Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-07-25

THEREBEL PROGRAMME FOR THE FUTURE.
The Baltimore correspondent Of the New
York Herald, whose superior facility for OBJ
tanning fresh Southern news we have before
noted, in his letter of the 18th instant has
the following intelligence
"a council of war composed Of an the principal reb
Ell generals was held at Richmond on the Fourth Of
july. The conferences animated, and were pro
tracted far into the night They embraced complete
review Of the military operations Of the past hnecn
m0nths, and plans Tor the present summer campaign
Nothing decided upon and the council re assembled
early the morning Of July D. At this meeting the
plans Tor the summer campaign were decided on.
Tho general review " military operations did not APP
pear 10 the council n very favorable light The amount
Of territory that had been abandoned caused the council
great chaRrin. The evacuation policy was warmly dis
cusscd hc,ng unspafingy udiculcd and denounced bi
some. and defended by others Every agreed how
ever that in the cof Cornth IL highly proper and
indeed amastery stroke ~ policy since u had saved Rich
moud But The fact that they had lost the whole Misss
sipp valley, New Orleans Norfolk and the whole " Ten
and Kentucky besides large apart NJ Missouri,
appeared 20 dampeu the afdor Of hc mtmhffs somewhat
10 was unanimously agreed only that would not do TO
lose any more territory but also that what had been lost
must be rogaucd The results Of the defensive policy,
which has been hitherto the policy Of the south were not
regarded A. satisActory aud IT'S Abandonment WAS .fonR
ly urged. Both Gen Bcauregatd and Gen Lee cndeevor
ed demonstrate the feasibility Of an invasion Of the
North NJ three different pouts-namcly from Cumbcr-
landor Wuliamspurt into Pcnnsvlyana from Louisville
and Cincinnati into Indiana and Ohio, and from Pnduclh
and Cairointn Illinois IL was NOT certainly known vheth-
the invasion plank VI the platform had been adopted
0rnot. twas strcuousy opposedhy Je Davis and one
or two of the generals but large majority VI them
we're in favorit It's known, however thai The following
operations were agreed on aa forming parts of ihe sum
mcr campaign
1 The Immediate obstruction Of the James r,cr so
As 10 make II impossible for Mcclellan 90 use 10 as means
for communicating with the government aud for hc trans
porauon of feiniotccmcuts and army supplies
p The rc-occupation Of Williamsburg Yorktown and
The recovery Of the whole of the territory of vir-
suia, and the rcposscsson OF ihc Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad.
The recovery Of Ncw Orleans Memphis and the
Mississippi river and the expulsion o the federal troops
from tennessee and Kentucky. When these objects had
been accomplished the Lee and Bcaungard plan rro-
b. 10 make the Potomac and Ohio rivers at once their
base " operations and frontier ue, and 10 transfer the
seat Of war from Nrginitto Maryland
/ O. lohuu upon Washington, from Richmond coli
umn Of two hundred thousand troops; the capture Of
that city, the Liberation uf Baltimore, and tc INVASION
of the North az ihc three points named above By becom
ing iu turn the invaders they hope TO make Unnecessary
for us 90 keep az hone for the defense of our cities fully
five hundred thousand troops.
The plan adopted for the obstrustiou Of the james ri
De ancrwud mounted with heavy guns VI long range,
and hy the use at present of batteries NJ light ARTILLERY,
mostly rtcd guns that can be moved from place 90 place
Several OF these batteries already the of
ycr where they completely concealed by the thick
wood. and bushes This dense foliage affords, also,
complete couccalmcnt 20 The men who work on them,
who have instructions also, not TO show themselves Co
any passing vessels seuunels stationed SO As TO
give hNlltt OF Nut approach OF VESSELS us l' A'ltI
pass tile az work the batteries suspend their abor
II there any danger Of their being eithc ot heard
When all the batteries completed the trees aud
bushes in front " them will De down. and Che river
will be found 10 Doe closed IL will be remembered that IL
was u this way that the batteries the Potomac river
were erected last SUMMER.
The Importance N Virginia 90 the rebels has been for
chilly demonstrated 10y the events NJ the spring campaign
and hence the efforts which they will make ga
hciuu, or even the state &C affairs they existed it
June, 1861, they believe that never again uvld
that state. Its capabilities for defense superb, ln
decd uuequalcd anywhere Aud TO- on the recufrcuc,
of the cool weather VI the fall bc compelled o.
begin the campaign over again at Manassas and Rom
east tLc rebel leader, expect that will hud the tHHd t
Richmond less pracucablei n the fall than we found tir
the spring
Such is their rather extensive programme for the sum
mor campaign The means at their command for lts eN
execution rather inadoQu but they count upon ht
active assistance of both England and France Hltn OF
these nations they think will recognize their indcpen
deucc. and their vessels breaking the blockade viii take
their cotton aud sugar away and bring hem arms anr
ammunition 100 return. They have now iu arms 1000,
Rlchmond 20)o0)
Central Virginia, 900
Charleston, % ull
> Savannah, 2l000
Mobile, part Of these troops are FROM 50o0l
Nicksburgh ( Bcamcgard's late army ~ 600
West + the Mississippi river lDO 600
. Knoxville, 2IO0O
In,eriorof Georgia and Alabama, 10000
y Total, 51Uu0l
So fi As Gen. Mcclellan army Is concerned, tc rc'
els 40 Richmond are confident that hg end Of tuu
month they viii have driven them entirely from the pc