Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-11-10

and drap the Union Army fOpGrds the Rappa-
hoanOek-The Army still in rant Of Shoes
HOt0 the AbOlifiORists Deeei0e the Negroes
WAsHISeroS. November S.
The military movements now in progress be.
tween the Potomac river and Manassas Gap
railroad, and between this city and Winchester,
are OF the highest importance and may lead to
decisive results in few DAYS. On the other
hand il Is well TO remember that the campaign,
at the pleasure of the Confederates. may be
heightened out till the SHOWS CT winter without
any decisive results.
General Mcclellan with his splendid army, Is
steadily moving after Gen. Lee The latter off,
Ger, with full knowledge of the country in
which ne is operating, is slowly moving south
ward, and pursuing precisely the tactics which, in
a former letter. / stated would be his policy.
Gen. Mcclellan not force him to fight un-
til he is ready He will retire towards the line
OF tile RappahannOck- dsputing every mountain
pass with McClellan's advance but making no
stand uutil he has reached the spot upon which
he wishes to fight When be arrives at that
point he will mass bis army there, aud there a
battle will take place. Ii he selec il with the
judgment which he displayed in choosing the
fields of Antetam and South Mountain, we
may look for battle far bloodier than either Of
those
In moving after him, il is requisite for General
has large army, as is necessary for him TO have,
in covering the extent of country which he has to
protect. Should he press forward with too much
ardor, and get his whole army entansled in the
mountain gorges, or get some range of mountains
between him and this city, it may be that the
my will sweep around and get in his rear. Re-
connoissances show that they are watching us
closely, and that they have masses of troops,
not only in front of Mcclellan at Winchester
and Strasburg. but also his right at Charles
town and on his left at WarrentOn. The farther
Gen. Lee can draw Mcclellan away from Wash
ington without giving battle the better it will be
for the COnfederates and the for US. 1t
would seem, indeed, to be his design to get TO the
south banks of the Rapidan and the Rappahan-
mock, by means OF the three military roads which
he has constructed. If such Is his design il is
not in our power to to prevent it. Even if Gen.
Mcclellan should strike direct for Harrisonburg,
and, by masSng his army there, should intercept
Lee. it would be just what Lee would desire above
al things. For then IL would be the Union army
that would he in trap.
| To say nothing of the rebel troops at GordOns-
vile and on the south bank of the Rappahannock
| (40.OOO strOng.) Gen. Johnston has least 3d.
200 between Madison. Culpepper, WaTenton and
Catleit's Ii would not be exactly the thing,
4 therefore. for Gen Mcclellan TO throw himself
between Gen. Johnston - Gen. Lees 10000
troops.
| Some sapient critics who can not see beyond
their noses are laying great stress upon the alleg
ed fact that Gen Mcclellan has been telegraph
| ing about the Capacity of the railroads running
| toward Richmond, and are basing thereon great
military projects. These critics would DO well TO
remember that Gen Mcclellan does not proclaim
his intentions by the sound OF the trumpet, and
that, if any of his intended operations we're to be
based upon intelligence gained by questions ask
ell by telegraph, those questions would be kept
secret. The conduct of Napoleon "A, the time he
| was preparing to throw Al. immense army across
the Rhine, ut Constance. has probably not been
| forgotten by General Mcclellan. Unfortunately,
however, the general management of this cam
pagn is not III Gen. McCleilan's hands. He has
only Moreau's part to play, without the advan-
tage that secured Moreau's success.
When the history of this war comes to be
! written, the execraiOn of generations to come
will be poured upon the who have the
shamelessness to deny the fact that great Dor
| ton of Gen. McCieIlan's army has been suffering
during the whole month Of October for the
tual want of shoes and blankets Quantities of
those articles going forward now to supply
the barefooted ana shivering soldiers which is the
strongest proof that even yet they are needed. |
have seen officers Just from the army within a
few days, who tell me that, during the last ten
DAYS OF October, regiment after regiment was
supplied with these articles after suffering dread
many regiments still destitute. The New
York Herald says, editorially:
| The Government cannot provide clothes and
shoes for the soldiers t all eady has in the Geld;
and it seems the height of folly to take men
from their homes before they are wanted. IL
| would save expense and be vastly better, for this
reason, il the operation of the draft were post
ponei in every loyal State till the first of Jan
uary:"
million of dollars in Government notes have
been sent to the West within a few days TO paw
the arrears of the Western soldiers. 1t is said
that Mr.. Chase intends 10 send $500 200 in the
same direction, daily, ill all the arrears of the
Western troops are paid. This is n good inten-
ton. and | only hope Mr.. Chase will stick to it.
! Ii proves, however, that the brave BOYS have
been long waiting fOrtheir pay.
1t is stated that one reason WHY the men who
have fought our battles have been kept without
their pay so long, Is, that the Government has
had to pay such enormous amounts in bounty
money and advance pay TO recruits Ii is
certain that fifteen or twenty millions of the
Treasury notes have been used in paying fer
5eunties and for single months advance pay for
the recent volunteers. But surely that ought not
to cripple the resources OF great nation like
this.
The letter Of the negroes of this District 70 the
President. in regard to the promised land, the
Canaan which he promised them, is regarded
here the richest piece OF satire upon the whole
negro scheme of the President and his Abolition
friends Deceived by the specious promises that
were held out To them. these poor people sold
their little possessions, gave up ;heir comfortable
little cabins here, and now, when they come to
look for their promised land" they find that
they have been tgregiously humbugged; that
there is in fact no such Gland" as was promised
to them.
What a spectacle, too, is presented to the
world, of an American President dev0tng his
time and his energies to such Utopian schemes,
and this, too at such crisis in our national his
tory as the present. But what are the interests
of the white man. when the negro has got to be
provided for? Congress hooted the motion of
Mr. Richardson, of your State to set apart even
a single day for the consideration of legislation
for the benefit of white men, and shall the Presi-
dent do less than to devote a part of each day TO
the care of the Eve millions of blacks that he has
declared free and invited to leave their Southern
homes?
Many OF the newspapers in speaking of the ex-
plots OF the rebel steamer Alabama, designate
her as a private vessel, and her crew pirates.
As | am fond of calling things by their right
names. will take the liberty say that, accord
ing to the decision of the United States Govern
ment, this is a slight mistake Our Government
recognizes that vessel and her crew privateers.
When captured. or rather if captured, they will
not be treated as pirates but as prisoners of war,
and they will be exchanged as such Mr. Seward
started out with the loud assertion that Gov
eminent would treat all such persons as pirates.
But, from the first | maintained that such
course could not and would not be pursued. And
when some of them were caught and put on trial
at Philadelphia as pirates, the learned judges