Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-09-08


than Pope. or rather because he il a General. and
Pope . not aud never can be; il Is notin him. IL
i not because his army j. more hume ous than
that nhscb Pope had a nder his command, Tor e
VAS not so. Lees fofces, ever since tie battle
Of August 9th. have been numerically weaker
than Pole's. But they have teen managed with
such admirable generaIship that he has always
been able TO mass at decisive point forces
greatly superior 70 those which General Pope
had at that point. and thus has always been vic
torious.
During the last three DAYS, however, General
Lee has been very strongly reinforced. All the
troops recently at Richmond have joined him,
and IS 200 OF the troops recently in Eastern Ten
nessee has also arrived at Masassas Junction IL
Is. indeed. osing TO uer railroads that the South
is able 10 concentrate such vast armies 80 rapid
~ There j. no doubt, therefore, that General
Lee now holds Centerville and the country
around it. with force OF 10000 or $50 900
troops. These troops. too. are not green levies
or raw recruits, but they are the veteran sold
iers OF the Confederacy, the men of Manassas
and Shiloh.
There are now two courses for General Lee 10
pursue and one of the two he will certainly
adopt He will not retreat from CeDterviIle at
present He is able nj present to maintain that
position. He will, therefore. either remain there
and seek so TO strengthen himself TO be able
to remain there during the whole of the coming
winter. else he will and attack
Washington Which OF these two courses he
will adopt depends good deal our own
force. But it depends chiefly AG-
ministration; on the measures which We adopt for
the defense of the capital
General Lee has $50 900 troops; but he
has only 10 say the word, and IN a week he will
have 200 900. and in two weeks 900 troops.
The men are ready.
On our side, IL becomes me not TO say what
forces are here. Our losses have been terrible /;
| will not say how many in killed and wounded
will cover them General kearpey, killed. Colo
mel Fletcher Webster, killed; General Stevens,
and host of others of our very best officers,
killed. The new recruits are pouring in, and are
being sent out to the battle field. They have
never been action. and they are not even well
drilled in company movements. OF movements
in brigades and divisions they know nothing
General Mitchell, who Is now here, but who has
been detailed To supersede General Hunter, in
South Carolina, said that, Notwithstanding these
facts, he could, by speech OF fifteen minutes,
make veteran soldiers of them all. Ii is hoped,
indeed, that the enthusiasm with which they will
/ fight will supply the place of discipline.
But there j., after all but one path of safety.
Gen. Mcclellan must he placed in chef command
here He. and he alone, can now save the Capt.
/ tai. III il Is saved, it will be BY him. These
words. which | wrote on the I4th Of March, after
| the PRONUNCIATION of the Presidents War Or
ders, record: LET the sword be now TAX
en- from Gen. McClelian's hands, and the general
conduct OF the war attempted by any one else,
and IN less than six months the tide OF victory
will change; disaster will take the place Of victo-
ry We shall have lost all that We have now
gained, and we shall be then further than ever
from the successful termination of the war The
sword tras taken from his hands, and Mr. Lincoln
and Mr. Stanton attempted TO WELD it. Disaster
has taken the place of victory and We have lost
not only all. but more than we had gained: and
| We ut this moment further than ever from the
successful termination of the war.
! 1t was a very grave blunder in Halleck, too 70
withdraw Mcclellan from the Peninsula Ne.
Clellan protested earnestly against il, but Hslleck
insisted. AS long as he was there the rebels
would not have dared TO pursue Pope beyond the
| Rappahannock. because they knew that it they
did so. Mcclellan would march on Richmond
and take il. But as soon as they knew lie was
evacuatinS the Peninsula, their Generals OWNED
how great bluDder Halleck had committed and
in what manner they could take advantage of it
and they have done SO. Halleck is good Gene
raj OF Division. and IN excellent theoretical sol
der but he has not half of McClellan's miltar,
capacity, and the fact will soon be made manifest
The absurd stories which are now being crcu
| lated about Mcclellan originate with the abo
tionsts here. his old enemies, who lear that tn,
President Is inclined to restore him to his old pos
OF General in Chief, and who take this means tC
excite popular prejudice against him Th,
stories are all as false Luciier, and the Presi
dent knows it. Ii he can emancipate himse
from the trammels of abolition pressure" al
may yet be well. X