Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-12-02
them were sent to General Early about the Goth
or 30th Of October: the balance we're sent to
General Lee at Petersburg.
EroRoAyrrArTox or rARLr's Ansr.

them were sent % General Early about the 29th
or 30th Of October: the balance we're sent to
General Lee at Petersburg.
EroReAyrEArIoS or EkRLr's Aaxr.
This WAS great help TO Gen Early after the
reverse tnat he had suffered on the 18th of Oc-
to6cr. IL gave bin the means at once of filing
up all of his old inf-ntry regiments TO the full
complement, and this he did. Arms we're sup
piled to such of the soldiers ss needed them
HIS artillery vas reCrganized by the addition OF
about dozen Des pieces, so that be has now
eight batteries of SIX guns in each New shoes,
and IN some cases new clothing. and some blank
cts we're sent TO the men. The strictest discip
line was enforced: and by the 18th OF the present
month Early's army was in a highly efficient
condition. and it embraced about twenty eight
thousand men of all arms; although this included
some indeOendent regimeQtal organizations which
previously had not been under Eariy's immediate
command
DISPATCHES PROM BEAUREGARD ABOUT SHERMAN
MOVEMENTS.
For some DAYS previously, dispatches had been
received at Richmond from General Beauregard,
AT Corinth, in regard to the initial movements OF
General Sherman's present expedition. which
were then IN progress. and which we're closely
watched BY the former. Some OF these dis
patches were of such importance that they were
not trusted 70 the telegraph, but were brought by
aides camp direct to Richmond. Thus it was
that when Sherman began his mach from At
lanta to Macon on the 18th and 18th inst, the
Confederate military leaders were fully prepared
for the movement and had made what thew sup
posed TO be adequate preparations to battle and
defeat IT, These preparations included of course
the concentration, at Macon and Augusta, of
whatever bodies of troops could be spared from
other points, besides those that would be brought
thither by General Beauregard Among these
bodies OF troops were some from Charleston
and Savannah, some from Florida, and some
| from Richmond and Petersburg
CONSTITUENCIES Of LIScoLS's DETERMINATION TO
DE REFLECTED.
| These troops were accordingly sent; and as
Macon is easily accessible by railroad from all
parts of the Confederacy, they were sent without
any difficulty. There at this time no ground
! of apprehension that General Grant would make
any demonstration against the lines of Peters
burg and Richmond. The repulse which our ar
my had met with on the 9th of October of
too recent occurrence, and had been too decisive
! in its nature to expect a renewal of anything of
the kind very soon. Besides considerable por-
ton of General Grants armv was absent. How
large a portion this was, pretty accurately
known to General Lee from the usual means at
his command; and the accuracy of his iniorma-
ton was confirmed by the intensely loyal news
papers OF Baltimore and New York. who in
formed him that IL 900 of General Grants SOL
diers mad passed over the railroads between WASH
iugtOn and Philadelphia to vote in Pennsylvania
aud New York and that several regiments from
the 10Th and 18th corps. under General Butler,
had arrived in New York by sea. Finally,
whether correct or not, the impression prevailed
at the rebel headquarters that the efficiency OF
| General Grants army was greatly impaired by
the absence, on account of severe wounds. of
many of the abest officers, IN almost every corps
and division
TWO OF EARLY DIVISIONS JOIN LEES ARMY
! Relieved from snv apprehension of immediate
attack, therefore. or indeed of attack for some
time TO come. General Lee saw that be could
very well spare the fifteen thousand or twenty
| thousand troops which he had sent TO Georgia.
But as the defense of the lines of Richmond and
! Petersburg was after all, of paramount import
| ance and the absentees from General Grant
| army might be expected back in few DAYS, he
deemed it pFu tent to rec II from General Erly
! two OF his divisions. General kershaw s and one
other. and this he did. Kershaws division left
Early's army on the 18th, 10Th and 18th instants;
the other division followed the 18th, 18th
| and Doth
RECONNoISsA NCE ASR ITS RESULTS.
Some inkling Of what was going on probably
reached General Sheridan At all events. on
the 2lst and 22i instant reconnaissance in
force was made by the whole of Sheridan's cav
airy to ascertain whether or not Early had rein
| forced Lee, or had gone to Lynchburg. ! leave
the details OF this interesting expedition to be re
! lated by the more competent pen of your able
correspondent there But the result of the en-
gsgemeni that ensued and that lasted with Sc
verify for several hours, that our cavalry re
treated, pursued by the Confederates, the latter
bringing into action force Of $4,000 splendidly
handled infantry and division of cavalry. The
inference drawn frsm the result Of this reconnos-
sance is, as | am informed, that Early had not
reinforced Lee at that time, but that he has done
so sncel
NECESSITY FOR ANOTHER Reconnaissance.
| Now. have the facts in my possession which
convince me that that inference is entirely incor-
rect; yet the knowledge from which it was de
rived was dearly bought; for we suffered some
loss in the action. The troops sent from Early
to Lee had all reached Richmond before the re-
connoissance was made; and Early has not sent
single man away since the 2lst instant. Let
another reconnaissance be made. and the cor
rectness of my information will be apparent.
DRUID.