Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-04-06
Especial Correspondents Of the Chicago Times.

Especial Correspondence Of the Chicago Times.
WASHINGTON. March %.
The Administration is much chagrined at the
complexion which affairs are assuming on the
Mississippi and in the West, after all their gran
dllOQuent assurances Of brilliant victories" The
War Department had gone the length of author.
izing telegraphic dispatches to be sent all over the
country, announcing that Banks had got his army
up from Baton Rouge, and was attacking Port
Hudson in the rear; that the Yazoo Pass Expedi-
ton had successfully passed through tas ITALIA
hatchie into the YazoO, and were BIO anbarcing
Haines's Bluff; that the latter point had been
evacuated by the enemy; that Vicksburg itself
was now untenable, and would be evacuated that
the Confederate army on the Rappahaniock was
retreating toward Richmond; and that the Con-
federates were actually evacuating Richmond
itself. To day the Administration is forced 10
ADMIT the falsity of all these stories, and to ad-
NIT, too, that, instead of gaining victories, our
armies have suffered defeats, and are in great
peril. 1t is now known that, - far as Banks is
concerned. his army has not left the vicinity of
Baton Rouge; that il is completely demoralized
and utterly useless. and that it is now in full re-
treat. with the loss of two whole regiments.
That. in regard to the Yazoo Pass expedition,
so far from reaching the Yazoo, it had only got
to the mouth of the Tallahatchie, and was there
defeated az Fort Pemberton, with great loss, and
Is now in full retreat northward, having made a
AllICb ul[ lOOr INV w
tributed to the officers and men. who fought like
heroes. but to the incapables who planned such a
QuixOtic enter prise without first ascertaining
whether or not Gen. Johnston had taken meas
ures to defend the Yazoo against just such expe-
ditions. In regard to Port Hudson, il 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 at all by
a land force. In fact, the indications now are
that the whole project of opening the Mississippi
will be a failure.
The work Of preventing the opening of that
river was intrusted by the Confederate Govern
ment, some months ago, TO General Joseph E..
Johnston, unluestionably one of the ablest Gen
erals of modern times. For months past he has
been perfecting arrangements with this end in
view; and the events which have just taken
place demonstrate the vast extent and the COM
pleteness of those arrangements. Instead of at
f0rding us a means of getting troops in the rear
Of Vicksburg, the Yazoo River will be found to
be one of Gen. Johnston's defensive lines. Fort
Pemberson, where our troops were defeated, is
only one, and perhaps the weakest, Of the forts
he has erected on the left bank of that stream.
The fact that he left Vicksburg and Port Hud
son. and the whole of the offences of the Mis-
sissippi. Ia the hands of his subordinate Generals.
and has gone with his staff to Tullahoma, in
Tennessee, is an ominous circumstances, and ar
CUES no good for the Union forces. He would
not have left Vic!lsburg and Port Hudson at this
moment. when they are actually under the fire
of our troops, if he was not confident of their
ability to repel any assault that may be made
mon them. And another very ominous fact,
which has Just come to the knowledge of the
War Department, is, that be had previously sent
to reinforce Bragg n good portion of the troops
which he had along the Mississippi All mill
tary men know that, after a place has been forti-
fed like vicksburg, all troops in excess Of the