Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-02-08
Especial Correspondence of the Chicago Times.


Especial Correspondence Of the Chicago Times.
WAsHISGroS, January %.
Mr. Schenck, of Ohio, made the astounding
statement in the House yesterday, that the rebels
were making last despairing effort to raise
enough 60 break through the Union lines. and TO
transfer the seat of war to Northern soil Mr.
ScEenck is very much IN the dark, and he has a
very confused idea of the real military strength
of the rebels. or of their designs for the cam
paigns of 1864. Ii is curious, too, to contrast
the utterances of Mr. Schenck to day, with what
he said. and with what his fellow Republicans
said. two years ago. Two years ago Mr. Schenck
and his fellows declared that the backbone of
the rebellion was broken, and that the rebellion
was on its last legs, and that, IN six months more,
every vestige Of rebellion would be crushed out.
Well, here are, close to the end of the third
year OF the war, and now what does Mr. Schenck
sayf Why. that the military power of the rebels
is so great that they are going to invade the
North II second time, next summer Mr.. Schenck
is right this time, but he has not told half the
truth The simple fact is. we will prove to
our cost when the spring campaign opens. that
the COniederates will have far more effective
military force in the field by next March than
they have ever had before. | have seen several
very intelligent men from The South. quite re-
Gently; and | am convinced from their accounts
that the South will have 500. 900 troops, actual
electives, for the spring campaigns. My in
formants all agree in this: that the operations of
the Confederates will be divided, FIRST to the re-
covery of Chattanooga, Knoxville and East Ten
nessee. for which purpose Gen. Johnston will
have l5O ,OOO; that this will not be attempted by
assuming the offensive at first, but that General
Johnston will retire toward Atlanta, intending to
draw Gen. Grant after him into the interior, and
to defeat the latter there, and then return and
take possession Of the points named; second, to
/ al.
100000 troops assigned; third, to the defence
of Richmond. Charleston. Wilmington, Savannah
and Mobile.
Gen. McClellaE's report is now printed, and is
| in the hands of the binder Congress has ordered
/ the printing of n very meagre number of copies.
But was informed last week by leading New
York publisher, that he intended to issue an ed
| ticn of 10000 copies, in neat and attractive
form. Immediately In this way the public
will at last get hold of this remarkable docu-
ment.
| need not say that its revelations are most
startling. That your readers know already No
| administration in England could live single
day after such damhing proof OF its guilt towards
heroic army had been made public That the
Army OF the Potomac and its noble commander
were deliberately sacrificed in order to CRAFTY the
malisnity Of Lincoln. the obStinacy of Stanton,
and the contemplate iealousy of Halleck, no one
can doubt after reading, not this report merely,
but the official dispatches which it contains.
The publication Of this report ought to be suffi-
cient To make its illustrious author President of
the United States: and doubtless it would do so,
if free election were allowed next November.
For the people will contrast the wise statesman
ship of Gen. Mcclellan as indicated in mis- letters,
with the shallow nonsense of the wretched rail
splitter whom fanaticism placed in a position for
which he Is so utterly unh ted In the language
OF leading journal, which has hitherto sup
ported the administration: "ln this report we
see the well considered counsel of a far Sghte
soldier turned from its purpose by trashy little
epistles constructed upon the model first fur
nished by Jack Bunsby. If your plan is better
than my plan, theH my plan is worse than your
plan,' says the President chosen to rule over
thirty millions of people If so be that this
ships gone down. says Jack Bunsby, why so;
but il so be that this ship Amt gone down, why
so also And Jack Runsby's nonsense is the
less nonsenscal OF the two"
A nice little plan for stealing the homes and
furniture of the Southern people, as we'll as their
barns. granaries and cattle has been cunningly
introduced into the Senate by Mr. Wilson, OF
Massachusetts,, in the guise of "A bill to secure
nome>tead> to persons in the military service -
This bill provides that all lands in the Southern
States, with certain unimpOrtant exceptions
shall he deemed 'unappropriated public lands -
under the operation OF the contiscatiOn act, and
shall be subject TO entry, under the provision OF
the homestead law, By any officer solder
black white, who shall have servel two years
during the present rebellion; the houses and
buildings erected the lands. with their con
tents, to 20 with the lands themselves. The de
sign and purpose of this bill shows plainly The
object of the Republican party in prolonging the
war The leaders of that party already
provided for. in the way of fat contracts, offices
&c: and Tor more than year past they have
been promising the rank and file of their part,
that, at the end of the war. each man should
have snug farm in Alabama or Georgil OF
Virginia. It is in order to fulfill this promis,
that this atrocous bill is now brought in by
Senator Wilson. Suppose a Southern mar
was President, and that Southern men CONTROLLED
the action OF Congress. would not the Who'll,
world ring with indignation If bill were passed
TO cOnhscate the estate of Northern men anC
confer them upon Southern soldiersg Surely th,
enOrmity is none the less because the deed Is tC
be done by the North.
The exposition of the uncoastitutiOnalitv OF tn,
conhscaton act, which made in the House
on the 26th inst by Fernando Wood, was Al
effort which reminded me more of the constitu-
tioDal arguments of Daniel Webster than an,
thing that has been heard in Congress for lon!
time. IL was literally unsnswerable. and it will
remain unanswered Nor that part Of Mr.
Woods speech. which enforced the expedienc
of bringing the war to a close less worthy of al
miraton y.