Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-02-09
Especial Correspondence of the Chicago Times.l
W ,su,xorox I.nnarv %

WASHINGTON, January %.
In ole Of my letters written in December last,
/ demonstrated the impracticability of making
winter campaign in Virginia The storm which
caused the failure Of Burnside's fourth and last
attempt to take Fredericksburg furnishes proof,
if any wanting, of the correctness OF that
demonstration. The rain which fell in "A single
night, between the Doth and 2lst inst, not only
swelled the Rappahannock into an impossible
torrent, but also rendered the roads entirely i'm
passable for artillery. The cannon were stuck
so fast in the mud that the united efforts of
twenty horses and fifty men to each gun were un-
able to extricate them The gun carriages were
in manv cases pulled to pieces, but the pieces re-
manned imbedded in the mud. have ascertained
beyond all doubt that, when Burnside discovered
this, he proposed to push with the infantry and
make the attack with them alone. and that not
one, but all of his Generals declared that such
attempt would be futile. 1t would have been
more than that 1t would have been leading our
troops to a massacre twice as bloody as that at
Fredericksburg.
As write fearful snow storm is raging, and
even Joe Hooker" will not have the hardihood
to lead the army against the enemy over such
roads as il will make / will do General Hooker
the justice to say that he repudates the
title of Lighting joe" and that the probability
is, that now that he is invested with the respon-
sibility of commanding such vast army, he
will not lead them to useless slaughter The
army must, therefore, remain inactive The eIe
ments insist that it shall be so. and man cannot
fight against the elements
What, then, will be the future of the Army of
the Potomac? Halleck says it has already ceased
to exist, and, if it has not, it is fault of his.
In all probability il will be broken up, and its
fragments distributed all over the continent. III
the Administration desired to preserve its organ-
cation and its usefulness. Gen. Heiutzelman or
Gen. Sumner was the TO place in the chief
command, and not Gen. Hooker. Either Gen
Sumner or Gen. Heintzelman is capable OF man.
aging properly the whole army. They, as well as
Gen. Franklin, are degraded by having Gen.
Hooker placed over them; and this was doubt
the intention of the Administration.
The Administration have now caused the re-
moval, therefore, from that army, of Gen. Nc
Clellan, Gen. Sumner, Gen. Porter, and Gen.
Franklin, beyond all doubt the four ablest Gen
erals in the service, to say nothing Of Burnside
There no officers left, except Gen. Heintzel-
man. worthy or capable OF filling their places, and
the Administration will take care to keep him in
the shade till he resigns. If the army is kept
geher land the Presidents fears for the safety of
Washington may lead him to keep il the
CapItal), the probability is that the grand d.
visions will be abolished, and the army corps re-
main under the orders of their present command
ers. This will obviate the necessity of appoint
ing any successor to either Gen. Sumner, Gen.
franklin, or Gen Hooker The six army corps
would then remain commanded as follows: the
LIST by Gen. Reynolds ID by Gen Conch, 81 by
Gen. Stoneman, 9th by Gen. Butterfed, 9th by
Gen. Smith, and 9th by Gen Wilcox. Gen.
SigePs Reserves two CORPS, commanded re-
spectively by Gen. Slocum and Gen Stah
From gentlemen from slI the large Eastern
cities, i learn that the Indignation and disgust at
the unjust and brutal conduct of the Adminislra-
ton towards Gen. Porter are universal, aud will
not be confined to mere feeling, or the expression
of opinion Gen Porter is a man who cannot
be put down, extinguished, suppressed. seques-
trated and disqualified by such corrupt Admin
istration. A majority of the court who tried hlm
were his bitter enemies, and the bitter enemies of
Gen Mcclellan, and he can appeal with con
idence, from their unjust sentence to the YER
dict of the people. Depend upon il. the end is
not yet.
Ii is stated here on good authority, and be.
lieved, that the troops from New Jersey are un-
derstood to be unwilling 20 remain in the army
any longer. The reason which it is alleged they
assign is, that they have been deceived by the
Administration as to the object and purposes oil
the war; that they were assured, when they en-
listed, that the war was a war Tor the restoration
of the Union; but that, instead of that, il has be
come a war which win render the restoration oil
the Union impossible--a sar for the abolition oil
slavery in the Southern States-a war for the ne