Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-08-12

paign against Richmond. His successive fail
ures NAV have been due 70 the constant interior
ence Of the President with his plan. But his
plans have failed, every one of them, and one
after another. The intelligent readers OF the
Times can recall them to memory, and mark the
constant succession of failures since the Sd Of
May. His most recent failure-his failure to
destroy the railroad communications of Rich
mond; his failure 20 approach Richmond by way
of water. his failure to make n left flank move
ment around the south and west of Petersburg;
ms failure to get possession OF the eldon rail-
road; bis failure to prevent General Lee from
sending large detachments of his army to invade
Pennsylvania and MARYLAND, and 10 besiege
Washington; his failure to inves, Petersburg; his
failure to approach Richmond from the east; and
bis failure 10 comprehend the design of General
Lee in cajong him into a siege Of Petersburg
point that has 10 more relation 10 the capture
Of Richmond than Wilmington in North Carroll
na-there. his most recent failures are more
marked and more complete than those which be
gan az Spottsyivania and terminated in the flank
movement from Cold Harbor But even these
sink into insignifcance beside hi stupendous fail
ure in the assault. that followed the explosion OF
+ hs great mine
1 his mine wa itself a gseat humbng lie
/ wasted the labor of thirty five DAYS in its con-
siruction, and. after all. il undermined nothing.
4 He intended it 10 undermine the key TO Peters
/ burg, the fort which il blew up was only an In
significant six gun redoubt, which commanded
nothing and was the key TO nothing.
/ The arrangements for springing the mine were
+ so bunglingly made. that the explosion was de
/ layed al hour and half after the time fixed,
whereby the whole design was exposed to the
enemy
The arrangements for tue stOrming parties
were the very worst that could have been de
| vised, the.eyent proved. The breach formed
1 by the blown up fort was not large enough for
half the men To operate in that were huddled to-
gelheF 10 IT, Into that pit of death division after
division of our best and bravest soldiers were
! driven, only TO find that they could do nothing
that there was 10 enemy in sight, but to be &C
/ tually moved down like grass by the fire that
came in sheets like lightning from above and all
around them.
/ Burnside more the title OF Butch
er. That name now rests en- other shoulders
Such borrid frghtful, useless butchery was
never seen at Fredericksburg
1t was severe, but perfect test OF the re-
spective valor and discipline of the white and
black soldiers, and IL forever settled that cues
ton. | have been careful to sift carefully all the
testimony on this point, and il is ample and
abundant. The white troops stood up to the
horrid work without fnching, and never retired
till ordered 10 retreat. The negroes, on the
other hand, wavered from the first and then i'm
mediately turned and fed in abject terror, throw
| ing away their arms, and screaming as if the
bottomess pit itself had opened its horrors upon
them The whole organization Of the colOred
troops is broken up. There is no trying &c
organize them again. They were feartuly cut
down in the retreat, and they can never again b,
made to face the music. They will probably be
quietly disbanded, and turned once more into
teamsters cooks and shoe blacks
Well. the assault repulsed. The whole o
Grants main body was engaged in it. and the
frightful affair cost Us loss OF fully IL 900 men
The attack was repulsed by n very small part oil
Gen. Lees army. The latter had been sending
troops away from Petersburg and Richmond &c
the North for the last two weeks. Only as late
as the Goth ult 90 900 of his troops left Peters
burg, made feint against Gen. Foster on tn
north side of the james, on the 21th and 2sth
: and then passed through Richmond on their wal
to Culpepper and the North Ii is pretty Ger
tain that there not more than $4,000 rebe
troops now in Petersburg. There is every reas
on TO believe that the main body of Gen Lees
! army IS either the line Of the Potomac
or is Ell route thither, aud that Gen. Lee intend
to transfer the seat of active hostties from th,
South TO the North Immediately. What car
prevent him from doing so!
IL is abundantly evident that Petersburg an,
Richmond can be held Ly 10000 or 10 ,00t
troops Besides these, Gen Lee has in hi
; own army proper l25 900 troops. At this no
ment, when Gen. sherman is Keeling on the noril
; side OF Peach Tree Creek under the heavy blow
of Hood; when the Southern half of Pennsylva
MIA is panic stricken aud virtually abandoned K
J the rebels; and when there is nothing to proven
his arnv from marching straight on Harrisburg
, il is not likely that the rebel General will keeI
that many men idle or throw away the best chanc
he ever yet had to capture our capital and TO die
tate peace from Washington?
The reported victory at Cumberland, on tn
LIST inst, is about the same kind of victory a
Gen. Sherman gained near Atlanta on the 22'
ult On the heels OF this victory il is reporte,
that two corps of Grants army are to be brough
! up here Immediately to prevent any further in
yasion of Pennsylvania. Y.