The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-15 00:00:00

NOTICE.

All remittances are, henceforth, to be made to
Mr. JOHN CIIAPLIN, at The Sun office, 112,
Strand, who has been appointed, by the Lord
Chancellor, Receiver end Manager of The Sun
newspaper, and the outstanding debts due in
respect thereof.

We have now accounts of the six or seven days
battle and retreat, from the pens of eye-witnesses.
They are, however, Northern witnesses, and the
reader must pick his way throughout them with
the remembrance that an editor had just been sent
to prison for publishing something not acceptable
at the War-office, although it was distinctly fa-
vourable to the North. We have also telegrams
by the Jura (Quebec), which reached her at Father
Point, and bring up the news from New York to
Saturday, the sth, and from M'CLELLAN himself
to the Friday previous, the 4th.
A careful examination of these accounts leaves
it still doubtful whether M'CLELLAN had intended
to change his line of attack, and make the James
River, which flows through Richmond as the
Thames does through London, the base of his ope-
rations. If he did, cne thing we think is certain,
that the Confederates became aware of his inten-
tion, and determined to inflict upon him all the
loss and damage they could while he was moving
his right to the back of bis left, placing his whole
army on the St. James River. Assuming that
M'CLELLAN had planned this movement, one can
but be struck with the difference of the three great
retreating movements made by the Confederates.
At Manassas, at Corinth, at Yorktown, the Confe-
derates quitted without the Federals having the
least idea of what was going on. They felt their
way cautiously to the unusually silent camps of
the enemy, and found that they were gone. These,
therefore, were masterly retreats. M'CLELLAN was
anticipated at least—and it is now confessed
that 25 guns were taken by the Confederates at
the first onset, though in the same breath it is
denied that the Federal forces were beaten in any
conflict, or that they could be driven from the
field by the Confederates.
The fullest account of what took place from
Wednesday, the 25th of June, to Sunday, the 29th,
is furnished by the gentleman who was imprisoned
—the editor of the Baltimore American. He cer-
tainly does seem a little in doubt as to tha
design M
of 'CLELLasr to
change his position
at the particular time he did.
On the
Wednesday, the 25th, there had been a visible
check in the landing of stores of all kind. from the
York River, at White House ; and it is said that
preparations, with the object of evacuation, had
begun on the Tuesday. All the latter part of Wed_
nesday, however, the movements about the great
depot of White House were such as to fill the
Hans with fear. Wounded men were brought up
by the Richmond and West Point Railway from
the front, the statement being that they had been
wounded in capturing a hill which commanded
Richmond. This was said to be a feint by
NUCLEI,.
LAN to conceal his purpose of retreating. Mean-
time the stores were all brought from different
parts., where they had been placed for the army's
convenience, to White House, and all that could be,
Were placed on board the ships, those which could
not being covered with hay ready to be fired at a
utoment's notice. Wednesday evening closed with
every preparation for complete evacuation of the
white House at any moment ; about fifty steam-
t'age were busy in towing,-, down the stream the
~ of
strin vessels laden with such stores as had
altead•Y been embarked.
_Thursday morning, the 26th, brought tidings of
this successful movements of the Federal General
HOOKER, but also
brought a hundred more
wounded. On Thursday evening favourable re-
ports arrived, but they were
no logger of an advance
of HOOKER, but of a Coneede
rate attack and its
repulse. On Friday, the 27th, this was
'converted
into an attkr,:k by Genera,l SzoNvivALL JACKSON ,

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THE SUN.
' LONDON, TUESDAY, JULY 15, 1862.