Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-06-10
WARRINGTON conaEsroNpENcE.
Opinions OF an Ofncer-vha has
been Gained-rhe Loss-A siege Me-
cessary-The Lives OF soldiers.

W ARLINGTON June D
was permitted to read private letter this
morning from a General of high rank in the
Army of the Potomac 70 a friend in this city. in
which be uses the following language: I'VE
have now been fighting three consecutive weeks.
ell the time looking 70 the objective point Of
Richmond In all the battles and strategic
movements think the utmost military skill has
been displayed By the commanding General.
One thing Is certain beyond peradventure, that
General Grant is military genius. In all bis
movements thus far be has used, practically. his
own ideas and plans in attacking or c0untering
the blows of the enemy. and although he has
been several miles from the scene OF the great
conflict, be has 50 famliarized himself with the
topography Of the country. the strength and To-
cation Of the enemy, and the probabilities Of
their point Of attack, that he has never failed to
meet them man TO man. and generally with sue
cessful results But must confess after all this
fighting and loss of life, il is natural enough 10
inquire what have We gainedg Without wishing
to criticise my superiors. or set my poor judg
ment against theirs. can only say simply that
we have gained nothing After two and half
years marching and countermarching with this
army, now End myself on the same ground
that was ON with Mcclellan two wears ago.
with this exception, that the enemy have i'm
proved every point fifty per cent. These are the
plain facts, as time alone will tell. | am in for
the war, however, aud shall do my duty, God
being my helper. to carry out every order of my
superiors. If fall, could not wish to die in a
nobler cause-that Of my country"
These are plain outspoken sentences, just such
as would fall from the lips OF soldier. The
point we wish 70 make in them is this, that after
all the sanguinary battles have been reading
about, and the loss and manning Of so MANY
good. brave and noble men, the Army of the Pc
tOmac has arrived at point where It was two
years ago We beg to make this amendment to
this officers opinion. aud say that Gen. Grant
does not occupy the identical grounds that Gen.
Mcclellan did, and il will cost him one or two
battles more before he does this. The affair of
the 18th instant shows with what tenacity the en-
envy are prepared to defend their capital. In
some of the newspaper reports referred to, the
public were given to understand that our troops
captured the first line of the defenses of Rich
m0nd, when the truth is, we attempted, but did
not succeed In carrying an exterior line of rife
pits, and this with. loss of three thousand
killed, wounded and missing Among these,
three OF the bravest Colonies in the Army of the
Potomac-Colonels Haskell, Porter and Morris.
General Grants army at present occupies no par
tcular position or line-it Is constantly on the
move 70 get position known only 20 the com
handing General and one or two officers in bis
confidence 1t is settled conclusion among
highranked officers here, and the written opin-
ions of our Generals in the field. that our army
must settle down to the onerous duties of siege,
and to that end entrenching tools by the cargo
have been sent TO White House. and few of the
guns known as Swamp Angels will soon be en-
route for the same point. a captain of engin-
GERS, who has been occupying quiet desk in
this city ever since the war commenced, says that
Richmond is within grasp and in time We
hope to apply the proper means to secure it.
When asked what these means are. he naively
replied. to take an army of 400 900 men in front
OF the city and carry it by assault. even at the
cost of half our army. This is fair specimen
of the careless manner in which educated West
Point, il you please, military men, value the
lives of our citizen soldiersl