Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-04-03

INGToN-GES. JoHNsToS's SrRATEGY-FIFTY
THOUSAND NEGROES To BE CoNscRIPTED lMNE
DIATELY-WHAT GES. LIE is DoISG-NEw
DEFExsEs OF RIoHMoxD-ABsURDITYo OF THE
RUMoRs THAT THE CoNFEDERATEs INTLND TO
ABANDON RICHMOND. &c &c &c
Especial Correspondence Of the Chicago Times
WAsHiNGrox March %.
The Administration is much chlgrined at the
complexion which affairs are assuming on the
Mississippi and in the West, after all their gan
diloouent assurances Of brilliant victories" The
War Department had gone the length of author
ling telegraphic dispatches 10 be sent all over the
country. announcing that Banks had got bis army
up from Ration Rouge. and attacking Port
Hudson in the rear: that the YaZoo Pass Exped-
ton had successfully passed through the Talla-
harche into the YazDo. ami were bombarti ing
Haines's Bluff; that the latter point had been
evacuated by the enemy; that Nlcksburg Itself
was now untenable and would be evacuated; that
the Confederate army on the Rappahannock was
retrea.ing toward Richmond; and that the Con-
federates actually evacunting Richmond
itself To day the Administration is forced To
admit the ftlsfy of all these stories and 10 adj
nit too that, instead of gaining victories, our
armies have suffered defeats, and are IN great
peril. 1t l. now known that. so far rs Banks is
concerned, his army has not left the vicinity OF
Baton Rouge: that il is completely demoralized
aud utterly useless. and that il is now in full re
treat with the loss of two whole regiments
That. in regard to the YazDo Pass expedition.
So far from reachin. the Yazoo, it had only got
10 the mouth of the Talahatchie, and was there
defeated at Fort Pemberton, with great loss, and
is now in full retreat northward, having made
most disgracelu failure-a failure, too, not mt
tributed 10 the officers and men. who fought Ike
heroes. but to TIE incapables who planned such
Quixotic enterprise without first ascertainiug
whether or not Gen. Johnston had taken meas
ures to defend the Yazoo against just such expe-
ditions In regard To Port Hudson. it has been
found to be a second Fort Darling, against which
all our guns have been powerless; while It has
been found that it cannot be approached NJ all by
land force. In fact, the indications
that the whole project of opening the Mississippi
will he a failure
The work of erentng the opening of TINT
river was inrusted by the Confederate Govern
ment. some months ago. to General Joseph L.
Johnston unlneStionaby one of the abe>t Gen
erals Of modern times For months past he has
been perfectiug arrangements with this end in
view and the events which have just taken
place demonstrate the vast extent and the com
pleteHesS of those arrangements Instead Of al
fording us means OF getting troops in the rear
of Vicksburg, the Yazoo River will be found 10
he one of Gen JOhnSton's defensive lines Fort
Pemberton, where our troops were defeated, is
only one ana perhaps the weakest of the forts
he has erected on the left bank Of that STRAIN
The fact that he leli Vicksbnrg aud Port Hud
son, and the whole of he defences OF the Mis-
sssippi. in the h inds OF his subordinate Generals.
and has gone with his staff TO Tullahoma, III
Tennessee Is AN ominous circumstance, and ar
CUES no good for the Union forces He would
not have lett Vick>burg and Port Hudson this
moment, when they actually under the fire
of eur troops, ii he was not continent OF their
ability to repel any assault that may be mule
Upon them. And arother very ominous tact,
which has just come to the knowleile of the
War Department, is. that he had previously sent
TO reinforce Bragg a good portion OF the troops
which he had along the Mississippi. A III mill
tary men know that after place has been Gort
fed like Vicksburg, all troops in excess of the
number actually required to defend il. are en-
cumbrance and an element of weakness. Act
ing OH this principle Gen. Johnston has sent TO
Gen Bragg al the troops except those actually
needed ON the Mississippi, and now he follows
himself. Thus he finds himself at TnllahOma,
in command NJ is understood here. OF $50 900
troops. With this great force, soon as the
roads will permit, Gen Johnston will commence
active operations against Gen. Rosecrans.
IL is believed here that the presence of Gen.
Longstree; ut Danville, in Kentucky. within sev.
enty live miles OF Louisville, Is IA part ni Gen.
Johnst0ns plan for the spring campaign. and
that all he does will he IN accordance with Gen.
Johnstons Instructions glance at the map
will show that, with Gen LOngstreet's % 900
troops in that position, Gen. ROsecrans Is far
from safe.
Ii is rumored here, Oh very high authority
from the War Department that the conscri ptl0n
act Will not be enforced; Indeed. that there will
be 10 nee, 10 enforce il il AL The de,erters from
oil wi = fpl Il
be done These deseittr>, according To the au
thorit, ct the New York IribHe. amount 10
$50 .0UO men. IL l. stitei no ever, that the
Provost MaIshais under the c0n>ctptOn law viii
be appointed; th.,t tile enrolment all be made,
includlng nestoes and clergk neu; and that all
the mtchluer, oil the CONSUMPTION will De put in
operation. Then, II ANY conscrlJ,s at all
called out. it i siid that The President ieW order
a draf Of negroes 70 BE- made hrst IL will be re
memoered mat tie CONSUMPTION OIn and other
acts OF congress empower the President TO act
pretty mucn as lie plet,es IN re gard 10 calling out
the nivu eurotled under TIE act. IL * siId tat
the President aud Stanton are dl--u>te Nth the
apathN every where Dis las Ell Dy the negroes. IN
RisCh i beng wagesl for their benefit
alone; aud that ther determined th 4 the he
groes, theA Il .ht aud Mont light, shall be
made To tight Look out. therefore. a draft
OF about 81 900 negroes early i'll May next.
My intelligence from Gen Lees army on The
RappihannOck, and from Richmond. Is OF the
most reliable nature, and il enables me to con-
tradict, III the most positive manner, the absurd
stor t. OF a cOtemplitei evacuation OF Rich
mont, and of the retreat OF tie Confederate
army from tie line Of the Rappahaunuck. %
the contrary, Gen Lee i. confident of being able
To hold that ine against Hooker army. and. 1t
he retlre> SoGthwaId, il will only be ia order TO
draw Hooker into the swamps and Inorasses of
the Matapony and the Pamunky. As regard,
Richmond. the Confederate Government regard
il a impresnable, anu they have been recently
adding 10 IL deienscs Two Lew forts are now
being erected on the james River, below Fort
Daring, both at bends OF the stream fine
army that besieges Richmond will have hard
road to travel. Y
s$ Judge Peele, late Secretary of State. We
learn intends TO return TO Centerviile, Wayne
county TO engage In the practice OF his profession
The Judge i a very clever gentleman, and We