is re-
leased, or not again arrested, the tongues of many Demo-
crats will be unlocked, and their opposition to Government,
long smouldering, will break out into an open flame. If
he be detained, more arrests must necessarily fellow, and the
opposition to Government will inevitably become more bit-
ter and exasperated. An) how, and in either contingency,
it is probable that the arrest of Mr. Charles Ingersoll will
inaugurate a new epoch in this war, and will lead to con-
sequences of which no one can venture to estimate the mag-
nitude,

TRADE IN AMERICA.—The mercantile letters
from New York contain scarcely any information, the
public mind being in a state of complete confusion and
dismay, although at the making up of the mail
the worst, as regards the fate of the army of
the Potomac, had not become known. The premium
on gold was then 16i per cent., or 2 per cent, lower
i than is now reported by telegram, and the prices of
stocks were sustained by the great abundance of
money created by the paper issues, and by the quan-
tity thrown out of employment by the stagnation of
general commerce, the rate to be obtained for losses at call
being only 3 per cent. Up to the last moment the New
York journals, including even the most respectable, were
endeavouring to delude their readers into the belief that
the Confederates, although they had gained successes,
had suffered much more than the Federals, and
were, consequently, on the point of exh.ustion, while
from the North tens of thousands of fresh and impatient
volunteers were rushing to retrieve the disasters 01 their
compatriots. The news of the Confederates being almost
at Washington must, therefore, have fallen on the New
York Exchange with a force sufficient to account for the
jump since reported in the price of gold to the highest point
yes attained. Further news, two or three days later,
may be received to-morrow afternoon by the Hibernian
from Quebec; and we shall also this week have the arrival
of the Teutonia and City of Washington, bath of which
were to leave New York on the 6th, and will probably
bring some considerable amounts of specie.

THE PRINCE OF WALES.—Brussels, Sept.
The Prince of Wales, the Belgian Royal Family, and the
Prince and Princess of Denmark were present to-day at the
review and great manoeuvres of all the troor s in garrison at
Brussels. The crowd of spectators was extremely large.
the weather was magnificent.
A train arrived in Paris two days ago by the
Lyons railway, laden with splendid Arab horses, coming
from Algeria. Those animals, about 100 in number, are
destined for the regiment of Chasseurs of the Guard, now
in garrison At