Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-05-09
Correspondence Of the n. Y. world.

BALTIMORE, April 70.
THE ADNINIsrRArIoS LABoRINe UNDER A MISTAKE.
learn on good authority that the President
and Secretary OF War, MS well as Gen. Halleck,
all disbelieve the fact that the rebels have any
idea of invading the North on a large scale dur y
ing the present wear. They predicate this dis
belief on the alleged fact that such an invasion
IS impossible on account of want of men to un-
dertake Is, owing to the supposed circumstance
that so many Confederate troops will be required
at the South for the defense Of important cities.
and for defensive warfare at points in the South
and Southwest, This is a grave mistake on the
part of the ADMINISTRATION. If the important
strategic points at the South and the chef south
ern cities were in the same defenseless condition
now that they we're two years ago. it might in
deed be necessary for the rebels to keep the bulk
OF their forces there for their defense But such
is not the case. asr.. t nrsrnfaa.r
In their preparations for defense. during the
whole war, the rebels have acted as if their op-
.ponents were led by Napoleons and Weliingtons,
and as IL their operations were directed by the most
sagacious craftsmanship. Daring the two years
that the Administration has wasted 10 its over
land campaigns against Richmond. and in its at
tempts to take Charleston. they have fortified
their chief cities and strategic points TO an ex-
tent Of which we have no conception at the
North, and which we can never realize until we
attack them in earnest. Then we shall find what
a people who are in earnest can do in two years
time. sa1s 1L w
I'D 5em DEFESsEs OF MOBILE. g ll
Ny information in regard TO the defenses of
Mobile is not precise enough to enable me to
describe them in detaiI- They are similar, how
ever. to those in the Charleston harbor. The
little impression that such an experienced old
war. dog as Admiral Farragut, with the tremen
dous naval force under his command, has been
able to make upon them. after so many days
bombardment, indicates that we shall find Mo
bile a hard nut 70 crack. It's defenses on the
land side are extensive and formidable.
DEFENsEs or SAVANNAH.
In March of 1863. the delenses of Savannah,
both on the river and the land side. were sup
posed to be adequate to protect the place from
any attack that could be made on it. Agentle-
man who left that city at that time, gave me a
drawing of the works at that time completed. and
additional works have been erected. Some idea
of the labor expended on these works, may be
had from the fact that more than one thousand
five hundred negroes have been almost constantly
emplo, ell on them ever since January of 1863.
The work is superintendent by the engineer off.
GERS of the rebel army. General Beauregard,
while he was at Charleston, came to Savannah,
regularly once a month, and made = careful and
critical examination OF the work as it progressed.
There are three principal roads leading to ST.
| NtInd1, lIOm tue uOFlu anu Wecl, anu Ill the
approaches 10 these roads as well as to the rail
roads leading to the city, are commanded by
large and well built forts. These works constr.
tute a part of She chain Of works which was
marked out by General Beuspcgard when he first
assumed ommand at Charleston and Savannah
in Septe a ber of 1862 The furt on the hill near
the gas works. nOrthw est of the city. was com
pleled in De cember last. but it's armament was
not mounted I'LL about a month ago. The forts
arouud the city are well supplied with guns. and
the artilleristS are we'll tr ,ined. r m
The Instructions in the Savannah river are
from two to three miles below the city, and be.
tween the head Of Elba Island and Fort jackson.
They consist Of large wooden cribs, twenty feet
square, filled with stones and sunk and Of rows
of spbes driven into the bed of the stream and
extending entirely across the river. All these
distractions are covered by the guns of Fort
jackson and the guns OF several large earth
works, with casemated batteries on shore. IL is
possible that they might be removed, but il would
require u long time and a vast amount of labor,
and probably no troops IN the world could stand
such a FIRE MS would be concentrated on them
during the operation. The iron clad steamer
Georgia, which forms part of the deienses. of
Savannah. was alluded to in nv last letter. She
has seven available guns on board. said to be
equal to any in the Confederate navy; a full
crew. aud is commanded by regular officers of
the navy. The crew are kept perfect in their gun
practice, as indeed are the artillerists at all the
forts. f-sf. fr