Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-08-19
PETERsBuRGg


Special Correspondence Of the Chicago Times.
WasurSsroS. Aug. l3-
Public attention is now diverted in some meas
ure from Petersburg, and even from Atlanta. to
Mobile. When Gen. Grant was here, lev days
ago, be made the final arrangements for the at
tack on that place, a. far a land forces are con-
cerned
Ii Is understood that the troops under Granger
are not the only ones that are TO be engaged IN
the land attack Orders are said 10 have been
sent TO Gen Canbv TO bring TO the aid OF the
former officer all the disposable forces at New
Orleans The naval force under Admiral Far
ragut, 30 vessels and 23l guns. is the most for
midsble fitted out during the war for any expe-
dition, except the one sent against Charleston,
which so signally failed.
The public appetite for news has now been
tickled every morning for four days past by as
surance that Mobile must fall. and that speedily;
and, indeed, that il has already been captured.
But the readers of the Times will remember that
the same assurances we're repeated and reiterated
ad nauseam when the various expeditions
against Charleston were in progress. and while
the active operations against Petersburg were
being carried on The country. too. has been
assured two or three times that ATLANTA is
ours"
NOW.
Mobile will be captured there was in the case
of Charleston, or a there is in the case of At
lanta There was a time when Mobile. like
Charleston could have been taken. But that
time was two years ago The capture of Mo
bile formed part of the grand comprehensive
plan of General Mcclellan, which he set on foot
in the winter of 1862. and the first fruits Of
which was the capture of New Orleans Ii he
had not been relieved from the chief command
in March. 1862. the capture OF Mobile would
have speedily followed.
But from that time to the present the energies
of the Confederate leaders have been directed to
the task of securing from capture the cities OF
Charleston. Savannah Wilmington. Richmond,
Atlanta, and Mobile OF all these places Mobile
is the weakest and the easiest To capture. bat
even Mobile will be found to be hard nut to
crack. You have no doubt published full ac-
counts of the defences of the place IL is be
! eved by those who know most about them that
they will prove quite az formidable as those az
! Charleston. The final arrangement of the de-
fences of both cities was ntruSted to Gen. Beau
regard, and all that the engineering skill OF that
! extraordinary is capable of has been ex
pended at Mobile. 1t may be thought from the
fact that such small number of rebel troops
has been left at Mobile-only about 5,O0O-that
the Confederates do not intend to make vigor.
| Gus defense. But il must be remembered that
troops behind earthworks on either side have al.
WAYS been able TO hold their own against four
times their number of assailants.
During the whole campaign OF the summer in
Virginia, Gen Lees army has not reached more
than from 90. 900 to 6O 900 strong including
Beauregard's troops at Petersburg. while Grants
army has exceeded 100 900, and even 1870. 900
men all the time. Yet in every engagement we
! have been repused with heavy loss And now. so
confident is Gen. Lee in his ability 90 hold Pc
! tersbnrg and Richmond that he has left in the
! former place only 30. 900 of Beauregard's troops
and 10 900 of A. +. Hills Beauregard himself
| has gone 10 Mobile. where he will take command
and will conduct the defense Gen. Longstreets
CORP "a 900 strong, consisting of the divisions Of
Gems. Anderson. Pickett and Fields and now
commanded by Gen. r. A. Anderson in the
temporary absence of Longstreet himself. has
gone to Atlanta 10 reinforce Gen. Hood. accom-
panied by the divisions of Gems. kershaw and
Hoke H. 900 more. who have been detached for
| that purpose from Bcauregard's corps EwelPs
corps, now commanded by Gen. Early, 10000
strong il in the Shenandoah valley, near Win
chester. IL consists OF the divisions of Gems
Gordo, Warton, Breckenridge and Rhodes Part
of A. y. Hills corps is either at Richmond. or
between that place and Petersburg. But two di
visions of that corps, those of Gers Heath and
| Malone. and embracing 10, 900 men. neither
at Petersburg or Richmond, nor have they been
sent to Georgia. Where are these 10 900 troopsy
will venture 10 say that they will turn up where
they are least expected. and will turn the tide of
some important battle
| Your readers may well ask, why is il that
Gen. Grant keeps his whole army of over 100. 900
troops at Petersburg. where the Conederates
have only 30 .000y or, at least. why does he not
either attack and capture Petersburg, or else
leave that place and try TO take Richmondl No
or IL char al ~ boz cp1a
an army there, only to die of disease and
pressive heat, or to be butchered in such affairs
as that of July Both Yet there they have been
for sixty days. doing positively nothing else. The
country il insul;ed every morning by being told
that Petersburg will soon be taken. while every
Captain and Lieutenant in the army knows that
il cannot be taken. Ii is said that Gen. Grant
wished to have the army withdrawn from Peters
burg and part OF it sent to Atlanta, when he
here a week ago. but that the President would
not listen to any such advice
Your readers will remember that, when il was
found out. in spite of all our boasts and brags,
that We could not take Charleston, the country
coolly informed that we had appliances
by which the distractions in Charleston harbor
could be removed And since that time
tual attempts have been made 10 take that city
1t is possible that, in spite of tbs vaporngs and
boastlngs of the administration in the of
Mobile, the President has received some private
advices from that city TO the effect that the ob
structions in the harbor there of the same ma
ture as those at Charleston and that, either ow
ing to that or some other cogent reason. the cap
ture of Mobile is by no means certain; for il l.
now quietly whispered about in the high official
circles that after all. 1.-The mere possession of the
city OF Mobile is matter OF minor importance,
and no great solicitude need be felt whether the
city is captured just not" What does
this meant II YOU see il in the official organs,
depend upon il it is fee,r, put forth to see how
the people will take repulse at Mobile, and the
abandonment of the whole expedition. y.
Tug STATE TICKET FiLLED-The Demo-
cratic State Central Committee convened at In