The New York herald., 1862-10-13

caused excitement uneasiness a first,
people thinking thai the authorities had received
intelligence a III ntentoa the part Of the Union go
yernmcnt 70 make ancther attack on Richmond Bss
soon became understood that such not the CAS- and
that the ammanoa had moved more for safe keep
ing than anything ese me greatest recautens are en-
o'nsd on The officers having charge Of he magazines v
the forts The magazines themselves are constructed win
the utmost care 10 guard against accidents and no
one allowed into them The gunpowder used CHIEF
y foreign manufacture, received oy vessels that have
run the blockade landed their cargoes a. Mobile and
Charleston There Is said " have been some defect in
tbe glnpowder that nrel manufactured in The Con.
fedrae States owing 10 defect in the pro-
cess Sut not 10 Any bad quality in tue ingredients
large quantity u il destroyed at Richmond aboIs
ago. unfit for But that manufactured
subsequently been found up the required
standard
believed Richmond that attack viii be made
Oh the city un, ext spring This belief is founded
far AZ can ascertain, chiefly upon ths facl oil 6enora
Lees having so large force in Northern Virginia. and
upon his intention OF remaining about wEcre he & in
Beaurceards old camps q, Centr.vls. all the winner,
and also upon tho lacl that the rebels have such
large army operating il Kentucky and another west
Q! the Mississippi river They under tho impression
thai II viii require iargc Union force 70 operate
against General Lee in virginia. General Holmes on the
Mississippi and General Bragg Kentucky, that the
Union viii not have enoug troops loft 70 attack Rich
mond II s the general impression however. thai when
the city is attacked it will neither be BY wa. Of the
peninsuar by way OF Culpeppcr bu. by mortar fleet
ascending the James river, and by simultaneous land
attack from the Manchester side Great efforts have
been directed, therefore, the defence Of the city IN
those directions.
Fort Darling, stnl tho chief reliance Of the city
10 the direction Of the river, has been in
creased by Tho erection Of outworks and outer
batteries 70 nearly doublc ns original sze while u
has hoen strengthened by additional layers Of bars
railroad iron classmates nc tha Is regarded as invul
nerable Its asuament has been increased by the add
oD Of Eve Of those monserYups the proectes OF
which played such havoc wtthhc iron sides Of the Ca
Iona Its magazines are koptconstantly filed with am
muuitioo. The arerists at Fort Darling arc the Same
thas have been there all along except that their number
increased and they kept constantly trained at the
guns The channel Of the James river along the entire
distance between this fort and Richmond obstructed
BY sunken huis filled with stons and by piles d-vennto
the bed ofths river by other centrivanccs that
wA impossible for vessels to get TO Richmond till they
renewed. mile below Richmond there is bridge
Of boats laid the river which troops and srti
.ry@cross There similar bridge but wider
ono, two miles above Fort Darling.
Perfect confidence felt at Richmond in regard t, Gen
Lees The fact that Gen. Mcclellan has not yes
crossed the Potopac pursuit extmts the unwilling al
miration OF the rebel military leaders rash and head
strong general they say would have crossed long before
the consequence of which would have been that his
army would have been annhilated
The following is understood be Gsneral Lees pro
gramme-
10 keep his :rmy well in hand in its present
position, and to make such man9urres at and
Winchester will induce the Union army
Nfnf1al lla,
teels himself to be strong enough TO do so
then to retreat drawing tho Union army after
him, probably TO From Ioya, to some other point
in the shenandoah valley where he have the choice
Of position and then fall upon the Union army with the
hope Of defeating Gen. Mcclellan Gen. Johnston in the
meantime 70 advance from Culpeppcr and Warrenton to
Aidc, TO be between Gen. Mcclellan and Washing
in order TO Off his retreat 10 the capital and 70
act reserve to Gen Lee in Of need. 1t viii be
at that there both and strategy in this
plan. In should succeed, Washington would be in
greater danger than has bseu yet The event will
show, however, tnat Gen. Mcclellan than match
for Gen. Lee
The following the number and pr disposition Of
all the rebel troops
Rebel "Army OF tho Pctcmac,' commanded by
Gen Lee in person, headquarters at Winchester
army corps or Gen. jackson, Gen. Longstreet and
Gen. Hill, each about 40 900 strong and ncud-
ing the divisions Of Gen. Ewell, Gen. Huger,
u,
General Johnston's arEiy corps (headouarters at
Capepper l-ropsasfing Of the divisions Of General
9GusiaYis ". smith, General Jones and General
horton each division about Is, 600 srong... IS 600
Two army corps at Gordonsville, each 10000
At RcHmond petersburg ana on the James river
At Lynchburg (conscripts, in Camp Of instruction
for last three moalhs) ............... 40 900
Vicinity OF Romaey. mostly guerlas. 5000
At Gaucy aud in Western Virginia, under General
Floyd. Is 900
Total IN Virginia. ...... ................. a2s 900
At Knoxville aud IN Eastern Tennessee. -. 20 600
Near Louisville, under Gen. Kirby Smith. 25 900
Near Glasgow, under Gen. Bragg. 10000
In Eastern Kentucky, under Gen. Williams. 5000
Department OF Missouri west Of the Mississippi 0ee
river, under Gen. Holmes and Gen Magruder.. so 900
Department Of the Lower Mississippi, ia Arkansas
and at Vcksburg, under Gen. Hindmsn. &C 900
Near Corinth under Gen Price .......... $4,000
Charleston half Of these are conscrp,s) 20 900
savannah (ha Of these are conscrpis). ).... 30 900
Total rebel force in arms. GAS 900
But while the rebels al Richmond feel easy in regard to
tina. city they greatly troubled about Charleston and
Savannah The conviction is very general Richmond
that the federal government is fitting out powcrf
squadrons for simultaneous naval on both OF
those cities Extraordinary cxerons have been made
therefore 70 place those cities in proper posture Of de-
fence but notwithstanding these, and notwithstanding
the presence OF Cen Bcauregard Charleston neither
that city Savannah is considered absolutely safe.
Tho Rebel General :" irSy. smith.
TO THE EDITOR oF THE HERALD.
Your Louisville correspondent, in the letter published
IN yesterdays HERALD mistaken 10 stating that tho
Colonel Kirby Smith wounded Corinth was "rebel,
officer He is the Colonel Of the Forty third Ohio volun
teers and the Of "tbe vertable Kirby Smith who
was killed while calamity leading the light battalion to
the attack nolino del Rey, Mexico. The major gene.
raj now leading the rebel forces 10 Kentucky the only
brother Of f. Kirby Smith," and educated free