The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-24 00:00:00

THE CIVIL WAR IN A iIERICA.

(From the Special Correspondent of the Times.)
WASHINGTON, SEPT. 10.
It may be the peculiar influence of the climate,
affecting the operations of reasoning or the grounds
of belief; it may be the nature of the nitrogen or of
the ozone in the air of this continent, which, vivify-
ing the imagination and turning fancies and sur-
mises into accomplished facts, puts all mankind here
into a condition of credulity and expectation ; but
I really do think that " something will turn up'"
very speedily. When a man lives in an atmos•
phere into which a sort of myth-making gas has
been pumped by a million-horse power press he
must eventually succumb to the agency, and lapse
into a state, as regards his ability to distinguish
truth from falsehood by the usual tests, very simi-
lar to that which a mesmeric patient experiences in
the attempt to discriminate between reality and
illusion.

Having thus cautioned my readers somewhat not
to trust too much to me if I venture upon prophecy,
because of the force of my "surroundings," and to
take me au pied de la lettre only as to what I see
now or have seen and know, I proceed to state the
grounds of my belief that we are on the eve of wit-
nessing a warlike operation of magnitude. On Fri-
day morning Gen, Beauregard, who had advanced
his pickets within a couple of miles of the Federalist
outposts, all the way from Alexandria to Great
Falls, and had occupied Munson's Hill, beyond
Arlington House and Ball's Cross Roads, in front
of the Chain-bridge, opposite which he had shown
some cavalry the previous day, absolutely struck
his tents, packed up his baggage, and made every
preparation to march his army to --. Where
to, if at all ? That was the question. It has not
yet been answered. Is it a feint—is it intended to
draw the Federalists out of their intrenched and
fortified position, and to invoke battle, with the
view of making more of victory than he did before ?
If so, the stratagem was not successful. Perhapsit
was only to distract the attention of his enemy, and
to perplex him by doubts as to the real direction of
the attack'? Again, General Beauregard did not
succeed. Then he is really breaking up his force of
quasi investment or attack, and directing it on some
other points above and below the river, leaving at
Manassas and the points covering the roads to
Richmond sufficient to resist any corps which
M'Clellan could spare from Washington to move
on the Confederate capital ? To do that he must
be in very great force, and it certainly leaks out
from the Southern papers that the Confederates
were at the time of the Hatteras expedition direct-
ing the march of every man they could spare Jo
Virginia. Thus, we read that certain regiments
which were actually on their way to Beauregard
and Johnson were ordered to stand fast or to return
for the defence of the menaced coasts, but, as the
movement was universal all over the States, the
contingents of those not in any such danger would
of course proceed on their way. There is reason to
think that the Confederates have upwards of
175,000 men between Richmond and the Potomac.
There are some who assert they exceed 200,000
men. The feeling of. such a force concentrated in
one place must be one of the most difficult matters
possible, particularly in a State which has been
trodden down by the feet of armies for five months
past. They have been sickly at times, and their
component parts are of a nature difficult to be kept
together without the pressure of excitement. Now,
it seems to me that the advance made by the gene-
rals which I have mentioned above was very pro-
bably intended to cloak some movement off the
ground by the mass of the Confederates, but if they
have gone, up to this moment we have heard no
news of them in any other direction. The country
is so densely covered with wood that actual recon-
naissance does not effect much in making out
the strength of the enemy, and if it were pushed
too far it might lead to an engagement, which.
General M'Clellan is not disposed to force at
present, though he would be by no means
anxious to prevent the Confederates attacking
him inside his works. The balloon, after all, is
not so useful as might be expected in making
out details. It must be held to the ground by a cord,
or it would sail away into Dixie if the wind were
favourable, and it must be kept out of range of
rifled guns. The lines of advanced posts screen, as
it were, the movements of the enemy, although ho
can see a good deal of the position around the capi-
tal from his place on Munson's-hill. All that can be
seen or heard, however, lea& to the belief that the
Confederates are preparing for some great effort,
and that they have retired portions of their force