Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-07-20
WHOLE NO. l,254.

single whole wagon train: the mountains are not
full Of stragglers. because there are no straggers
in Gen. Lees army. in consequence of the ad
mirable discipline which he has maintained; Gen.
Lees pontoon bridge over the Potomac at VIII
Transport was not destroyed OF injured: Lees
line OF retreat is open. and always has been, but
he Is not refreating: Gen Lee has not been sum
moned bv JEFF Davis. or by any one else, TO re
turn TO Richmond: neither Longstreet nor Ewell
is Billed: there are 40 troops at or near Hagers-
town: and no proposals of peace of any kind
have been sent to the Administration.
Ny letter Of july gave yOu the pr0gnosis Of
Gen Lees movements since he left Gettysburg.
The. movement OF his coInmns from TINT place
across the South Mountain toward HaeerstowR
and R''nneshoro. whi..h took place on Saturday
last, wa executed with great deliberation and in
perfect On SUNDAY. July 5th. hi- whole
army Occupi-i the crest al the SaGth Mountain.
along line ten miles IN extent tive miles north
and five miles snnih "f the Pennsylvania State
line. Posted tilu~ ttev hold every pass in these
mountains f
On the same iay At ociock in the morning,
Gen Stnsrt'sraralry. j., ,000 IN number. arrived
at EfnnliTtSbucs. IN Narvlsnd Gust below the
Pennsylvania State lide and eight miles south
west of Gettysburg, place Indeed Just at the foot
of the eastern slope Of the South Mountain and
began to pass through that place marching
westward. Thev moved along at n brisk walk,
sometimes trotting. and il was between III and l2
O'Clock at noon before they had all passed through
i have this account from a gentleman whom /
know. who saw them, and who conversed with
Gen Smart who stopped there 70 breakfast.
Gen. Stuart assured him that he had received the
Richmond papers daily, and letters from Rich
mond daily. ever sirce General Lees army had
crossed the Potomac: and he spoke, incidentally.
of Col. lmboden being at Williamsport with
strong force Of cavalry. for the express purpose
OF protecting the bridge there From what Gen.
Stuart and his officers said NV informant is con
WINGED that Gen Lee intends 70 hold the South
Mountain. and probably TO move along its crest
TO Boonesboro, keeping HagerstOwn and VIII
Transport his right. snd TO fight the decisive
battle near The old battle field af Antietam. he
has or had before the battles at Gettysburg, fully
10000 troops. and he expects reinf0rcements
The New York Herald ~ July contained a
statement to the effect that 30 0O0 of Bragg's
late army, and 80 600 of Beaaregards troops, had
moved respectively from Shelbyville and Charles
ton 10 Culnerper where they were massed about
ten DAYS ago; and that these 80 600 troops were
designed TO reinforce Gen. Lee. find, on in
quiry in the proper quarter, that there is reason
to believe this statement true in the main, al
though my information puts the number of troops
sent from Brsgg's army at 10000, and those
from Beauregard at 90, 900. l learn, in addition,
however, that it is understood here that these
so 900 troops advanced last week from Culpepper
to Martinsburg, BY the way Of Warrenton and
Winchester; that they were crossing the Poto-
mac at Williamsport Sunday last; and that,
on Monday, they were marching on HagerstOwn.
If this report proves correct. it will swell Gen.
Lees forces at least to 10000 troops, and enable
him to make formidable stand at Antietam
Gen. Meade'S movements, during the last four
days, have been marked by the same good judg-
ment and promptitude which characterized them
during the whole of last week. On Sunday,
Monday and YESTERDAY, he moved his army rapid
ly from Gettysburg southwark, 10 line of which
the left rests Frederick city, fifteen miles
southeast of Boonesboro, and the right on West
minister, thirty miles southeast of that point on
the South Mountain, where Gen. Lees rear was
supposed to be- This would make Gen Meade's
line twenty miles long But there were indca-
tons yesterday that he was concentrating all his
forces at Frederick The Baltimore newspapers
of yesterday also state that all the troops in
Schenck's department there, including the ia
nous New York 9TH regiment. are being sent to
Frederick to join Neade's army. And, as Gen.
Couch is also moving from Harrisburg towards
Frederick, with the Pennsylvania militia and the
New York troops lately at Harrisburg, the prob
ability Is that Gen Meade will find himself, in
few days, at the head of body of troops numer-
ically stronger than those with which General
Mcclellan fought the first battle of Antietam.
the first time what il has never done before, and
without which military success is impossible. Il
is concentrating its forces at the point where a
decisive battle is to be fought II would be i'm
proper for me to say more. But, If what have
heard be correct. your readers may take the last
statement in its fullest and most comprehensive
sense. Gen. Meade. therefore. will have the best
opportunity ever afforded to any Union General
of defeating Confederate army, even if Gen.
Lee is reinforced as indicated above.
Now that it is all over, may say that. while
the fighting at Gettysburg was IN progress, there
was great alarm among the officials here lest
Meade's army, the sole defense of the Capital,
should be defeated Such "A contingency, it was
felt. was by no means improbable. In order TO
provide for it, therefore, the Government" seri-
ously thought of leaving Washington in steamers.
and of sailing to New York or Boston; and some
preparations were actually made for the hegira.
The panic was quickly communicated to the for
eign Ministers. Some of them had already left
the citv Others made preparations for removal.
The French Minister. as lately the 4th inst.
telegraphed to New York for French war yes
sci to remove the effects of the Legation to New
York The vessel arrived here yesterday. and
its officers and crew. whenever they appear on
the avenue. the observed of all observers. M.
Mercier had employed the interval in packing up
everything belonging 10 the Legation. he real
ly believed that Washington was in danger Of
being captured perhaps sacked and burned. He
could only have derived his information from the
Secretary of State and the President, and they
must have believed that Meade was ia great dan
ger of defeat But Meade has shown himself 20
be good General. The danger is not vet over.
But, with all the troops sent TO his aid. General
Meade is far more likely to defeat Gen. Lee than
be was to do so at Gettysburg. If ne does. then
the danger TO Washington is past and "the Gov
erument" will remain here. x.
mr. LincOin's story.