Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-08-31
Special Correspondence of the Chicago Times.

the approaching month Of September
will open with very nearly the same military sit
uation near Washington ms was witnessed in the
first days Of September OF last year. The Con
federafes are doing all in their power TO bring on
a collision betw cen the armies of Gen Lee and
Gen. Meade. under circumstance that will result
in the defeat Of the latter. and that will place
Washington in danger; and the administration is
doing all in its power to assist them.
The movement of Gen. Lees army from Win
chester to Culpepper, between the 22d and 24tE
of July, was not the end Of Gen. Lees campaign,
although the administration has been led to be
lieve it was. The object of the campaign. on the
part of Lee. was the defeat of Meade's army ard
the capture of Washington. All of Gen. Lees
movements ever since he recently reached Cor
louisville aud Culpepper. have been made with
this object sriIl in view. The administration is
so blind that il cannot see this.
AT the time the two armies reached their pres
ent positions, on opposite sides of the Rarpa-
hammock. saw on the 25th ult they were about
equsl in numbers; at least the Disparity between
them wa not very great. What has been the
course Of The two Governments since? The one
has been marked by wisdom. decision and ac-
t~ivity; the other by hesitation, inactivity and
stupidity. On the part of the Confederates,
Gen. Lee has been reinforced TO an extent that
now gives him the command of $50 100 troops,
and he has been spending the last three weeks IN
drilling and exercising. in the cool and shady
dells of the Shen ,ndoah valley. fifteen squadrons
Of newly organized cavalry and twenty batteries
of newly organized artillery, the guns of which
are new brass field pieces. Has anything of the
kind been done to Gen Neade's armvf On the
contrary. so far from acting on the offensive, il
NAV well be doubted whether that army is even
able to act ON the defensive on the line of the
Rappahannoek To keep that army where il is
now is to expose it to attack from greatly su-
perior numbers, and from an enemy who has,
within n few DAYS. showed both the ability and
the inclination TO get in Gen. Meade's rear. Do
not be surprised, therefore, if at any moment you
hear that the ARMY Of the Potomac has returned
to Washington. IL Gen. Meade Is allowed to
make this movement promptly enough, is will be
in his power to occupy with his army the nights
of Centerville. By doing this. he will not only
cover Washington effectually. but lie will also be
able to prevent the enemy from coming north of
the OccoQuan river, or east of the Bull Run
Mountains. all winter. But, if the policy of
vacillaliOn and INDIGESTION prevails here many
DAYS longer, you may expect TO see the nights OF
Centerville occupied by Gen. Lees army, and
Gen Meade's army either defeated or else re
treating to the Washington Notifications. In
this case, either the scenes of last September will
be re- enacted, or else we will have another win
ter like that of 1862. with Washington be
leagured and the Confederate flag floating in
sight of the Capitol: or else this city will be at
once attacked.
Such IRE the disgraceful alternatives that are
presented To us. Such is the humiliating position
to which we are reduced in consequence Of the
fact that the war on our part is managed by poll
ticians. and solely with political ends in view.
Instead OF reinforcing Gen. Meade properly. the
Administration during the last TOUR weeks has
been bending all its energies to the task of man
aging the next Presidential election so as to Sc
cure a new lease of power: and OF maneuvering
to defeat the election of a Democratic Speaker in
the next House of Representatives; and of plot
ting for the abolition of slavery in the Southern
States.
The members Of the Administration are greatly
depressed at the nature Of the dispatches from
Charleston. In spite of the glowing accounts in
the papers. and the fine promises made every day,
but never fulfilled: that Charleston will be tax
en- in a few days" that Fort Sumter will soon
be ours" and that 1.-THE nest Of the rebellion will
speedily wiped OUT il is well known that there
is no prospect of immediate success there, and
very little prospect Of ultimate success at pres
ent. The popular idea that the fate Of Charles
ton denends upon Fort Sumter, is erroneous IL
Fort Sumter were demolished to morrow, the
task Of taking Charleston would only be begun.
The city cannot be reached by vessels. The
harb " has been rendered utterly inaccessible.
This fact will be apparent after Fort Sumter Is
knocked to pieces, if that fate is in reserve for il.
When Charleston is completely invested. both By
land and sea, and oy n land force amounting to
200, 900 troops. Charleston may he expected to
fall. But this has not been done; and The Ad-
minisiration has been informed to day that enough
troops have been sent from Richmond to General
Beauregard to insure the successful defense OF
the place.
IT, -..u;,,lo ~ .ba tasG af sscpb;pr of inu sho
South which the Administration has under
taken. now begins TO become apparent. The
work is only begun vet; but see what il is costing
the country already. Look at the matter OF
military force required alone We have already
called out and put into the field one million five
hundred thousand men. OF these. 100 600 have
returned to their homes nj the expiration of their
term of enlist ment, and 600 600 now compose our
force i'm the field. Where are the rest1 Where
are the other s0O, 600 men? They have persisted,
either i'm battle or by disease. And how many of
the troops that we now have in arms are availa
BILE for active operations in the field? Not one
half of them. 1t will require more than one halt
of them-nay. il does require more than one hall
of than to ''hOld, occupy and possess" those
points on the borders OF the South that have al
ready been captured. Look a. Norfolk, New
bern and the snndry points in North Carolina
where the attempt is being made to develop ga
healthy Union by stealing slaves and
"confscating" private property. Can il
be supposed that ANYTHING less than
IL. 900 troops would be enough to retain posses
sion of those places? Look at the Peninsula
Even while General Dix was there with 30. 200
troops. he had hard work 10 hold his own; and
now, with the Confederate in possession of the
whole of the Peninsula rs far down Is Williams
burg. it requires Is ono troops to hold Fortress
Monroe, Yorktown, Gloucester Point. Hampton.
orI N.a,ort Nawc M o,a can foil what oOOd
it does to hold Florida. Yet il l. certain that,
having a footho!d there, the administration seems
determined 20 hold il, and there must he 5000 or
IL, 900 troops there Gen Daniel g Woodbury.
the most able and skiliful engineer officer in the
army, holds q command there. Would il be safe
for Gen. Banks to have less than Is 900 troops at
New Orleans? Certainly not. unless the admin
istraiion wishes to lose the Crescent Citv. Can
Vicksburc aud Port Hudson be safely held with
less than 2 5000 moref Every soldier knows
they cannot be. 1t would puzzle the wit of man
to explain why we have to keep - 200 or $4,000
troops at sundry points in Arkansas and Mis-
souri,: and vet the letters of correspondents from
those points make that fact evident. Everybody
is expected 20 know that Washington would not
be safe If 40, 900 of the best troops were not left
here, (Mr. Lincoln wrote a long letter. which he
considered sharp, and which history will charac-
terize as impudent, to Gen Mcclellan, setting
forth the faci;) and experience has shown that
the safety of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad re
quires along its line at least 10000 troops; and
it is due to those Of your readers who intend to
travel over that road to say that they are there.
Is any one verdant enough to believe that Burn
side can PLAY the part of a satrap over the great
States of Kentucky. Ohio. Indiana and Hi
nois, suppress copperheadism in them all,
and control the elections in the two
former States. with less than 10000
troops? The New York papers enumerate 30.
600 troops who are on duty in that city. en-
forcing the conscription. Ii there are 1900