Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-08-07

WASHINGTON, July 95.
Neither the city, nor Congress. nor the Admin
istration, nor the army, have recovered yet from
the i'll effects of the disaster of the battle Of Man
assas. There is less, however. of apparent paral-
ysis than at first The defeat was not really so
disastrous as was apprehended. We lost many
gallant officers and men, but that loss the patriot
ism Of the country could have borne The loss
on our part of the prestige of the Federal pow
er. The mail packet for Liverpool that left your
port yesterday, will carry out exaggerated reports
of the disaster, such appear in one or two OF
the New York papers, and the demand, by one
of them, for a change in the Cabinet. The Fed
eral cause will thus be temporarily. perhaps per
manently, prejudiced abroad.
Ii begins 10 be seen, that but for the malcon-
duct of some officers and individuals on the field
there would have been no retreat, or at least, no
panic and that the Federal army might, at least,
have kept their ground at Centreyille. But for
that panic il might have been conceded that the
affair was drawn battle But in the Senate Mr.
Wilson declares it to have been a total rout. In
that way it will appear to the world, whatever ex
plantations may be made.
The disaster which the Federal cause has sus-
tanned can be retrieved but only in one way. The
battle of Manassas must be fought over again.
and the preliminary strategy must he left under
the untrammeled management OF Gen. McClel-
Ian. That young and promising General will not
attack Gibraltar with pocket pistol. 1t mustbe
observed that our grand army of invasion never
penetrated to the chief works of the Confederates
at Manassas. We were defeated by the advanced
works and advanced columns at Bull Run. The
next time. we have not only to pass the batteries
on the outpOsts. but to attack the hornets nest
itself.
Congress and the Administration and the State
authorities are all earnest and Jealous in prepa-
ring for another attack on Manassas. Some say
it IS to come off in fortnight The COnfeder
ates expect il, and have been busy in prepara-
ton.
Gen. Mcclellan will inspire fresh confidence in
the troops. He can have any amount Of material.
He will, no doubt, advance with an immense siege
train. and assail the enemy's batteries in succes
sion, so as TO give the infantry a fair chance TO
enter and take them He ought to have two hun
Died thousand men, in order to invest Manassas
on either wing, while with siege cannon he makes
regular and gradual approaches in front.
Those who ruled Gen. Scott on the late occa-
sion, thinking themselves better, though younger
soldiers than he undertook by a coup de main, 10
take fifty batteries, and to do it with twenty six
thousand men, in opposition to sixty thousand
men.
After all the preparations OF the Feleral Gov
enment for this war, after all the contributions
of money by the loyal States, after all the mani
festation of public zeal in support of the Union.
il must be confessed that the Confederate army
at Manassas was superior 10 our army in NUN
bers, in material and in organization. What is
most remarkable about this is, that they raise
and support such armies, without any money or
credit-according TO our newspapers. So much
the better for them, and much the worse for ne.