Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-12-11
General Banks Expedition Breaking
the Back bone OF the Rcbeilion

We gave an account in our yesterday paper
of the parting ovation made To- General Banks on
hs departure from our shores at the head of a
great and formidable armament
Yesterday this great expedition on which are
founded SO many hopes and expectations, took
its departure for, at present, parts unknown. 1t
Is singular, and we deem it fortunate, that hith
erto the destination of this expedition has been
kept profound secret. Ii has now set sail
either for Richmond, or Charleston, or Mobile.
Texas: but which OF those places no one
can tell. Ii can only be told where it is not 20
ing.
The remarks of Governor Curtin, of Pennsy-
wanna, at the leave taking referred to. if not in
dicative of the destination of this expedition are
are at least significant and suggestive He oh
served that "to crush this rebellion il was neces
sary to strike a. the heart of their rebelous
country, To purge the vipers nest: or, in short,
10 take Richmond, the Capital Of the so called
Confederate States. An expedition 10 Texas
could do no good at the present time, and until
Richmond was taken we could not hope to put an
end to the rebellion or expect the restoration OF
the Union. This is no tritiing affair, and hereto
fore we have failed because we have not as stead
lily and earnestly engaged in the work rs We
should For our own part, we have all along
believed that its destination is Richmond AT all
events, il il Is not, we think that it ought TO be
When Commodore Vanderbilt rose 10 speak
General Banks is said TO have remarked: "He is
the only man who knows where the expedition is
going"
But the mystery will soon be cleared M, and
We have confident hopes that when the clouds
which environ it are displaced it will he by the
rising OF brilliant sun OF successful exploits and
greit results, bringing GLORIOUS summer to the
dark horizon and wintry aspect of political
hemisphere.
We entertain great hopes for the results of this
expedition, from the known and approved char.
acter OF the General in command. IL has been
said OF General Banks, by those competent to
Judge. that he Is the greatest general officer that
has been taken from the ranks of civil life He
possesses, also, what the Romans, in their super
stItion, deemed the highest and most necessary
quality of n Gencral--''good luck " He has been
hitherto eininently felix, lucky. in all his under
taklnsS. AT Cedar Mountain, during the short
and unfortunate campaign of General Pope he
successfully wlthstood with his division the fur-
Gus onslaught Of the whole Of Stonewall Jack
son rebel army; and his prudent and successful
retreat ON previous occasion along the valley of
the Shenandoah, in which he brought OFT his
army safely, even to its baggage, is worthy of
being compared with the famous retreat of Mo
reau. and Is equal to that of Xenophen and his
famous ten thousand in ancient history
We heartily join in the general feeling of the
public in wishing nnalloyed success to this. the
greatest expedition which ever left our Northern
shores. We look for solid results from its action
no less than the taking of Ric mond. while Lee
and his army are quietly detained at Fredericks
bcrs--no less than outhankiDg the enemy, taking
them III their rear while Burnside is in their front
leaving them no chance Of retreat or escape, and
oollging them to surrender and thus effectualy
breaking the very backbone of the rebellion
Who can tell whether General Banks NAV not
turn out, after ALL to be the Napoleon of the age
whom the nation has long been looking for?
i New York Herald. 9th.