New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-08-23
The Potomac Army Tied Up-Embarka.
ton Of our Divisions-Yor ktswn an4
its Defenses-An Insane Eiephans-
Probable Promotions.

I
Yonxrowy, Va. Thursday, Aug. 81, 1861
The Army of tie Potomac, like the coffin Of Mo.
BANNED, hangs between heaven and earth. 'lss
for The time being, neither broadening Richmond
nor defending Washington 1t has let loose whjri'
wind upon Pope, and will almost certainly be too
late to brace him against it. Ii is practically y
nonentity, serving no more immediate purpose than
do the cargoes in transit from Hong Kong 10 New.
York now tossing in the middle of the Pacific. 1t 10
the limp body Of baf-drowDed man being borne mp
the bank for resuscitatiou. DO not understand mo
as questioning the propriey Of IFS transfer from the
Peninsula. DO not understand me as questioning III
ability or its desire to be Of immediate service or do
early and vigorous fighting, if il is 30 happy az to DO
in at the death. only speak Of the transparent fact
that as the situation now appears the crlss Oh the
Ra pidan Inay be fought out, lost or won, and we
far away on the b,Ilow the muddy miniature
pillows of the Potomac though they be.
may add that this is a lamenting army, mourn
ing for the opportunities that are not. and refusing
to be comfor,ed. 1t is, also, broken, shrnnkep,
awfully home-sick army, feeling that the fatgues
and the igbtiDgs, the sw amps and the seges, the
and mutilatious it has undergone, had
in them enough of yalor, OF bio d. Of suffering aye,
Of victory, to have accredited them conqaerors,
instead OF facing them about, and branding them
be ten men. Having won ctorles and being they
believe, Just ready TO pluck the great triumph, they
are deprived Of the eagles ard laures OF victories
Fifteen minutes agC-it Is now III u. m.-:he Ist
man of Heintzelmans corps walked over the gangj
wav plank q. the dock here, so that Hooker'e and
Keai news fighting divisions are aiOAt. Porter hsS
gone from Newport News where Franklin will
commence embarking to-day. Reyes will embark
here Sumner marched from here this morning,
S-dcwicks division OF his cors to find transports at
Hampton and Richardson's ut Newport News, after
two days upon the road shall bring them " those
places. a.,
Under the energetic command Of Gen. Van Allen,
Yorktown has been put in splendid posture for de-
Tense. The identical guns captured here from The
Rebels are now mounted upon the works, they IN =
great measure built, but all in Union hands. These
deIenses have come back to plague the inventor.
Gen. Van Aliens commend l. TO be materially IN.
creased: and should Rebel force deem it worth
while to chase down tuis way thus far 1t may pos
sibly come, but no further.
At Williamsburg is an Insane asylum, with nearly
800 inmates, which, when the town was hrst oceu-
Med was placrd in charge OF army surgeons, me
old authorities having used the oath OF allegiance
no, being permitted 10 remain IL has proved an
elephant upon our hands, since we have been Obliged
10 conduct i, at Government expenses. Should inc
town he evacuated the citizens will be placed In
charge and in that way he surgeons he relieved.
IL has been stated that Iieintzelman crossed the
Cbickabominy at Jow's Bridge. such Is the name
of the place but the crossing was upon pontoon
bridge built by Mcleod Murphy's Engineer Regi-
ment. Want of transportation compelled The
destruction Of twenty pontoons alter they had served
their purpose.
IL Is supposed that when the army is fairly al tie
dcstinatio fair proportion OF the volunteers now
aryn at the seat of will be attached 70 II,
sultng. doubtless, in the format Ton Of several new
corps Farmee. The policy is to constitute every
two divisions "A corps have 1t on very good au-
thoritv that Gems. Hooker ana Sedgwick have been
designated Tor promotion from division to corps
letter selection could not be made,
as the country aud the army will agree. John
Sedgwick. Maior-General of Volunteers, is cool,
selt-poi.ed ssming, but brsiny, now the senior
colonel in active of the regular army, and W isha1
believes that war should he car. Ten. Hooker's
admirable fitness for compaad has been often noted
in your columns, as it WAS before proven upon
battle-fields.
FORTRESS MoNRoE- p. m
Since writing the above 1 have steamed 70 TIM
point and add these two items.
Williamsburg is held only BY csyalry-bospitali
and stores have been removed. Yorktown 10, An'
is to be- the outpost.
The submarine telegraph between mere ant
Cherry Stone, which had not been WORKING Ior
week. has been reaid. ard communication opei's'
with Washington.