Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-11-25
Special Correspondence ofthe Chicsgo Tines.
From Washington
Acc ndosnscsf Of IRE CordonsriHe route 70 Rich
moad-Probstls Designs Of Gen. Lee--0 tsta-
elesin The sray 10 Richmond BY raB Of Feeder
ieksburg-C Commencement Of the Rainy Season.

ieksburg-Commenee'ne Of the Rqiny Season
--------WAs aISsTox. NosembeE %
The order for Gen McClellan's removal
reached him on the 7th inst Up to that ting
the whole army was moving vigorously on toe
enemy, was within days march Of the Con-
ieteraie army. and in three days more. at
farthest, would have brought them TO n gen.
eral engagement, and would have won glorious
victory, In week more. or BY this time az
fartbest. General Mcclellan would have been in
Richmond. and Washington would have been
safe. for there would have been no rebel
troops len to operate against il Now mark
the contrast.
The removal Of Gen. Mcclellan changed all
this. The army was instantly stopped il its vic
tOriOus advance. In ten DAYS, that j. from the
9Th To The 18th inst. il remained paralyzed. 1t
took Gen. Burnside that long % comprehend
the situation, 10 grasp all the details of his 10
si,ion. and 10 decide on and to form his plan Of
campaign. IL Is known that the result OF Gen.
Hslleck's visit 20 him wa. 10 induce him to
abandon his previous intention Of following out
McClellan's plans and TO z opt his (Halleck's)
But what the enemy doing during those
ten daysr They know the value OF TINE in war.
five do not On the Sth, Gen Lee knew that
The great change had been made and that he
no longer confronted by Mcclellan. The cavalry
Reconnaissance described in nv letter of the 18th
followed Immediately. On the 10Th, Gen. Lee
understood everything. and had formed his plan
The mail body OF his army was at Gordonsyie,
and on the line Of the Rapidan. But his left
wing fully one third of his whole force, was still
on the west side Of the Blue Ridge His com
munication. between these two parts of his force
was so perfect that be considered it proof even
against the attacks of Mcclellan; that is. he
satisfied that the Union army would not dare TO
throw itself between him and his left wing He
was. in a word, ready for an attack at all points
in his line, from Winchester TO Fredericksburg
From Fredericksburg. however. and for some
miles above il. he now withdraws all his troops.
As he had left the wooden bridges standing over
the Monocacy, for Mcclellan to march over,
bridges that stood side by side with railroad
bridges that lie spent hours in destroying,) so
now he leaves the way over the Rappahs mock at
/ Fredericksburg clear and open. He invites Burn
side to cross there. He wishes him To there.
lt is his policy TO get the whole of Burnside rs
army on the south side Of the Rappahannock at
7 that point.
And now what does Burnside do? For more
than six months have maintained that the route
to Richmond BY way of Warrenton, Culpepper,
aud Gordonsyille, was utterly impracticable Up
to the time of the visit of Halleck to Burnside
that the route over which the former was di-
recting our columns to march The abandon
ment of THAT route now is confession. on the
part OF both those officers. that the route Is i'm
practicable. They have now dedded to move on
Richmond by way of Fredericksburg.
To look at the map, one would suppose that
now, at last, the army is on the right track, and
that Richmond will now be taken. But, To any
one who has closely studied the movements OF
the armies. it looks very different. Richmond is
now strongly fortified and well defended. as
Washington. | say nothing of the forts immedi
ately around that city, some OF which saw from
| a balloon before the Seven DAYS Retreat began
But at Saxton'S Junction, twenty miles north oil
Richmond, there are strong Qualifications. The
banks of the Pamunky river, and of its tw1
| branches, North Anna aud the South Anna, are
all fortified. Besides these streams, there are the
Matapony. and its branches, the Mat, the Ia, the
Po and the Ny. All OF these streams must bt
crossed before the Pamunky even is reached
They are all liable TO sudden rises, and the
rainy season has now commenced with unusual
severity. Their steep and rugged banks viii
present the worst difficulties to the passage o.
artillery and cavalry, and the swamps each
side of them will impede the march of the in
iantry and the passage OF the ammunition
wagons.
There is reason to believe, then. that Will,
General Lee, with his main body, will be on hanC
in these parts. two daring enterprises will be en-
trusted TO his left wing, now at Front Royal, anC
to his right wing, now at Culpepper. He cal
culates that the rains, which have already com
rnenced with great severity, will swell the Rap
pahannock to twice its usual volume While
then. he is engaging Burnsides army, say on the
Pamunky, his right wing will appear on the nortl
side of the Rappahannock, destroy the railroat
bridge at Fredericksburg, and thus throw itself il
Burnsides rear; while the left wing, passing
through Manassas Gap, will precipitate itself OF
Washington.
Such, | think. judging from the disposition:
which General Lee has made during the las
week, is his plan for the campaign. 1t has som,
weak points, which General Halleck no doub
will discover.
Some of the administration papers spread
ing before the public the details of great nava
expedition against Charleston. Nothing can b,
more unwise than thus to forswarn the enemy
Yes. there is one thing still more unwise. The>,
papers state that, in order to add effecv tC
the armada, every iron mailed vessel in the nav,
is to be Withdrawn from New York and Philade
phia. | doubt the truth of this statement. But
if is true, would be just like old Gideon to dc
such thin as that, and at moment, too, wher
the vessels of the iron clad rebel fleet read,
| to pay one OF those cities a visit.