The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-09-30

Of the Sfafss--The Fa.f,rg Cause Of the Re
beiiiop.
CIRCULAR No 30
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, August y, 1863
SIR-Whencver the United States have com
planned of the premature dccrees OF Great Brit
ain and France which accorded the character Of
belligcreut tO the Insurgents the Sfate~Inen OF
those counSie= have answered, that from the
first they agreed u opinion that the efforts oi
the Government To maintain the Onion, and pre-.
serve the integrity Of the Republic, could not be
successful. VIII view 10 correct this pre-
Judgment oi sO rifs' question. ! addressed a
circular letter 10 the representatives 81 the Uui
ted States iu foreign countries, Ou thc l4th day
Of April ls62. in which / reviewed the opera
tons of thc var on sea and land and presented
the results which had attended 10 down TO that
period. The prejudice, which then attempted
T. remove, -ull remains, and it constitutes the
basis Of all that is desgnedy uudeseuedly
injurious 10 this country in the policy Of for
eign nations The Insurgents have been ena-
bled to pIOtract their resistance by means OF
sympathy and aid they nave received from
abroad, and the expectation OF further and more
effective foreign assistance u now their chief re-
source. A H,~S effort therefore, 10 correct that
prejudice Is now demanded equally by prudent
concern for our foreign relations AMI by the
paramount interests OF peace and humanity at
home
In the battles OF August, 1862, the Union
forces suffered some severe and appalling reves-
e.. But they resulted in the reunion of the ar
my which had been called in from the Peninsula,
below Richmond, the with army which had its pO-
sition between that strongly fortified seat of the
iusurrection and it, capital The wisdom of this
reunion was soon 10 be vindicated. The insur-
gent army, flushed with its recent successes, and
expecting that a sympathetic interest Of Slave
~ would produce uprising of the people of
Mary land in its favor, for the first time crossed
the Potomac river. Harper's Ferry, with many
prisoners, fell into its hands, rather through ac-
eidents in preparing lis defense than because it
was iudefensible Nevertheless, the expectation
of recruits sigually failed. Gen. Mcclellan, com.
manding the now consolidated forces of the Ar
my of the Potomac, was re-enforced by fresh
evies from Pennsylvania, and bv deachments
called in from neighboring forts g. drove the
insurgents from their positions at South Noun
tain and Champions Gap. About the middle
of September the two opposing armies cOnfron-
ted each other at Sharpsburg, and pitch battle
was fought on the banks OF the Antietam and
Potomac. lt was well sustained on both sides
Men of one race and training directed the ar
mics whose rank and file were substantially OF
one blood, and even nearly equal in numbers.
The arrogant assumption of superior valOr and
herOism which the insurgents had brought into
the contest, and had cherished throughout its
early stages, perished on that sanguinary field
The insurgent army, shattered in the conflict
abandoned the invasion of MARYLAND and sought
refuge aud opportunity to recover its wasted
strength in Virginia, behind it, accustomed bar
rier, the Potomac.
While Lee was thus attempting Maryland, the
equally bold ard alarming enterprise OF carrying
the war through Kentucky into Ohio was assign
ed to Bragg, who was in command OF the insur-
gent army on the southern border of Tennessee
He, with great rapidity, moved from ChattanOo
"a, turning the LETT flank of Gen. Buell., aud, ap-
peaing for reeniorcements to the slavery inspir
ed sentiments which existed in Kentucky and
Tennessee, directed his forces against Louisville
and Cincinnati An uprising OF the farmers O
Ohio confronted aud turned away the devasta.
ton from the latter city. Gen Buell. followed
the main column of invasion, outmarched it OF
the way to Louisville. and obliged it to take
direction eastward The two insurgent column:
being united at Perrysville, were attacked by
Gen. Buell.. The battle, Ike all of our contests
was obstinate and bloody. Bragg after sever,
losses retFcated through a comparatively barrer
region, aud Buell. was obliged to abandon the
pursuit by the complete exhaustion of all sour.
ces OF supply. The insurgent commander cross
ed the Cumberland mountains, and then, march
ing westward, took up position at MurfreesbOrO
fortified there, aud proceeded to recruit his was
ted forces.
Van Dorm and Price were at the same periOs
in command OF very considerable forces in Miss
issippi and Alabama and to them was assigned
the third part in the grand invasion of the Iowa
States which the cabal AT Richmond had decreed
This was an attempt, as they called it, TO deliver
but in fact 70 sublugate Western Tennessee an,
Kentucky. Gen. Rosecrans received the assault
OF those portions Of the insurgent forces at Co
rinth, defeated them with great slaughter, an,
drove them backward, 30 that they neither reach
ed nor approached the region which they wer,
appointed 20 invade. Gen. Rosecrans, called I,
succeed Gen. Buell. in command of the Army O
the Cumberland, then entered Nashville, whicl
the insurgents had before invested in carryin!
out their general scheme of invasion. He raise,
the siege and prepared for offensive action Il
/ the last DAYS Of the wear he issued from Nash
VILE, and delivered a sausuiuary battle at Ston
/ River, which gave him possession of Murfrees
bOro, Bragg retrcafed to Shelbyville and Tulla
hOma, and there again rested and intrenched
A long period OF needed rest was now employees
\ by the respective parties in increasing ;h
strength and efficiency OF their armies; but thi
repOse was broken by frequent skirmishes and b
cavalry expeditions. which penetrated hostile re
giOns, sometimes hundreds Of miles. and effecte,
breaches OF military connections and destruc
tion OF military stores upon an extensive scale
while they kept M the spirit OF the troops. an
hardened them for more general and severe con
/ ficts.
Nicksburg then remained in the hands of tn
insurgents. the principal KEY TO the navigation G
the Mississippi river, a navigation which wa
confessed or all sides 70 be absolutely essentis
to the United States, and wher re opened b
them, fatal 10 the iusurrectiOn. The duty G
Wrestling that key from the insurgents had bee
devolved on the navy, with the aid Of ccnsid
erable land force then encamned on the Hes