The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-24 00:00:00

THE CIVIL WAR IN A 7iIERICA.

(From the Special Correspondent of the Times.)
WASHINGTON, DEC. 9.
The Cunard steamer which will take these few
lines from Boston on the 11th will convey the file
of the American journals, and all their lucubrations
on Mr. Chase's Report and on the financial pros-
pects of the United States, which will doubtless be
duly appreciated at the other side of the Atlantic.
In your hands I leave them. Meantime there is
little probability of anything occurring to disturb
the march of events, which are the only things that
march at Washington, and which have got into a
humdrum sort of parade-and-review order, making
one day as like the other as can be. There is, to be
sure, always the confidential assurance that "there
will be a move soon," and perhaps there may; but
hitherto General M'Clellan bas succeeded in avert-
ing the danger which is presented to him of making
an attack on a desperate and bravo enemy with an
ill disciplined army. He may, however, at any
moment be led to older an advance, and his army is
certainly better prepared to make it now than it
was at any previous time. It would be amusing to
look back to the Northern journals and see how much
of the pompous programmes of our Fall Campaign"
has been fulfilled. New Orleans was to have been
seized, Charleston laid Waste, Memphis, Savannah,
Richmond, and Nashville occupied, and the seceding
States held in subjection till the loyal men could be
induced to come out and vote themselves back into
the Union. The good public is presented with a
strip of sand at Hatteras and au inlet at Port Royal,
and so far it is thankful for the results of these con-
quests. The " Rat-hole squadrons" are at their work,
and the task of the blockading vessels will soon be
light enough. In fact, the weather is such on the
Southern coast during January, February, and
March that it would not be possible to maintain a
force of observation off the harbours ; hence most
of them will be blocked up, and the others can be
watched from time to time by vessels running out
of Port Royal. Another great expedition, the
naval part to be commanded by a very dashing
officer, Captain David Porter, is to be prepared im-
mediately, and General Burnside's corps is now
ready to start from Annapolis. The utmost exer-
tions are made by Gevernment to procure mortars
of the largest size, but these are not to be made in
a day. Nothing indicates any expedition of the
first class—one intended to operate against Charles-
ton or New Orleans, which are the favourite objects
of the Northerners. The former is, indeed, menaced
from the flanks, and the Federal gunboats have
reconnoitered the country by the Ashepoo river up
to the distance of 32 miles from the city. The
white populations have fled. The negroes remain
on the plantations, and no efforts have been made
by the Federals to induce them to embrace freedom
and work on the fortifications. From the entrance
of the Savannah river in the South up to Otter
Point, at the north of St. Helena Sound, the Fede-
ralists have bitten into the coast line of South Ca-
rolina; but the effect of their conquest has not been
encouraging in the interests of the Union, of cam-
merce, of cotton, of abolition, or of humanity. The
planters have fled and abandoned all sooner than
come to terms with the detested " Yankees." They
have burnt their cotton ; the negroes at times plun-
der the property left to their care, but more fre-
quently they protect it ; and all accounts agree in
the fact that the slaves evince no ill-feeling towards
their masters. They do not dread the Northerners,
but they show no appreciation of the boon which
the latter are supposed to offer them. Now, as the
planters have fled, and as their property is confis-
cated, it would be well for the Government to de-
cide what they are to do with this new description
of chattel which has come into their hands in con-
sequence of the acts of their masters and of Congress.
The slaves will not leave the land. They refused to
do it for their proprietors; it is not likely the new
owners will be more successful unless they employ
force, and the use of force would render them de-
tested throughout the South by the black popula-
tion. It is asserted positively that the negroes will
not work—that they only do it under close watch
and the influence of strong inducements. The
greatest activity they have shown is:in the plunder-
mg which has taken place among the planters'
houses ; and, the bump of destructiveness once fairly
working, it is impossible to say how far it may lead
a race who see their masters engaged in destroying
their King Cotton, and wrapping their temples and
ginning-houses in The f` eternal negro" ap-
pears to be quite apathetic "in the contesi, and to
watch the combatants very much as a beef and-
mead-fed " layde fair" might have regarded the
attempts of two unknown gentlemen in steel to run
each other through the body in her honour. Gen.
Sherman is believed to be rather too much of a
Southerner in his views, and he is attacked because
he will not permit the cotton to be taken and sent to
New York—so it is said, but I doubt the fact very
much. A little underhand trading is said to be
going on in the article about Port Royal, but the
burning movement progresses, and the sky is black-
ened by dense clouds of smoke all along the sea-
beard from the fields and ginning-houses. Cotton is
exceedingly inflammable, and burns almost explo-
sively. A couple of schooners are taking in cotton
at Hilton Head, and the blacks are ginning it for
five cents a pound. The troops there may be re-
garded as in solid occupation, covered by the fleet
and by the gunboats, the latter of which have been,
as I already stated, making reconnaissances up the
river, and finding the country deserted as they
approached. The whites have given up all attempts
to defend the rivers and smaller headlands. No less
than three fieldworks, on the Ashepoo, Coosaw, and
Otter Point, had been abandoned. It is more than
singular, therefore, that no demonstration has been
made against the Charleston and Savannah
Railway, which must be of inestimable value to
the Confederates. The thing is inexplicable. Gene-
ral Sherman must almost hear the railway whistle
at Pocataligo. Her Majesty's ship Immortalite
was lying at Port Royal by last accounts ; and
as the entrance has been buoyed and there is no
less than 25 feet of water on the bar, it will no

doubt become a resort for the vessels of the squadron
engaged in watching the blockade when it comes
on to blow. It is reported that the Federalists
were engaged in throwing up in trenchments
on Tybee Island under cover of their shipping,
and we may be gratified by the sight of a regular
engineering approach to Fort Pulaski. It is more
likely, however, that it will be attacked by vertical
fire when the mortars are ready. When Captain
Porter's expedition is ready, depend upon it that
there will be more sharp work and energy displayed

than has yet been heard of from either side. If
there is one thing in this war which astounds one
more than another, it is the utter want of " dash "
which has characterized both Confederate and
Federalist alike. There was no dash at Sumter,

certainly. It would have effectually prevented the
erection of the sand batteries—it would have taken
Sumter by storm when once the fire was reduced,
and the little garrison paralyzed by the flames
and want of proper ammunition. In the West,
where partisan leaders and wild bushwhackers, jay-
hawkers, and melodramatic rascality abound, there
has been some hard fighting, but there has been no

dash. Dash—an ounce of it—could have secured
the Faderal capital in April or May—could have

made certain of it, Baltimore, Maryland—and who

can say what more ?—in the last week of July. The
smallest particle of dash could have secured Fort
Pickens for secession before it was reinforced, nor

would Fortress Monroe have been very safe in the

face of the same quality in the enemy. With plenty

of individual courage there has been as yet no ex-
hibition of this valuable military adjunct—most
valuable in an army of this kind and in irregular
warfare. General Price, in Missouri, indeed, exhi-
bits great celerity in advance and retreat, and is
always almost to be, but never is, attacking or at-
tacked, save and except at the Lexington affair.
General Rosecrans—why will he not accommodate
Shaksperians by a little alteration of his name?—
has gone comfortably into winter quarters in Wes-
tern Virginia, or the "State of Kanawha" at Wheel•
ing, after an obscure and inglorious campaign—in
which, however, he has shown himself an active
and capable commander, and has completely foiled
his opponents Floyd and Wise—against whom it
was impossible to win either reputation or glory.
The ex-Secretary, who is generally politely desig-
nated as " the rebel thief Floyd," is still marching