Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-06-08

THousAND TRooPs on THE RAPPAHANxocK-
WASHINGTON WILL NOT DE ATTACKED UsLEss
THE SIEGE OF VIcKsBuRe BE RAISED.
Special Correspondence Of the chacgo Times.
WAsHISeroS, May 90.
why does not the Army of the Potomac ad-
vance against the enemy? Why has NOT Hooker
speedily assumed the offensive againi Iwould
that Lcould give your readers satisfactory reasons
for Rockers strange immobility. But that |
cannot do, for no such reasons exist. i can give
you, however, the real reasons, unsatisfactory as
they will be to the American people. 1t is not
because Hooker has not troops enough. He lost
$4,000 in the late battles. and he has lost 10000
Of his best troops since. by the expiration of their
time. But that still leaves him with 81 600
braves, and that is quite enough. properly hand
led, to defeat Lees army; although 1t Is not
enough to take Richmond. But. although four
weeks have elapsed since the battles of The Wild
erness. Hooker shows no signs of resuming the
offensive. His men are erecting for themselves,
shady bowers of green trees and bushes: Hook
er's own headquarters have been permanently es
tablished in cool and shady dell; Gen. Stoneman
is in New York on a two weeks leave of absence;
dozens of the field and staff officers at their homes
in the Eastern States on similar furloughs; and
all things indicate a long period of summer ihact-
iyity. ras a 13 ssas
The principal reason for the existence of this
shameful state of things is, that Hooker has lost
all confidence in himself. You remember seeing
an irrepressible and pugnacious barn door fowl.
with gigantic spurs and an immense and blood
red comb. This cock walks up and down, his
comb erect, scratching fercely in the ground,
Growing defiance to all corners He is your true
fighting cock. As Mr.. Lincoln said of Judge
fancy, well call him Joe. But on a day he en-
counters a yival bird, a rooster of another breed.
who, as Mr.. Lincoln said Of Judge Douglas, Wen
call Bob; and a terrible tussle takes place. The
earth is torn up; the grass is demolished; the
feathers fly; the spurs do what spurs were made
for; and finally you see the rooster Bob jump up
and flap his wings, and give a loud triumphant
cock a doodle dool There, it's ali over. Where's
the cock Joe2 Ali there he IL, retreating across
the--spring house run. Look at him now. His
comb hangs down; his air of defiance is gone; his
pugDacity exists no longer. He has got quite
enough o ffshting. He has no desire to meet
the rooster again. That cock is Hooker. He
sees now how badly he was whipped. He sees
that, with 1873 600 troops. he was defeated by
10000 Confederates, for that is every man that
Gen. Lee had. He had Jackson's corps, 80, 900
men; two divisions of Longstreets corps, 30, 900:
aud two divisions of d H Hills cops, 10000.
Hooker sees, too, that the whole country is
laughing at him for stopping short on Friday, and
spending the whole of that day in digging and
entrenching, instead of rushing on the enemy,
and for d~allying and hesitating during the whole
of Monday, when a vigorous charge from his
whole line would have scattered the Rebel army
like chaff before the wind.
These blunders, and all the other blunders that
he male, are ~palpabie to Hooker now; and the
contemplation of them has so frightened him that
he has lost all confidence in his own abilities to
handle an army. If it were not so, he would
surely have resumed the offensive before now
His army, even reduced to $4,000 men, is still
"the finest on the planet" They are all dis
cipllned troops, in the highest state of efficiency.
The officers are burning with shame at their re
cent defeat, and are eager TO be led against the
enemy. And bow strong is that enemy now7
Since the battle, Gen. d. H. Hill has taken one
of his divisions aud gone back with it to North
Carolina. where we now hear of him operating
against our forces there. And Gen Lees losses
in the battle must have been 10000 at least
This then leaves him only SO, 900 men now. and
that is positively all that he has now on the line
of the Rappahannock. Against this 50 600 then,
Gen. Hooker does not advance with his 50 900
Could the American people desire any more evi
dence of his ~unfitness to Command
Gov. Curtin, of Pennsylvania, and Schenck,
the Vanquished Of Vienna, are here in %consulta-
ton with the President They are both firmly
convinced that the States of Maryland and Penn
sylvania are in imminent peril of invasion by the
Rebels. and they have frightened Mr Lincoln BY
telling him that the Capital is in danger. too
The council of war held at the Presidents house
on the Goth inst. had been called at Hooker's re
quest, for the express purpose of considering 'the
situation Hooker, Halleck. Stanton. and the
really efficient Assistant Secretary of the Navy,
were all present. Hooker laid before the Coun-
Gil his views. He related how he had learned
that the enemy were "bringing up ALL their forces
from Charleston and North Carolina. - and gave
it as his settled opinion that their design was TO
make an immediate desperate aggressive move
ment, I" either toward Washington, or some other
part Of the North. Let il be remembered that
this is the Administration account Of what Gen
Hooker said, and not mine.
Hooker is right in some of his facts. but wrong
in others; and he draws very erroneous differences
from them. All the Rebel forces are not being
withdrawn from Charleston aud North Carolina.
The Rebel force ia North Carolina has been re
inforced since Hooker's defeat by 10000 of the
troops that helped to defeat him. General Hill,
with 10000 troops, is still there. Large numbers
Of troops, probably IS m my as 80 900, have been
drawn from Charleston, but they have not been
brought North. They have been sent Vest. by
way Of Savannah, Atlanta, Macon, Opeleika,
Montgomery and Meridian. and will soon be
heard from laundering in Grants rear before
Vicksburg 1t is known here now, too, that
Gen. Bragg will co operate in this movement by
Withdrawing 40,0 o of his troops from Tullahoma,
and sending them to aid Gen. Johnston, by way
of Chattanooga, 'Opeleika and Montgomery,
keeping his other AZ, 900 to keep Rosecrans in
check. 1t is believed that, If he has done this
Rosecrans, whom the Rebels believe to have rs.
900 men, can not be held at bay by less than 60,
900, and that 90 900 of Gen. Lees troops have
already been sent West via Gordonsville and
Knoxville, for that purpose. BY The aid of a
good railroad map, il will be seen how easily al
these moves could be made. And Il ANY of Gen
Lees troops have been sent to the West. it still
further weakens him on the Rappahannock, ans
shows how idle are Hpoker's and Srhenck's fear:
OF a Rebel aggressive movement.
For my own part, | believe that Gen. Lee viii
march northward. and either invade Pennsylvania
or attack Washington, but not yet. The Con
federates viii first endeavor to raise the siege o.
Vicksburg If thew do that, then look out for
concentration of Rebel troops on the Rappahan
mock. X