Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-04-30


financial crisis can be 30 disastrous as 10 break
asunder. no battle so cAlamitout a. to put 10
jeopardy the existence of our government and the
triumph Of our cause
We have now been fighting for the last three
years: lost hundreds OF thousands. the flower Of
the youth Of this country: expended fifteen hun
dred million dollars; and still the pulse of our
country beats as vigorously and as regularly as
il half Of our best blood bad not been shed and
the best part of our public and private fortune
disbursed. With the North. on the contrary. every
additional year OF war tells iearfully upon the
finances Of the nftlou, endangers the existence Of
the government brings up new factions to life.
increases ADsrehy. foments discomfort. and in
cites a notable portion Of the people 20 revolt
No wonder. then. if Mr. Lincoln il in greater
fear of defeat than Mr. JEFF Davis, because
with Mr. Lincoln reverse undermines the very
foundation OF his power while with us il rather
strengthens il. The difference between US and
the North s that Mr. JEFF. Davis can stand ad
versity without peril for the government. tor the
finances, or for the final success Of our cause,
while Mr Lincoln cannot These opinions may
appear. to say the least Of them. singular; but il
YOU look closely to the sta te Of affairs North and
South. and especially TO the discomfort of a GER
tain portion of the Western States you will
that do not exaggerate, aud that, as | have
ly than the North. Also. when / take into con
sideration the motives have just mentioned,
do not hesitate in preferring temporizing TO
aggressive policy. and in advising our govern
ment to remain strictly on the defensive, trusting
to time more than to bayonets for the overthrow
Of The war party in the North"
These sentiments, said the English officer. were
delivered by Gen Beauregard with such warmth
of accent H. to strike me at the time as being the
l. LII. i
many points of his argument, it seemed To me,
might have been VIGOROUSLY reiuted Since
then have been in position to ascertain that
these opinions were entertained by large por-
ton OF the upper class Of society in the South,
and by the heads of the rebel government, who
look upon anarchy and financial ruin in the North
likely To bring the war to a conclusion before
the year is
THE INVASION or KENTUCKY AND ITS RESULTS
The invasion of Kentucky, which has been in
contemplation by the rebels for the last three
months and TO which | have frequently alluded
in previous correspondence. having received the
incontrOvertabe sanction of events would have
occasion To refer to II any longer did not that
expedition and its attendant horrors reveal one
side of the rebel plans which has not vet been un
folded and caused US to understand more dis
tinctly the policy they intend to pursue in the
coming campaign
From all that has hitherto transpred among
military men in Richmond, well AZ from con
lectures to be drawn from It's own actions and
from its own declarations. the intention of the
rebel government has always been To recover
portions if not the whole, Of the States of Ten
nessee and Kentucky soon it could find
favorable opportunity of doing So LOngstreet's
expedition in East Tennessee, aud the nomiDa.
ton of Gen Forrest to the command of North
nj and Of
lucky which took place in January last, con
frmed AS it we're the pretensions OF the rebels
upon these two States, and would have been
looked upon by any other government but that
OF MIR Lincoln "a sufficient warning of the reb-
e. plan III those regions, II spirit OF incurable
incapacity was not prevailing in The councils OF
the nation, thwarting every measuge recommen-
ded bv prudenc and wisdom In fact, since last
January, our government was advised by tire
northern press of the contemplated invasion of
Kentucky. OF the disailectiOn of Tennessee, and
of the control that the partisan Forrest had over
these two States. without any measure being ia
ken for ayerting the impending danger
The result OF this careless policy has been to
allow Forrest TO recruit freely in Kentucky and
Tennessee, TO sack towns and villages. to storm
fortresses to replenish his exhausted stores. and
to muster in his various depredatory expeditions
all army of about fifteen thousand men. which,
added to his, will swell his own forces to the
figure of ut least twenty-five thousand soldiers
With such force Forrest is now enabled TO hold
his own in Tennessee. and TO renew, in different
direction, mis- attempt on Kentucky, which il | am
to trust various reports, has given him a small
army. immense focks of cattle. and inc xhaustibe
provisions. His second expedition in the latter
State will be made, understand. in conjunction
with John Morgan. who is said 10 occupy now
the position recently held by Longstreet a. Bulls
gap and watching the Cumberland range
through which he intends to make his entrance
into Kentucky.
The most serious aspect Of Forests raid is
however. the creation in our rear of an army
sufficiently strong TO act independently. TO annoy
our garrisons al Memphis. Nashville. and Knox
Vile, and to cause trouble to the commander of
our forces a, Chattanooga. In fact il must not
be forgotten that Forrest in his late raid had
taken with him but portion of his forces, and
lett Chalmers, Richardson aud Roddy. his Lieu
tenants, south, to watch the movements OF the
Federals and prevent his being pursued and cut
off Faulkner and Newcome, with two thousand
men and six pieces of artillery. were the only
officers who accompanied him in his expedition
through Kentucky. But no sooner had they
made their appearance then their number
sweed TO four thousand. by the addition of two
thousand young Kentuckians who were waiting
for their arrival. In this way has his army and
that of General Buford been enabled to 20
through Kentucky unframed, and To get pretty
much all they wanted The result OF this Ken
lucky expedition will he known only in couple
Of weeks when all the forces of Forrest will
have been concentrated and made available for
great attack against our lines in Central and
South Tennessee and Northern Georgia.