Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-10-21

SIIGE % CHARLESTON.
Special corTespondenee Of the Chicago Times
WasHrxcroS. October Is.
new and very important railroad route j.
about 10 h. opened between Baltimore and Chi 4
cago The route will be from Chicago to San
auskv On lake Erie: from ,ndusky 10 Newark.
Ohio. from Newark TO Beaire opposite /
Wheeling; ana from Wheeling. over the Bslu I
more and Ohio railroad. TO Baltimore and tins
civ The roads forming this route have made
arrangements by which the grades OF all are TO be
made the same width as that Of the last named
The arrangement will be cOnsummated during
the ensuing winter, and trains will then run
through without change along the whole route.
crossing the Ohio river at the new bridges now
being built at Bellare and Parkersburg The
route will be sixty six miles shorter than the ones
now in use The trains on the Baltimore and
Ohio road az running Ne usual. and with NJ any
/ ,teuupti n The rumored appearance OF limbo
deus guerr Has near the part Oi the road
on TUESDAY WIS entirely grOundless- There are
10 signs OF any rebel troops anywhere near TIE
line of the road and the latter - we'll guarded
The safety of the road requires a large military
force and such force IS now maintained along
its whole extent.
Gen Meade's army. in It's retreat towards
Centreville. has been closely followed by that OF
Lee. and skirmishng more or less extended. hAs
taken place on Monday and Tuesday of this
week There is reason 10 believe that General
Meade has succeeded in gaining the nights OF
Centrevle and lhe line of Bull Rum and. II so,
his army is safe II he has not, the worst conse-
auences NAV be anticipated. Ii cannot for
moment be supposed that he would thus retreat,
unless he was pressed by greatly superior mum
bers, and as it is known that at least four OF
Gen. Lees divisions are in the West, the inter
ence il irresistible that Meade's army must he
verv weak 1t is rumOred 10 day that OeneFai
Lees maneuvers have at last forced zen. Meade
To give battle and that a general engagement l.
now in progress in the neghborhood of Manassas
Junction A gentleman who left Fairfax this
morning informs me that heavy artillery firing
was heard there all day Yesterday, in the direc
ton of Manassas The War Department denies
ANYTHING OF importance going on, but you know
how reliable statements from that source are.
One thing is very certain: Gen. Meade's losses
in the battles of Saturday. Sunday and Monday
have been heavy. both in officers and men.
think when the facts become known, 1t will
appear that during the last four or Eve days, zen.
Lee has bean amusing Gen Meade with sho"
of force i'm his front, while really the main body
of his army has been moving by the roads on the
eastern slope of the Blue Ridge, from Madison Z
| III TO Sperryvile. and thence to Ihorouehafe
/ Gap in the Bull Run Mountains which would
carry him AROUND the right of our army; and that
| Gen. Meade. finding that the enemy is in posses
sion of that q ~ and pOwerless either to prevent
/ that or 20 prevent his reaching II in the hrs'
place. is now irving to reach Centreyllle, or he i
i already there Ii this theory is correct, aud the
| Confederate army is now pouring through no
roushfare Gap. the battle now going on - bat
tie for the possession OF the nights OF Centre
] Vile Aud if tins be 50. who is 10 blame iol
permitting the enemy 10 gain tie Gapr Its i'm
portance has been demonstrated time after time
| during the war. II il is not the gate To Washing
! ton. it is certainly one OF the main avenue
through which the gate may be reached. Gen
i Meade is bameless in the matter After th'
llth and 18th corps had been taken from him HI
force was so much reduced that he could no.
operate on an extensive line. but must, OF neces
si,y. keep his force together. This gave Genera
Lee the opportunity which he has no doubt taken
| The blame must rest upon the President ana TIT
War Department, for compelling Gen Meade
army to remain so far away from ashngto
after being so greatly depleted. and Tor not usln
part of the troops in reserve here TO hold Thor
oughfare Gap There probably O,OOO troop
} here under Gen Hein,zeman. Had they bee
sent out To hold this gap, and It Is only 80 mile
from the Washington forts, the disaster whlc
now seems imminent would have been avoided
II il scarcely possible that all these movement
on the part of Gen Lee are intended To cover u
and hide the fact that he has no army oil an
account left i'm Virginia and that the bulk of hi
defeat Rosecrans Still. it is possible. Ii il b
1 so, how shameful on the part of the War DE
oartment not to be able To penetrate the thin art
fee Meade must have at least % 00O combatant:
and there are 80 900 more in reserve here Is
{ possible that he is retreating before less fore
D than his own? Can there be more contempt
Bile spectacle on earth than Is now presented b
1.-THE Government" Richmond uncovered, d,
nuded of it's defenders the line of railroad troI
V that city to Washington left unguarded, az
h Lees great army reduced to mere shell, "
s.the Government" here trembling and crvucht
behind It's forts its great army retreatins. and
t attempt being made either To defeat the remn II
/. OF Lees army. or 10 take Richmond, or TO Ct
the railroad over which the rebels receive a
= their blockade goods.
e Your readers will have noticed for some ia.
past an increase in the reported sales OF the nv
a. twenty L $ bonds. amounting yesterday
two millions of dollars The explanation W
that 4 great many new banks have been recent
n created in accordance with an act oil the Ia
g Congress and these banks, In order to cur
- favor with the Government, subscribe largely
" the national loan II costs them nothing. The
~ operations will be 30 arranged that the loss " n
D. it happens will fall upon the people. while tn
will MIKE fortunes out of their banking oper
tons Over n hundred Of these mushroom
tiona Banks" so called. have been formed
l. to this time " hen the final crash does CON
- will IL not be awfulI
:" have a budget OF news this morning, dire
n from Charleston. There j. 10 probability Ct
u. the CITY will be taken at all under the present
engagements The army has done all that can
done by them except destroying the city by mel
~ of bomb shells and that probably will not he dol
ee Nothing will be done 10y the navy as long -
miral Dahlgren remains IN communal No
IL tempt has been made TO remove the Obstructlc
w. in the harbor. and none can be made indeed
a they are all covered by the guns of a dozen b
Nv teries In the meantime new batteries are bei
Int erected on the ruins OF Fort Sumter, and II
)" beyond the power of the navy to take even tn
The successful defense OF Charleston. IN the t.
of such terrible odds, will place Gen Beaures'
10 in the very front rank of the Generals OF
present age This need praise is due even
an enemy. Few people are found to sneer
nc Beauregard now. y
i'd
Address Of the Hon. e. L.. vaiiandi
lst ham To the Democracy OF Ohio
nf