Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-03-02

gregate only SOC, 900 men. The Confedsrates.
who are operating against these armies khO"
very well where they are; but our own loyal pe0-
Die are not SO well informed. The half million
of troops mentioned by the Secretary OF War are
probably distributed as follows:
Army Of the Potomac and troops at aud near
Washington. ...-----''-''''''-- '.-' i 0o'OOo
Operating against V.eksburg. iVO'OOo
Under Rosecrans in Tenness ee.... ..'.''. lOO,OVO
Operating against Charleston, under hunter ana
Foster. luo,OoO
Under Banks. at New Orleans SO'OOO
In Missouri and Arkansas. oO,oUV
On the Pacific co lst. lOcOO
Now il is very certain that, if this is the disIr-
button Of our forces there are enough troops at
each of the points indicated to render certain the
success of the operations there, provided they are
properly handled and in an elective condition.
Such is said to be the case with the army under
RoSecrans His troops are well disciplined, in
excellent condition, and they have, besides, the
prestige of success. The best things, therefore.
may be hoped from the army in Tennessee. And
this too, Notwithstanding the Tact that Braggs
army there, opposed to him. has been largely re
iuforced from the army of the Rappahannock.
IL is stated that Braggs forces, incudlng his late
renforcements. now amount to Isl, 900 troops;
butt this statement may well be doubted. Ii
would probably be liberal estimate to put down
Bragg's forces as equal to those OF Rosecrlns
Such is said to be the case, too, with the armies
under Gen Foster and Gen. Hunter, operating
before Charleston In these armies, also, the
soldiers are highly disciplined, and are led by
skillful officers. There was some dispute between
Gen Foster and Gen. Hunter about relative rank,
and am satisfied that General Foster had been
wronged, while he had the right upon his side.
And have not learned that this dispute has been
adjusted. There was also some dissatisfaction
among the soldiers and officers of the grades OF
Captains and Lieutenants, about being compelled
to serve with negro soldiers and 10 salute negro
officers. Aud / do not know that this has been
satisfactorily adjusted. If it has not been, these
two causes NAV result in the failure of the expe
dition. 1t is stated that the military force at
Charleston and Savannah has been increased to
$50 900 troops, by sending thither troops from
Virginia. | believe this statement Is substan
tally correct. Land battles will have to be
fought for the possession of those cities, after
the naval engagements are over. The COnled
crate Government became convinced, as soon as
Gen Mcclellan was removed, in November, that
Richmond was no longer in danger; and, after
our defeat a. Fredericksburg, on the 18th of De
cember, they knew that any further advance on
their capital, this winter was out of the question.
And the movements of their troops have been
based upon these facts. There are 10000 troops
still holding the nights of Fredericksburg; but,
beside these, there literally Rebel troops of
any account in the whole of Virginia. Their
Generals understand the art of war. They send
their troops where troops are wanted. They do
not keep them where there will be no occasion
for their sereceS.
Your able correspondents with the army or the
Mississippi keep your readers well posted on all
that regards the condition ofthe forces there and.
in regard to them, | need only say that they are
understood by the best informed men here to be
httt tbaru
to be in excellent fighting trim
OF the decentralization of the army of the Poto-
mac-a condition to which it has been brought
by Halleck hmself-I have to speak with Il
heavy heart. Where is the fight of lighting Joe
Hooker He has had the command Il full
month"; and what has he doneI 1t has been i'm
the winter. True; but Mcclellan driven
away, and Burnside appointed, in order to carry
on winter campaign against Richmond. And
Burnside was allowed to resign because he could
not do il, and because it was thought by the stu
Did triumvirate here that Hooker could do it.
Indeed, HOoker's friends were continually urging
his appointment because. as they asserted, he was
the very man who could do it, and because, as
they said, he would do it.
1 Well. has he done il? | can't see it, The
army, when Mcclellan left it, was in superb con
ditOn True, it suffered severely during the ten
or eleven weeks that Burnside managed % III
| But, still, it was noble army, even when Gen.
| Hooker took it. Mcclellan left it with fully
| $50, 900 effective bayOnets. Hooker must have
found in it, when he took command, over 100,
000 True, it had lost its head, its life, its soul,
| its animating principle. Mcclellan was gone
/ Sumner, franklin and Porter who might be
called the brains and the right and left hands,
were all gone. But many brave and gallant Off
GERS remained. There was that true and tried
soldier, Gen. HeintZelman, a host in himselt-a
man not only able but worthy to succeed Nc
| Clellan himself, if Mcclellan had needed a sue
ceSsOr. There were Gen. StOneman, General
Sickes, General Birney, General Sykes, General
| Reynolds, General Casey, General Sedgwck
General Church, General Wilcox, General Slo
cum, Gen. Doubleday, Gen. Griffin. Gen. French
and Gen. Hancock. Here are fifteen of the best
Generals in the service
Well, what has Hooker done with this splendid
army? Nothing Why? Not because of the
winter. No. 1t is because the component part:
of the armv 1.-THE bayOnets that think, have nc
confidence in Hooker leader, and because
they feel and know that they have been deceived
in regard to the objects and purposes of the war
That is at the bottom of all the decentralization
that exists among them. And therefore it is that
Haleck distrusts them.
The news of the action which was taken by the
| Democratic Convention of the State of Connect
cut, on the lCIn Tell IKE DOID smell
the radicals here. The Republicans" however
have been losing ground in that State steadily fol-
the last two years. The vote for Lincoln in SGT
was 43, 729. The vote for the Republican" Gov
ernor in 1862 was only 9,7o2, showing a cleal
falling off of 4 900 votes The Democratic party
in that State is strong, united and hourishing.
In the Presidential election of 1860 they cas-
81 1853 votes. In the election for Governor il
1862, when 1000 Democratic young men of Con
nectcut were away in the army, the Democrats
of that State still cast 80 634 votes Still, even
with these encouraging facts, l. is hardly to bt
expected that the Democracy Of Connection
would have taken so decided stand for the Con
sttution and for the liberties of the people a:
they have The proceedings of the convention
will of course be published in the Times Your
readers will then see that Connecticut i ahead o
all other States, even of Illinois, New Jersey anC
New York, in the firm and decided stand she has
taken in favor of American constitutional liberty
and against the encroachments of arbitrary power
She arrsigns the Administration and the present
Congress for the great wrongs which they have
perpetrated in the name OF liberty, particularly
the emancipation proclamation and the conscrip
ton bill; aud the solemn determination of the
people Of Connecticut to submit TO no unconsti
tutional acts is clearly set forth. 1t is wonder
therefore, that this action on the part of the De
mOcracy o: Connecticut should have caused q
great Auttering here among the minions and the
masters of the President. If the other State:
would take similar action, this useless and wicked
war would soon be succeeded by an honorable
peace. and we would soon be restored to the bles
sings of our former system OF government. y.
Our Army Correspondence--.Fr
Murfreesboro.
MURFREEsBoRo, TENN, February La.
Would you believe that have been arrested
by military authority under suspicion of attempt
ing to cross "the lines" without proper papers