Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1863-02-13
THE SENTINEL.
SUMMARY OF WAR NEWS.

the past week, we extract from the Baltimore
Gazette
FRIDAY, Feb. e.--The Law of Blockade, as
applicable to the event which has recently oc-
CURED at Charleston, is now being fully exa-
mined and discussed by the press. The New
York Herald and the Tribune are copious and
explicit on the subject. The authorities cited
by the Tribune are especially so, and the con-
clusons reached by the latter journal--assum-
ing the statement made by the Confederate
Military and Naval Commanders at Charles
ton to be correct--are, that the Federal Co
vernment has nothing to do but to accept the
fact Of the interruption Of the blockade to
consider it as a suspension, or +" total defea-
sance )" TO notify the world at once of its re-
sumption, and when it has been re-established,
to issue proclamation similar to that of
April 10, 1861
General Fosters expedition appears from
the Newbern correspondence Of the Boston
Transcript, to be about to operate upon two
points on the Southern Coast. In addition TO
the iron-clads and considerable number Of
gunboa.s and transports, his army is reported
TO be nearly as large as that which Grant has
concentrated before Vicksburg, which is sup
posed TO number some eighty thousand men ;
but this is, in all probability, an exaggerated
estimate. One part Of this large force it is
understood, is " to participate in the great
movement upon Charleston and Savannah F.;
whilst the remainder operate upon Whining
ton. Some of the iron-cleds had already
reached Fort Fisher, at the mouth Of Whining
ton harbor.
According TO the New York Times matters
are not looking well in the Department of Ge-
neral Banks, and the latter is sadly Gis-
couraged in consequence He has too many
troops to remain idle, and too few to attack
PORT Hudzan with onv nroenpct Of succQes -
By some strange, but not at all unusual, pro-
cess of mismanagement, all his medical stores
and ambulances were sent to the James river,
instead Of being forwarded to New Orleans /;
and it is impossible we are told to move with
out these appliances. General Banks will there
fore wait :or the ambulances, &C., 10 turn up,
30 that in the event of a battle he can make
provision for his wounded. In the meantime,
information, derived from other sources indi-
Gates that as General Banks feels no disposition
at present to move upon Port Hudson, the
Coniederates evince decided inclination to
give him battle at Baton Rouge. Private in
telligence from New Orleans represents that
serious conflict is imminent at that point, the
Confederates having appeared in large force in
the vicinity, with the evident intention Of max
ing an assault upon the city.
The attack, which was reported to have
been made by General Forrest upon Fort Dom
elson, is now said to have been repulsed with
loss to the Coniederates Of one hundred and
thirty-fve killed, only fifty being wounded
and taken prisoners The disparity between
the killed and wounded, as announced by the
telegram, may be fairly chronicled as one Of
the most remarkable incidents Of the war.
Notwithstanding the details that were given
a short time since of the bombardment Of Gal
weston, we are now assured that official ad-
vices from the Gulf do not confirm the state
ment; but, on the contrary, they establish the
fact that the bombardment had not taken place
at all. Yet we were previously told that the
Brooklyn threw shot from a distance of three
miles with wonderful precision into the enc
my's works, and that the other gunboats eff
fected narvels in Smelling out the troops en-
camped on the Island.
SATURDAY, Feb lit is now reported to b.
probable that Vicksburg will be subjected tC
regular siege, instead of an attempt being
made to take the works by bombardment and
storm. The plan of operations, briefly stated
appears TO be this A portion of the land
force will occupy the point opposite Yicks
burg, and in conjunction with the gunboats,
will endeavor to cut off all communication
by the Coniederates with tho western bank OF
the river. The remainder Of the army will
again ascend the Yaz0o river to the rear OF
Vicksburg, where it will entrench itself aud
operate upon the works by regular approach
es, cutting off, at the same time, all commune
cation with the city by land, and .hus starye
out the garrison by depriying it of supplies.
/" This, 4" says the Philadelphia Ledger, " is the
programme" The Ledger cautiously adds,
that it is quite possible the plan -" may be in
terfered with by the Rebels concentrating ano-
Their army in the rear Of Grant, and compel
ling him to raise the SIEGE If any such plan
OF operations as is described above should be
al ht W. sel,, 4
certainly likely TO remain in the hands Of its
present garrison for some time yet TO come. =
The marshes of the Yazoo will do more to-
wards decimoting the ranks of the besieging
Amy than the bullets Of the enemy.
The situation Of the Army of the Potomac
has not been Mt all improved, within the last
three days, by the prevalence of q severe
northeast snow storm, with a piercing cold
wind. Forage for the horses has become so
scarce, and they are so completely broken
down by having to haul their own provender
over the miserable roads that a benevolent
Quartermaster thinks q il would be better to
q let the horses and mules go without food for a
few days than to work them half to death in
the effort to furnish them with food to keep
them alive" The eXpedent is certainly a
humane one, as it would electually relieve the
wretched animals from all future service.
Advices from Havana state that the British
gunooat Kinaldo, from Galveston, Texas, had
reached there, bringing a copy Of the Houston
Telegraph, containing an account Of Confede-
rate operations Off Sabine Pass. All that was
previously known in regard TO matters in that
quarter, was that the Federal vessels had been
forced TO abandon the Pass. We now learn
that on the morning Of January 2lst, the Con-
federate States gunboat Bell, attacked some
Federal vessels in the Gulf, near the mouth OF
the Sabine Pass, and succeeded in capturing
the United States brig, Morning Light, and a
schooner, together with ammunition in abun-
dance, twelve or thirteen guns, and one hun
dred and nine prisoners. A second despatch
estimates the value of the property captured,
at about million Of dollars.
MONDAY, Feb. 9 by the arrival Of the prize
steamer Princess Royal at Philadelphia, we
have what purports to be an accurate state
iaent Of the recent attack upon a portion Of
the blockading squadron in Charleston har-
Dor. The information thus impaired to the
public Is derived from that best and most
truthful ofal uthorities--eXoept oflicial-'an
intelligent eyewitness, who undertakes TO
show conclusiyey Z" that there is no founda-
tion for the assumption Of the Coniederates
that the blockade Of Charleston has ever been
sod hp Ina st. 80 a. al