, 1864-03-20
From our Regular Correspondent +

the Otty-Tho Fremont MoTe,ncnta a1
From our Regular CORRESPONDENT
WAsHnoros, March IL, 1854,
TIE MILITARY CHANGES, POTOMAC ARMY, ETC
Have doubtless been teleg1aphed vou
Gen. Hnllcck becomes Chief of Stat, So tha,
virtually hc obtains q position almost second
to that Of Communicating Chief All orders
Of course will in future be signed: aBy order
Of Major General Henry Wagor Halleck.
Chief Of staff." Virtually, 50 far as / can
see, Gen. Ha1leck still has supreme rom,
mand, as it is presumed that no movement
VIII be made except upon consultation with
him. Nor viii one be made In opposition to
his Recommendation. He can now. a1ao
more edectually shirk' responsibility than
before; and no one will deny that the Gene.
raj had special faculty for doing this. It Ia
not yet fully decided who will command tho
| Potomac army; but Gen. ". F. Smith. cali.
ed s'Baldy Smith, or 'sOld Baldy."; in a
homcly phrase, his friends confidently assert
Will be the man. Gen. Smith hns been for
some time past on Gen: Grants staff; as chief
ofEngineers. He originally was Colonel at a
Vermont regiment. He commanded br1ende
In Gen Reyes corps ut the siege Of Yorktown
| -NAAAt3 <+@~ 0NAA4A0A AA4EAk u AQAk D44tG tGfA
brigade, composed chiefly Of Vermo ont troops.
attempted to ford the Warwick, River.
for the purpose Of storming the rebel batter.
les; but the enemy cut away a dam, lettinra
large volume Of water into the stream. This
caused the brigade to be cut up badly: as the
enemy attacked our men while struggling In
the water and co compelled them to retire. AZ
ter the cFncuation of Yorktown, Gen Smith
took the advance in the line OF march to
Richmond. he fought well at williamsburg.
He also distinguished himself in the seven
dnys fighting before Richmond, where his di.
vision was stationed on Gaines Farm, Gen
Grant Is to return to this CITY to take com.
mand Of the Potomac army In the ield. H.
Will nave the sole control Of the operations
and the generals under him. It fs lioned and
expected by many Western men here that one
or two corps Of our splendid Western TROOPS
say Logan's and McPAersun'e, the 15th and
1tth-Win be brought on here, 1t is contend. t
Gu that the prescnce Of these troops Woaid |
create r1valry between the soldiers Of the
two sections, which would haye most ex-
cellent effect The rumor Is again revived
TINT Richmond Is to be approached from two /
quarters. If this be SO each army viii need |
to DC Of sufficient strength to contend |
with the entire rebel force under Lee, single
nm oenqea; te,; Is lee. ocsupytng interior lines,
Of ours. just previously to the Late heaYy
rains, the rebels had made demonstrafion
upon the right flank OF Meade's army, and it
was supposed were about to try their old
game Of coming upon our raar through the
mountain gaps. II Is now thought. Towav-
eT, by those well posted as to army move
ments, TINT Lee medItates another Maryland
and Pennsylvania raid. In case he does ven-
tuTe on such an undertaking, is is said by
rebel reoel synpathizers, that he VIM carry hreand
for shcrman's raid to Meridian, and Kilpat-
rtck's raid on Richmond. Our forces under
Gen. Butler have been making some demon.
st1atiens at Suffolk and other points, The
1ormer nr5 plaee Is reported captured By our col
ment is do not see, unless It be to keen the
enemy employed, and compel him to retain
a large number OF troops at those pnints-
AL the more reliable reports from the South
prove that the secession sentiment is as BIT
tef ssft! rs eEer, and that they are prepared to
TIE nI1so1s f. O. c.'s nEs71Rn1se THEM
Selves
ever, seen in print, ] notified you Of al ex-
tenstye revival Of The E. G. c. movement in
Illinois and Indiana Indeed it has become
so formidable that some Of the more mode
'a1e o. ths leading copperheads from the
they r.. G. CO had the control Of tue party
IN Illinois and Indiana, and could nominate |
whom they pleased. They also a1lece that
It Is the intention Of the order, or those who
control It In the Northwest, to force on the
rcEoinuon oy collision or collisions With
The loyal people or The authorities on one
pretcnse or another. Vtde Vallaudigham's ! I
ate letter on the Dayton newspaper Rot, aud
ne eecesh Tune articles on the same sub !
ect-) Il all fails, Vallandlgham is to be /
brought oack by force Of arms. The Demo-
: n 1rs.a