Indiana State sentinel., 1863-08-24
Special Correspondence of the Chicago Times.

special correspondence OF the chicago Times.
WAsHrSGros, August III.
The military policy of the Administration for
the summer and fall campaigns is now definitely
/ agreed upon So far as ii relates to the Army oi
the Potomac. it is so dstasteful to General Meade
| because il is so unwise that that gallant and
able officer has asked to be relieved of his com
msnd That policy is as follows: To keep the
/ 500 600 or 600 600 men comprising the Union
mics scattered at distant points, or engaged in a
number of disconnected little expeditions. each
one of them having relation any general
plan to send all the veteran troops in the East
that can be spared TO Charleston. in order to Sc
the reduction of that city; fill up the deci-
mated and depleted regiments OF the Army OF
the Potomac with conscripts. but TO act on the
defensive with that army until the cool weather
of the fall; or. if Gen. Meade assumes the often
sive at all, to compel him 10 cross the Kappa
hannock. to continne the pursuit OF Lees army,
and TO force the latter to fight somewhere be
tween that stream and Ric..monl
This programme is the most unwise and iniu-
diciOus that the wit of man could have conceived,
except in regard to a single point. If il is per
sisted in, il will result in failure and disaster at
all points except that one. That one is in re
gard to Charleston. Gen. Gilmore has been re-
inforced aud is still being reinforced in a manner
and to an extent that 10 other Union General
has ever been favored. He has command before
Charleston, or will have in few days, of an
army exceeding in numbers either the army with
which Gen. Grant reduced Vicksburg, or with
which Gen. Mcclellan made his Peninsula cam
paign; and il is composed. too, of the best dis
ciplined troops in the service, with all the ap-
piiances that are needed for the work. Ii is,
indeed. the first time that Charleston has been
approached with force at all adequate to its
reduction, in the manner indicated in MY
letter of April 81. If Charleston can be taken
at all, il must be in this manner And, un
less the Confederates have concentrated there
at least $4,000 troops, there is probability,
at least, that the city will fall
The present relative positions Of the armies OF
Gen Meade and Gen. Lee are such that it would
he madness in the former to attempt to reach
r chmond by the overland route, or even to cross
the Rappahsnnock and seek TO bring on an en-
gagement with the latter. The whole country.
North and South, knows what the strength of
Geu. Meade's army was at the time Gen Lee
eluded him and crossed the Potomac into Vir-
ginia, at Williamsport, on the 18th ut. After
the fearful losses il had suffered at Gettysburg,
and after being reinforced. on the 10Th or Ilth.
by the troops recently in the Peninsula il did not
number over IS 900 or 80 600 men. Ii has not
been reinforced since. and, except by sending cor
scripts to il, the Administration will not further
reinforce il. IL is idle to talk about the 80 900
iroons under Gen Hentzeman at this city. and
| the 21 ono or 10000 now uuder Gen. Morris at
Baltimore. who, in the absence of Schenck, has
| been placed by the War Department in the com
mand of the Middle Department Those 90 600
troops will remain just where they are Neither
Lincoln, nor Stanton, nor Halleck could sleep
quietly ut nights If one of Hein;zleman's soldiers
should be sent away from here; while the safety
of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, which was
opened to day for the first time, for the through
travel along its whole extent, from here to Par
kersbnrg will require every man of Gen Morris
80, 900 troops, aid % 900 more besides. 1t were
well indeed for that roac. and for the country
| IL Schenck would stay away altogether for then
Gen Morris who is a soldier would take a sol
dier's method TO protect the former.
Gen. Meade, then is to be reinforced by con-
scripts Your readers can judge what kind OF
soldiers they will make. After they have been
forced from their homes, they are put into large
well lighted room, stripped naked. and examined
all over by the agents of the Government in
order to see if they are defective in any respect
After this inhuman outrage. which a man of any
delicacy would rather die than submit to, they
are marched off TO the conscript camps under n
strong guard. and thence Immediately sent TO the
army On the way, it requires all the vigilance
OF the guards to prevent their escape, and dozens
Of them have already escaped Eight or ten
cases have occurred where the guards have fred
4
four men have been killed in this way-four men
who, month ago, were free American citizens
and who were torn from their families md forced
10 fight in war which they abhorred, because
they believed il to be unjust. Such men will no,
make the best of soldiers
The regiments of the Army of the Potomac
originally numbered ,00O men each. There is
not one regiment that now numbers over 300
men. If they are filed up TO their maximum
/ l<., Il.
one third good soldiers and one third raw recruits
and discontented men Cali it half and half, how
ever, and say the army is raised in this manner tC
| l5U,O00 men, Can such an army be depended
our The Administration thinks evidently not
and therefore Gen. Meade is to spend the summer
ard early part Of the fall in holding the line o
the Rappahannock and in drilling his new re
cruits. This does not suit Gen Meade. He knows
very well that whatever passes in his camp j:
known to Gen Lee in twenty four hours He
knows that. when Gen Lee is convinced that The
Union army will not move. the rebel army viii
move. and get in bis rear il possible: at all events
will make il necessary for him to retreat 70 Wash
ington. So while Gen. Meade has not been rein
forced, Gen. Lee has been He came back from
Pennsylvania and re occupied the line of III,
Rappahsnnock with $4,000 troops, and with IL.
600 fresh horses taken from the Pennsylvani.
farmers. He has since been reinforced by 50,
VOO tfOOpS from tue w est, making niS DreSen
strength not far from $50 900 men. Included II
this Is body Of 25 900 cavalry; 10000 of then
Stuart's veterans, the rest new recruits.
Rather than pass the summer in this manner
and be compelled 10 retreat to Washington ant
risk the defeat OF his army, and put the capita
in peril; rather than do this. Gen. Meade would
believe, prefer to assume the offensive evel
now. and advance across the Rappshannock an,
try TO make Lee fight. True, this would be ex
actiy what Gen Lee wishes him to do. AM
what he Is maneuvering to induce him to do
And if Gea Meade. with 900 troops Is com
PEELED or allowed to cross the Rsppahannock an,
70 Eight Lees l25 600 or 10000 troops. tn
country vii, bold the Administration responsible
for the result.
} The true policy of the Government is To nsti
} tufe and organize instantly n Peninsular cam
paign against Richmond, composed OF 2O0.0
veteran troops. supported by suitable nava
force, aud to make the James River the line o
operations. That force is available Il wouI
only require the $4,000 troops indicated above .
be added to Gen. Meades present force. and so
900 more TO be drawn from the Wet While Oh
campaign was in progress. Washington could b
defended by volunteers from New York an
Philadelphia, SO 900 Of whom would rush her