Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-12-22

STATEMENTS OF THE ADMINISTRATORS - RE
MARKABLE SPEECH OF Mr.. CONWAY on THE
BoGUs STATE OF VRGISIA-SIGSIFIcANc OF
THE SPEECH, &c.
WASHINGTON, Dec IL.
The structures in my last letter on the wretched
msmanagement of the affair at Fredericksburg
instead of being too severe, we're not half severe
enough. The affair, it has resulted. is an en-
tire failure of the whole campaign against Rich
mond by the overland route. The Admnstra-
ton papers may gloss over it as they please,
but | tell you the attempt to move on the enc
my's works" at Fredericksburg will not be re-
peated. That it was made at all is fact that
disposes at once Of all of Haleck's claims to
generalship, and that furnishes an additional
proof of what the Chicago Times declared ed
torially months ago. namely: that any campaign
which Halleck should attempt TO direct from his
closet at Washington would be failure Hal
leck and Stanton both knew that for more than
three weeks Lees whole army had been at Fred
ericksburg, working night and day at their FORT
fcations, and that it was scarcely within the
bounds of possibility that they could be dislodged
therefrom. They knew too, that il certain
that even the attempt 10 dislOdge them could not
be m tde without a frightful sacrifice of life Tn
der existing circumstances, they could not have
expected to sucreed. There is cause for thank
fulness indeed that the disaster is 10 worse than
it is IT Burnside had not retreated as he has
done, his whole army would have been annh-
lated, and Lee would now be in Washington.
Perhaps, upon the whole, Lincoln and Stanton
together are even more to blame than Halleck
1t was understood by every one here, and by
Burnside and his officers, that the Banks expedi
ton had been sent either to the Peninsula. or to
North Carolina to join the forces of Gen. Foster
and Gen. Peck already there, in order To advance
upon Richmond from the South. If the Admin
istation had caused this to be DONE the result at
Fredericksburg might have been very different.
For, if it had been SO arranged, the enemy would
have found it necessary to have kept at least half
of their dispnsabe troops ut the south of Rich
mOnd, in order 10 operate against Banks aud Fos-
ter and thus Lee would nave been weakened TO
that extent, and Burnside might have been sue
cessful on Saturday But the rebel emissaries
kept sharp look out for Banks. On the 9Th
inst, his feet sailed past Cape Hatteras. On the
9th inst. that important fact was known at Rich
mond. All doubts and fears then were at an end
there; and on the 9Th inst. the $4,000 troops
which had been kept at Petersburg and on the
Peninsula were on the march uOrthwaId to join
Gen Lees army at Fredericksburg. They had all
arrived there BY the 18th; and although they were
nct'needed, aud took no part in the sanguiniry
contest of the next day, yet they were on hand;
their presence encouraged those of Lees troops
who did fight; aud, if Burnside had succeeded in
carrying the first line OF the enemy's works."
here would have been the troops that would have
met him and still vanquished him.
1t is evident that the 1900 brave soldiers
whom we lost on that fearful day were murdered
by their own Government. Their blood cries for
Justice. They were needlessly slain Their death
has not accomplished the slightest result Their
murder is but portion of the fruit of the wretched
mismanagement of the war on the part of this
l. IL
tinue? Can nothing stop itg
In making up the record ~ this fearful affair,
the iaIsehoods palmed off upon the country UNI
der the sanction of the Administration shall be
forgotten. Mr.. Lincoln led off himself by de-
claring when Burnside had begun TO cross the
river, on the llth, that ''the rebellion was now
crushed, and that Richmond would soon be ours
Then followed the assertion. that the statement
that the rebels had 900, 900 troops was false. for
that their whole force did not exceed $4,000"
Next it was asserted that Burnside had sent word
that he did not need any reinlorcements, for that
he had all the troops he wanted. Then came the
story about Banks landing in North Carolina aud
marching, with his own ami Forster's troops, on
Petersburg. Then the Washington Chronicle
stated positively that it authorized TO make
known that Banks had landed his troops al Har-
rison's Lending, up the james river. Then it
was asserted that Sigel's corps had been sent TO
TclllOINt DuTuSluc- NCAt IL NdS dSctlAtu illdl
Burnside had sent "a dispatch to the President
stating that he had carried the first line of the
enemy S Notifications Aud, lastly, it was as
serted on Sunday, and repeated on the 18th, that
Burnside perfectly satisfied with the result of
the battle on Saturday and would renew the en-
gagement Immediately. Every one of these
precious lies were telegraphed from here all over
the country, and every of them is on record
in your telegraphic columns How contemplate
a., Nd bn.r in hal iUbt of
subsequent sventsl
In my letter on the bill for the admission of
the bogus State of West Virginia, merely al
luded 10 the speech of Hon Martin +. Conway,
of Kansas. | now desire to call the attention of
your readers particularly TO that speech. Mr..
Conway, the only member from Kansas, is a Re
publican. But he is a lawyer, and, as his speech
proves. a constitutional lawyer and statesman.
Other Republican members of Congress could
see. as well Mr.. Conway, the insidious snare
that this bill laid before their feet. But Mr.
Stevens AID Mr.. Conway were the only ones who
had the courage to denounce il. The strongest
and by far the abest argument against the
of the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of Vir-
ginia was that contained in Mr.. Conway's speech
on the bill for the admission of the new State of
West Virginia. The admission of the new State
was opposed by Mr.. Conway on constitutional
grounds alone, and simply because the dsmem
berment OF the State of Virginia in the manner
proposed would be palpabe violation OF the
Constitution. The must come TO an end
And when that event takes place,
whether il be one year hence or twenty. the
Union must be restored. And when the Union
is restored. the State of Virginia will be "Old
Virginia" again, with the same boundaries that
she had in 1862 Either this must be so, or else
the Union will never be restored at ALL IL is,
indeed. the game of the radicals in Congress to
obliterate all the old State lines in the Southern
States; to reduce them to Territories aid then
TO mix them up by onng into one Territory
parts Of what are now two States, and to cut up
some of the present States into two or more new
States The ACKNOWLEDGMENT of Virginia is the
first step in the programme. Whether Mr.. Con-
way is aware Of the ultimate designs of the con.
spirators or not, he has the courage To stand up
against such palpable violation of the Constitu-
ton the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of a State. Let Mr..
Conway stand firm on the ground he has chosen;
il is the rock OF the Constitution. He will not
be alone there. For. whatever may be the pres
eni division Of the members Of Congress, the
day is not far distant when there will be but two
parties there: one for, the other against. the
Constitution. And the people will take care to
sustain those who support and sustain the Con-
stitution X
HuNPHREy MARSHALL on McCLELLAN-The |
Lexington Observer and Reporter is reliably in
formed that while the rebels were in possession of /
this State Humnhrev Marshall remarked TO n /