The Council Bluffs nonpareil., 1861-11-16
EUssELL'S LETTERS.

From Mr.. Rasstl's Letters to the ,.ondsn
TINES, dated Washipgton, Oct, 4h, and
I,h, We make the following extracts:
WAsuIscros. Oct. 4.h.
ATTITUDE OF THE OPPOSING FORCES IN yIR-
&s-@&lva .4 CINIA.
There is something childish and Chinese
IN tue "buggahoa" sort of game played in
the face oftwo very large masses of armed
men Of stickiag up painted guns, or ''qua
k"rs, In sham works, Of planting pumps
before sham lines, and of tlring RACKS of
hay and barn doors with red hot pellets. II
uyn. Beauregard is reaiy to attack. Gen.
Mcclellan is prepared to receive an offensive
NOV tment than to make one. Ia fact they
afe both perfectly aware at this moment
that their armies are quite beyond their
sr asp, aud that all they could do 10 such Il
country as lies between them would be to
depend on officers of brIga4es 10 work their
men almost indep ndently, AID TO hold their
own behind their lines and 10 The position
IN which they are placed Any attempt to
maneuver or IN handle e7cu u third OF the
reputed forces before Washington in that
billy wooden region, must fa,l. No coup
deal can be OF service unless the General
directs o eratioHs from a balloon by an
electric telegrat h TO each Colone's pocket.
\ regiment marching along is lost to sight in
n.few hundred yards rs completely us II it
was n rabbit botting into u warren hole, or
bobbing through a turnp field. The ad
vantages are all on the side OF the defensive
force; but of the two the confederases are
more familiar with the ground. Still it is
obvious IN the present temper Of the public,
fretted a. they have been for months past
by announcements that "a great battle will
take place immediately" that some forward
movement must be made, and that all the
money and meu dIstribut about Washing
ton must do something. Not that there is
nowadays any Of the ignorant impertn-
ence and arrogant clamar which led to Bull
Run, but that the Sorlh, which has given 50
much, want so nething in returo, now that
the fighting season has arrived. Two large
armies cannot stand face To faee continually
with two raging nations behind them. But
where IS Bsauregari's army There are
traces If the enemy along the federal front
there are 'hOptIngs Of sent.res and small
skirmishes between picSets, but "a far as
can learn there is no positive knowledge
that the great bulk of the army is at any
place in particular, though it is quite Ger
tain that whenever federal force appears
acoufedrrate a force is soon ~ view of 1t. 1t
Beauregard expects tha, his opponent Will
march directly on his position 10 front OF
Mtnasses, think he will be disappointed,
and he will probably be forced a; last to
divert Il portion af his forces % the West.
with long marches and difficult country
before them, or 10 IN Ike the attempt on
which l. have always circulated. if ever he
could obtain possession of the Potomac, to
cross in to Maryland. There would be nc
novelty IN Illustrating the position by il
reference to the attidaae OF Sir Richard
Strachen and the Earl of Chatham, but the
position is urverthrl"es like enough.
-s- --A.. TIE FEDERAL ARMY.
There is pruiigIpus farc, rising rapidly
toward- the number voted by Congress. out
of the ground as it were tn he ofrcarei as
best it may. under Nil the forms of election
an! voting. and ctnyasslng familiar in re-
publcs. and known, o&t of the military
world. in constitutional monarchies. The
origrual regular army. which DID not exceed
81 900 men, was deprived If many Of its
officers by the seeded Stat S. The gentle
men IN private life, who had received
military eiuc.tioa at West roiat, were
divided according % their States, and fur
nIshei an inadequate contingent To the ar
mics on both s,de,. The result was thai all
regular army officers received promotion
enough tn turn heir heads: lieutenants and
captains became generals of brigaties no
one would take anything less. Then a
brigade and regimen: we're regarded as poor
cnmman34 by men who could scarcely. IN
the natural course o. events, have hoped to
command a company for years To COME
Skeleton regiments were constructed, in or
der that "cofone.s'' might hang their shakos
on the horses: and colonels were made be-
cause they sad they had regiments which
we're only abstract creations. The bar, the
railroad board, the bench, the church. the
counting house, the surgery. furnished lead
ers: while the desk. the ,hsdman's counter,
and the indigenee of the bosagcossis yielded
more than their proportion of offers
of infssiar rank. These men are dIstla-
guishahls a, once bs their air, their mode at
address, their long hair, and the nocooth
wav in which they wear their uniforms
But, after all, the wonder really - that the
army is so well offered as u ~, and the
number of men OF ane faces and figures,
with the appearances AMI manner OF the sol
der about them. which one sees IN the streets
ard in the csmps. shows what a large mill.
tary element there must have been among
the American people. for the class OF which
I speak is beyond all proportion to the hab-
its Of the people, ana vet il has dropped
easily and naturally into the discharge Of
military duties. Il Hili be long however.
before the whole mass 10 thoroughly ieavsn-
ed with the spirit OF discipline and obeai-
ence. sa ts