Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1864-06-15

strength. am inclined TO diScrelIt the re-
port Certainly no decisive engagement
has yet taken place, and it is quite proba-
bic that Lee il manoeuvering to avoid one
until further rcintorcements can reach him.
| think it would be safe to wager that
Meade's army will not be within can
non range of Richmond for at least Il
fortnight. Still / hope the fact will prove
otherwise.
But if Lee does fall back on the de-
iiant city, you may depend on it Grant
will have plenty of work before him.
The defenses around the town are no bug
bear as some persons have guessed and
published. They are as perfect and for
midable as military skill and engineering
can make them. Several weeks ago the
works then around the city were carefully
, inspected by President Davis and Gener
ais Lee and Bragg, and were pronounced
by them quite satisfactory; but notwlth-
standing this, the President, about a week
( later, called General Beauregard, the To-
tieben of tt,e contederacy, to the capital,
to examine the works and devise Improve
ments, if in his judgement any could be
made. Beaurcgard spent several days
around the city with Lee and Bragg, and
the result was the immediate commence
ment of another line of defensive works.
Several Of the most proficient engineers in
the rebel service have been detailed 10 su-
perintcnd the construction Of the new
line agrceably to the plans Of the great
/ rebel engineer Thousands OF negroes
/ have been employed more than three weeks
in digging new bitches, and throwing up
new ramparts, parapets, &c, in advance
of the old ones. By this TIM the new
line is beyond doubt, completed
These turtifications were to consist, as
. | was informed by one OF the officers tand
Il very reliable gCntleman) engaged in
: their construction, Of seventeen detached
forts, forming several independent defen-
! sive positions, after the style Of the forti-
! fications constituting the second line Of
; defense around the city Of Paris. The
barracks and auxiliary works are - ar
ranged for fianking fires from artillery that
mutual protection will exist between the
forts
The interval between the works are
closed by long curtains protected by
! bitches twenly-four feet wide and sixteen
feet deep, in most Of which are con-
/ structed rams-hOrns and tenailles Many
of the bitches are supplied with water
from the adjacent rivulets. These forts
are Mi to be connected by military road
and telegraph atfording speedy communi-
I cation between them.
These works will be mounted with guns
of large caIiber. and there will be no lack
of howitzars and mortar-batteyies, protect
ed by bomb-proof casematcs, out of reach
of the Union artillery.
The question may he pertinentlv asked,
- Where have the rebels obtained such a
supply of ordnance of this character 2"
answer, that they have manufactured
some, but have received more from Eu-
rope. The northern people would be
astomished to learn the great amount of
war-material and other necassaries, that.
in spite Of the blockade, the rebels are
weekly receiving from tn. other side of
the Atlantic On the 22d ultimo count
ed. around the depot of the Richmond
and petersburgh Railroad, thirty-two NOR
tars of French manufacture, which were
received at Wilmington a few days before.
Before leaving the detenses of Rich
mond must mention a new and novel
invention by Captain Holden of the rebel
army. 1t is nothing more or less than a
stink ball designed 10 be fired into the
works of besiegers to stink them out.
About the middle Of April. | was one OF
several civilians, who, upon invitation,
accompanied party of officers to Atlee's,
a station on the Central road ten miles
from Richmond, 70 witness some expert
ments with this ball The ball is an iron
shell containing cUmbustible and destruc-
tive material, as well as odferous matter,
and in appearance is similar to the stink
ball in use many years ago 1t is design
ed to be thrown by mortars, but in the
tests on the occasion referred to, The fuse
was lighted and the shells allowed to ful-
inmate where they were placed, The
stencil which followed the explosion was
the most fetid and vilIainous that ever
outraged the olfactories of man. Col,
eridge said that he counted in Cologne
seventy-seven,
Well defined and several stinks."
But if he had been at Atlee's on thC
day of the experiments alluded TO h'
would have recognized them all, and
seventy-seven thousand more. The con
centrated stink of all the skunks, pole
cats, niggers, pitch, sulphur, rasped nor
ses and horses hoofs, burnt in fire, ASA
fo,tida. fcrula, and weeds in th,