The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-26 00:00:00

TSB. CIVIL WAR IN AMB_RICA.

(From the Special Correspondent of the Times.)
WASHINGTON, OCT. 10.
When it is stated that no movement of any im-
portance has taken place lately, the remark must
be supposed to refer to active operations calculated
to bring the war to a close or to a definite issue.
The Confederates have ostensibly retired along the
whole of their line, and General 31‘Clellan is out to-
day in the drizzling rain with a strong column in the
neighbourhood of Lewinsville, which is on the road
from the Chain-bridge to Fairfax Court-house, to

Pierce, if he can, the great mystery of their position.
It would be a strange thing—almost, I believe, un-
precedented—if two battles were to be fought on the
same ground. But if the Federalists advance towards
Manassas there seems no alternative, and if they ad-
vance at all they can take no road but that which
will lead them to Manassas, unless a stroke of inven-
tive daring discovers another not now visible. The
Southern army has obviously drawn in its horns
and its feelers, and M'Clellan is putting out his in
the places they occupied. What a mortification it
would be to a mere ambitious soldier if, after all
his studies at West Point and his investigation of
military science, he found himself, as M'Clellan does,
at the head of an immense army, which is, however,
not fit to work out and to carry into practice the
movements he has wrought out on paper, where-
with to surprise the enemy and the world, and to
earn the favour and gratitude of his country f But
the General does not appear to be the man who for I
mere glory would run the risk of losing all at stake
by failure, and ho is actuated, doubtless, by
sounder, more solid, and nobler motives than the
desire to achieve victories. He knows that the
very magnitude of the mass is one .of the foremost
difficulties in the way of managing it. But irregu-
lars and indisciplined men will not fight against
odds as a general rule, although the Federalists
established a theory from the defeats of poor Lyon
and of Siegel, that because they had faced odds and
been beaten, therefore they could conquer against
odds, or, as their writers said, that " one Union
man is equal to three rebels." As a similar belief is
said to exist among the men on the other side, it is
likely the fact will never be tested, as each will
make sure of being tolerably even in all encounters.
As it requires the very highest sort of military con-

fidence and veteran resolution to induce men to
attack superior forces, or to receive their attack
unless very strongly posted, it becomes an absolute
necessity for General 'M'Clellan to show a front
equal to that of his opponents. Hence the large
array massed in front of Washington, when a small
one in well constructed works would answer as
well for defence, aided by a manageable army in
the field. The only point on which the Federalists
are threatened in any way at present is Leesburg,
on the Virginia side, about 30 miles in a straight
line from Washington, at the end of the railway
from Alexandria, on which a portion of the Northern
army is resting. This force is in observation on
the Potomac,.on a ridge at the end of a spur of the
Blue Mountain chain, and lies on the right flank of

the Federalists in any advance to Manassas. It is
watched by the columns under Banks and Stone at

the other side of the river between Point of Rocks
and Danntown. The communication between this
force of 25,000 men and the main body at Manassas
is not difficult, and may be effected in part by the rail
and by good roads over an undulating country. It
is quite possible that Beauregard has been able

to reinforce the Confederates at Norfolk, and to
strengthen his right as well as the corps in obser-
vation on the Potomac, and that he has now made
up his mind to await the march of events and of
his adversary in his present positiou. In Western
Virginia Rosencranz on the one side, and Floyd
and Lee en the other, seem to be in intrenched
positions, from and on which they advance without
any material result gained on either side. The
country does not belong to either Federalist or
Confederate. The skirmishes of one day are fol.
lowed by the skirmishes of the next, and one march
from a place unmarked on maps is succeeded by
another equally difficult to follow. These positions
and fights at such places as Big Springs and Big
Sewell are, no doubt, of consequence, but it is not
possible to appreciate them without better know-
ledge of the country, and the Federalists in being
able to keep these forces in the State have the
better part of the ground, because they arc pro-
tecting Union men in Virginia, which professes to
belong to the Confederation. 'There has been no
doubt of the fact that Beauregard has concentrated
his army—l use his name for that of the Confede-
rate Generals, whoever they may be—at Manassas
once more, and that he has been merely advancing
and retiring to amuse his troops and induce the
enemy to attack him ; but it is also the fact that
he meditated an irruption into Maryland, and an
attack, either to screen the attempt or to be con-
verted into a real demonstration in an event of any
unexpected success, on the lines between Alexan-
dria and the heights in front of Georgetown, and
that, finding the strength of the Federalist posi-
tion in ground, men, and works, he abandoned the
plan, at least for the time. The Indian summer
will soon arrive, but in January the rainy season,
alternating with frost and snow, begins, and there
is but little time left for active operations between
this month and the American winter, which
renders it, at all events, not easy to move
troops and guns in the open country. If
General M'Clellan can see his way to a battle to
clear his front, with a reasonable chance of success,
he no doubt will fight it. lie must defend the
capital against all chances, and prevent a Confede-
rate army getting into Maryland ; but with these
conditions always in view it will surprise us if he
does not strike the blow from the river side, on the
enemy's tight flank. There was every reason to
make Fortress Monroe a base of operations, but for
the difficulty of procuring provisions, and the delay
and notoriety of collecting an army there by the
rivers. The loss of Hampton, and the concentra-
tion of Confederates in the vicinity, will render that
point less eligible in all respects, and the long
threatening of Newport News by Maquader may
come at last. Nothwithstanding the strong bodies
and serviceable qualities of the men, there was an
unsteadiness about the artillery and cavalry at the
review the other day which did not epeak for
their thorough control as yet by their officers or

of themselves. There were about 3,200 or 3,400

sabres of all sorts together and 18 batteries of art
lery on the ground. Many of the latter were
composed of different calibres—Parrott guns, ordi-
nary 6's and 12's, long and short, rifled and smooth ;
ho •
witzers of 12 and 24 of various patters ; licornes,
or gun,
made reamed out Napoleon guns. The Parrott
.Ide by the eminent founder at West Point,r'isa,
m
So 7tpilliecii
_ ironworkmanlike-looking
b piece of artillery, with
and it:
range
.and shrunk on over the breech,
nearly as great as that of the
Armstrong, and
its
of field artillery cost
is
very
much
less. The force
and it
M'Clellan is now very
considerable, iavvill Surprise me very much if
the Confederates
anything like equal metal,
The General has exerted
this arm of his service towards
greatly to advance
has been much assisteau7dsh.s efficiency, and he
chief of field
ordnance, Brigadier-General ygarly' of the regular
United States' artillery. Unquerst.g
'°rlablY, if these
guns are well handled, there will b,5
somerr 30 bat-
teries in support of an advance on a
nttovg
which, considerable as the number maybPoint,
ill
leave field batteries still available for the flanks and
a
for co-operation with detached columns. It is asserted ,
most positively that, though there is no outcry in the '
public press against the delay which is taking place,
individuals of weight and position are again urging
on the President and his Government the necessity
of an advance for political reasons, and that pres-
sure has been placed upon the authorities to try the
fate of another battle. The mercantile interests are
in great anxiety, and wish for some certain solution
of their embarrassments as to the future. The gfeat
demand for war supplies has given an artificial
activity to trade in certain cities and districts, which
is supplied out of the public purse generally. Short
harvests in Europe may pour a flood of gold into
the Western States, but it is out of the question
that foreign commerce can resume its usual course
while the States are distracted by civil war. The
Custo
tmaretn_rn, s. under this tariff are beginning to
ten
their o
om.w tale, but nothing else could be ex-
-Imaleo4 4.4417k0t gartly bo cappootd tot