Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-01-22
nasnee Of the Chicago Tines


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WASHINGTON. Jan. IL.
Nov that the Porter and Mcdowell court mar
tials are over. the two dozen Generals Of whom
they we're composed will be nj liberty TO reoin
their commands. Many OF them. however, VIII
find that they have no nina 70 rgoin, the
extraordinary strategy which prevails here having
cut them % pieces, and distributed the fragments
among different armies, while ne Generals were
kept here. Gen. Hunter. however. leiyes here
with the assurance that he will fnd his department
in South Carolina iust a. he let Il. and with the
promise that such reinforcemenfs OF ships and
troops will be speedily sent to him as will enable
him to capture both Charleston and Savannah be
fore Congress adjourns. Gen Hunter believes
this promise was made TO him in sincerity, | DO
not. Ii Is we'll known at the Navy Department.
as | ascertainei to-day. that neither Charleston
nor Savannah can be taken without the CO ope.
ration of a large fleet of iron clad vessels. and
the Navy Department will have 10 such vessels
to spare Tor that purpose before next summer. So
lar as regards land forces. the Government has at
it, disposal three times as many troops as IS re
quired to take both those cities: but they will not
be sent there.
Ii Stanton remains in charge OF the War De
partment, and Hllleck is retained as General-in
8 Chief, not a man will be taken from Burnside's
idle army idle because compelled to be so). Not
a regiment will he tab EN- from the over crowded
garrisons nj points around Washington. at Balu
more, at Norfolk. at points on the Peninsula. at
points in Northern Virginia, and at points IN
Florida. IL Gen. Hunter IS reinforced at all. ~
will be with troops drawn from the West. that Is
to say, from the very places where they are most
needed, and where troops ought TO be concen
tated. There is som talk. indeed, OF bringing
the whole of Gen. Hunters troops away from the
Sluth Carolina coast, and CT sending him to re
inforce Gen. Foster In North Carolina. Ii this
were done, aud an attack should be made on
Richmond bv Gen. Hunter and Gen. Foster from
the south, while BurnsIde's army advances on il
from some other direction. there might be some
hope Of taking Richmond this winter. because
there are very fes Confederate troops DOW Ia
Virginia. The bulk of their forces are now con
centrated in the West.
But that would be too sensible a movement to
originate with, or even To be sanctioned by, the
administration and therefore | do not believe il
will be done. II il worthy OF remark. however,
that the administration will never have so good II
chance of taking Richmond as the present; and
that this opportunity they will throw away.
Sooner than do anything Of the kind they will
withdraw Fosters army from North Carolina,
aud send il low to Charleston to reinforce Gen
Hunter. But they cannot do that. because when
Gen. Foster was here a few days ago, the PresI-
dent promised him that he should be rel iorcel,
and shosld remain in North Carolina. Besides,
it would be in direct variance with Halleck'.
strategy, which consists in dividing. instead OF
concentrating, our forces. And Tin lilly. even II
Gen. Fosters forces were joined to- Gen. Hun
ter's, there would not be enough troops. evel,
then. to take either Charleston or Savannah.
The fact il. while We have been employing al
the energies and resources of the nation in lesis
lating for the negro. in discussing plans for hi,
emancipation, for his support and susterance. fol
placing him IN possession of the estates of hi
master, and while Mr.. Lincoln has been ccncoct
ing his schemes for negro instructions. and rub
bling his hands in glee over the horrible scenes
which his emancipation procla nation woul,
cause-during all this time the Confederate
have employed all their energies in strengthen
ing the deieuSes of their most exposed cities
Savannah. Charleston. Mobile. Vicksburg, Por
Hudson and fredericksburg To say nothing a.
Richmond itself. are nov fortified to such an ex
tent rs will require ON our part, in order To tax
them, expeditions of a magnitude of which W,
have hitherto seen no parallel. Kichm nmi rpuls
have been taken on the 25th of June by 80, 00l
troops in addition to what Mcclellan had; or. sa,
$50 900 troops in all. Now, il is fortified to sucl
an extent that 300 900 troops might be sen
against il in vain
On the 18th of November. IL. 1000 men @
Summers corps could have taken Fredericksbur
without the loss eft 100 men. Now. Mr. Lincoll
himself thinks that Burnside's whole urmy o
@tNst't hbtI 0hiiiOt btht ~, vi w DuIU-ll
was here a few days ago, To beg of the Presideu
to allow him 10 make another attempt on the EN-
emv's works there, the President positively re
fused to let him do it. 1t is my own opinion
howeve., that il Burnside was now ordered to AT
tack Fredericksburg. he would succeed in takin,
it; not. however. without twice as great a loss a
he sustained on the 18th OF December. The en-
envy have only 500 men there now But thei
position ia SO admirable. and their artillery 20 nu
merous, that these 10 900 could infict on Burn
side y loss equal to that which he sustained on tit
18th of December, before he reached their fl,
line of iortifcatiops. And then, after he take
them. he would have to sustain the fire of Oh
second line of works. not a single gun of which
was opened on him Oh the former occasion =
Sill. | think an attempt now would be success
ful, because So many of the enemy's troops an
gone to- the West. Whether the advantages q
the victory would compensate for the fright
full loss OF life il would cost. is another MATES
do not think they would
Then there is Savannah. This time last white
il could have been taken by "A fleet of six woodel
vessels of war and 80 .0O0 troops. Now, a. man
iron clad vessels and LOG, 900 troops would hav,
~ much rs they could do TO takeit. As regard
Charleston, for i year after the Aft air ut For
Sumter she could have been relrcei with a Ian,
force of % 900 troops and one or two iron cla'
vessels. Now. il will ieqnire 4 dozen iron Clad
and loo. 0nD troops. say nothing of Nick ~bur.
and Port Hudson. The desperate but u~navailin,
lighting at Vlcksburg shows how strong the rebel
are on the Mississippi
But il seems To me that the existence of the>
facts ought Ia letd the people to demand the dis
missal Of II ,lIeck aud Stanton. TO whose mis-
management they are owing. Certain IL i. thi
as long ~ they rem ,in in power we en- accom-
plish no results with our sD1. 600 troops, cxcer
to send them tn fruitiess slaughter. Y