Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-11-03
Special Correspondence Of The Chicago Times.
From Washington.


The Marine BarrGcks-HaydShips Of the officers
-AmuSemeHts - Bdrnum, NiEOn, Maggie
Mitchell, tSc-COlonel Mulligan's Differences
cih The War Department settled-Reintorce-
ment Of General Sigers Command-7Re Nelo
York Chamber of Commerce Resolutions reIq-
tiUe to the Alabama
WASHINGTON, Oct. %.
Having for the last fifteen or twenty letters
confidently predicted in each an immediate ad-
vance of the Federal troops everywhere, and in
each instance having been mistaken, conclude
that prophecy is not my "forte," and hence will
undertake to write one letter in which the subject
of immediate advance" &c, is left out.
l went down to the marine barracks the other
day, and had fine time. The barracks are sit
uated near the navy yard, and include everything
complete, from cOmmandants and officers quar-
tiers, to hospitals, bakery, carpenter shops-in
fact everything requisite TO the comfort, con
yenience, and necessities of those who are living
there.
Most of the officers, or at least several of them
are young gentlemen hailing from the West; and
it will doubtless pain their anxious parents much
when tell them their patriotic boys are having
terribly hard lite-One that certainly will at some
future time, be ended bv death Nearly all of
them are Obliged to rise in the morning and dress
themselves before breakfast, after which they
drill the men for an hour in the yard of the bar
racks
When this laborious task is ended, the poor
victim of shoulder strap and a commission retires
to his richly carpeted room, throws himself int6a
softly cushioned arm chair, places his heels upon
marble top table, and, lighting fine cigar.
gives himself mp to reflections Upon the hardness
OF his lot. The only interruption 10 these sad
- l.,
self at table whose garniture is fully equal to
that of Willard's, eats couple of nicely boiled
chickens, drinks half bottle of finely favored
madeira, and then with an appetite spoiled, as he
reflects upon the fact that life 10 him is terrible
reality, he lounges back to his room, and
deavOrs to kill the weary hours till the next morn
ing.
To do this they come into town. play BILLIARDS,
patrOnze hackmeB, go to the theatres and fall
savagely IN love with Maggie Mitchell or the
leading actress, or, taking the magnificent
rine band, traverse the city, stopping here and
there beneath some curtained window to sweeten
she dreams of some fair within by strains
sweeter than those of nightingales. Thus from
day to day the weary hours drag on, and the world
knows not their grief.
One young gentleman that formerly weighed
one hundred and twenty five pounds has, in few
short months, fallen to one hundred and ninety
Nor is the change less marked in others; in all
NAV be seen rosate cheeks and swelling forms
indicating the severity of their labOrs Their
worthy parents at home will of course feel for
them, and extend to them their warmest sympa-
thies After spending whole day with them
left them-my voice chOked with emotional
hccoughs, and my legs unsteady from the load
of grief that carried away
Washington is just now lively beyond all pre-
cedent. Three theatres, two circuses and two
hybrid places of amusement known respectively
Canterbury and Olympic Hall, besides a dozen
smaller places of enjoyment. in full blast and
are nightly iammed to repetiOn. Hacks by the
hundred flied with pleasure seeking parties, are
necessarily dashing hither and thther; gaily
dressed eQueStrianS canter about the avenues and
dense crowds of happy, richly dressed pedestrians
throng the sidewalks all hours. The skeleton
in our national closet isn't suspected of existence
in this section; the gigantic war affects people as
little as it it were being waged between the Hot
entOts and Senegambans.
The irrepressible Barnum is also here lectur-
ing on Sundays, in the Capitol grounds, on tenn
perince, and on other days exchanging views of
Commodore Mutt, Tom Thumb, grizzly bears,
&c. for the quarters and halves of the citizens,
in which transaction he, as usual, gets much the
best of the bargain. Just now there is most
interesting newspaper war raging between him
and Nixon, the proprietor of rival circus in
which Barnum is, as usual. ahead, aid has shown
that, in the use of abuse he is by far the biggest
blackguard of the two.
Maggie MITCHELL at Ford's Theatre on Tenth
street, has drawn crowded houses for six consecu-
tive weeks and, in addition, has turned the heads
of half the spoonv shoulder straps in Washing
ton. Nightly the stage is flooded with bouquets,
and frequently with moIe substantial evidences
of admiration, until the green-h houses of Wash
in nd flo rafc ~ horo odr aho
equally empty And thus goa gay and fes-
tive community.
Col. Mulliean is still IN town, but has satsfac-
torily settled his differences with the Admins
tration, arising from the complications of Camp
Douglas. He is considerably stared at, and is a
lion of first quality, dividing equally the curiosity
of the public with such men as Mcdowell Stone,
Corcoran, Porter and Meagher. Why hasn't he
been made Brigadier General7 About a wear
ago the President offered HIM a star. but he re-
fused it, as, by accepting, he would have to ne
glect his Irish Regiment, which just then he was
endeavoring to reorganize. Now, however he is
differently situated and could accept the position
both with credit to himself and the service
If there a cause of complaint relative
to Sigel lacking troops, it exists no longer, for,
within short time, large number of regiments
have been added TO his corps. among which are
the 9th Wisconsin aud the s2d Illinois He has
uOh SUb all buc lOiCC no uCCuot duu ntuCc ~ ~
hoped that the carpings of everybody the sub
ject will cease.
see that the Chamber of Commerce iu.New
York has adopted series of resolutions con-
demning in very strong terms the action of the
Confederate Alabama-the 29O. This is right
and il the Alabama Is commanded by gentle
man, he will. upon reading those resolutions
navigate his piratical craft into New York, and
offer penitentially his neck to the merces of the
outraged and indignant Chamber of Commerce
We are great people on proclamations and res
Olutions. Hunter, Phelps, Lincoln and the New
York Chamber of Commerce, particularly
heavy" in this department, and il is wonder
that, ere this, their tremendous efforts in this re-
spect have not ended the war and smashed the
Confederacy. The people of the loyal North
will stand agape, waiting the effect of these reso
lutions upon Captain Semmes: il he don't "come
down., the next move will probably be the old
fashioned one of sending an armed vessel to
chastise, and, If possible, capture the bold In.
] truder.