Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-12-14

Your readers have no doubt been RECALLED by
the telegraphic news that Gen Shermans army
have arrived at Savannah aud 10 investing that
place; that he has cut all the railroads leading
TO that city; and that the exchange OF prisoners
had been stopped in consequence No well in.
formed person believes the story in any one of
is particulars On the other hand. all that j.
kuO~n of General Shcrmsn's movements indi-
Gates that he has been diverted from the course
Which he was expected TO take by unforeseen 90
stacles and that he is now making for the coast
st point where he was not expected
II will DC remembered that this movement OF
General Sherman's is not Of HE choosing, nor is
the one of his selection. The movement
IS one which was forced on him by the admins
tration, in consequence Of the failure OF Lin.
coins aud Grants campaign aSains, Richmond
No one doubt that il is simply retreat; that
il is purely an attempt 10 get the army out of
Georgia. Your readers will not have forgotten
that iull instructions were sent TO Gen Sherman
IN regard 10 this movement from Washington
week or ten days before he left Atlanta by
special messenger from the War Department;
aud aso that Gen Grants final instructions we're
communicated 90 Gen Sherman bv telegraph, Ia
l.. message of several thousand words. 10 cipher.
the last message seut over the wires before they
wero cut
Thest instructions directed Gen Sherman 20
capture Macon and Augusta. both oe which cit
les he was assured he would hnd uudeiendeJ, and
then 10 march down the east side OF the Savan
nah river 70 Beaufort. a co operating force,
hndiugv ". Beaufort, would, he was | forme Z,
meet him At some point near the coast. aud
would cover the embsrkaion of his army
What has prevented these Instructions from
being carried outg The expected concentrs
ton OF Confederate troops NJ Macon and Au
gu-ta 4 Reconnaissance In iorce--in such force
INTO 4 b.tt he all al
nck-was made At Macon on the 2lllh Of No
vsmber. and Il resulted in learning the unx ell
come fact tbnf the city was we'll fortified and
we'll defended Augusta was approached with
the same results Nor this all by thi.
time about the 2Jth or 2cih ul;. 80 large n
Confederate force was concentrated on the line
OF the Savannah river that IL would have been
madness to have attempted the passage OF that
stream. and accordingly Sherman directed the
heads OF his columns towards Brunswick That
i the point nj which he is aiming nov, ami he
hopes. II he can reach that point, the promised
feet will bee these 10 bear his army 10 other
fields
In the meantime the cooperating force landed
at Beaufort. as bad been agreed, and attempted
to march inland. But before they had gotten
twenty miles from the coast, they we're attacked
by n superior Confederate force defeated, and
forced To retreat TO their ships. The only thing
and hope 10 meet Shermans army there Il is
by no means certain, however, that Sherman
will reach that point with his army in sn effective
condition The bodies of troops mentioned in
NV recent letters will confront him at some
point north or west OF Brunswick, at some
point selected by them for its advantageous po
sition, and there hattie will take place which
will decide the fate OF Sherman's army
There are not wanting men here, who profess
a
who believe and assert that Sherman's army
will capture Savannah, and that in . few DAYS
and that the government knows that Savannah
is entirely unfortfed on its western side. These
are the same men who, three weeks ago, boosted
thal Sherman was going 10 capture Macon and
Augusta, and asserted that both of those cities
were unforti6ed and undefended The fact s,
10 regard to Savannah il il fortified on the land
side quite strongly Charleston. and the
work OF fertilization Was done under the super
ntendence OF the same engineers If Sherman's
army reaches Savannah in all effective condition,
he may be able to capture IL. Bet il is very
doubtful for long and tedious siege would be
necessary and, while engaged in this he would
be attacked by the large Confederate army that
has been concentrated TO confront him.
The readers OF The Times of course under
stand exactly what Gen. Thomas victory" over
Hood. at Franklin. amounted TO. Let the map
De examined, and the value OF that victory Will
become apparent When Gen Sherman set out
on his retreat from Atlanta to the Atlantic coast,
he left the corps Of Gen. Thomas at Chausnogs,
Decatur. Huntsville, and Florence. 70 take cere
of Hoods army, and TO prevent the invasion OF
Tennessee by the latter.
All the places that | have named, together
With Shelbyville. Athens. Pulaski. Columbia
and Franklin we're strongly fortified and held by
strong gsrrisons Of Federal troops l. was Ger
tainly reasonable to suppose that Gen Thomas
could be able 10 accomplish all that Sherman
wished But | need not relate 10 the well-in
formed readers OF the Times the splendid mill
tsry minpuvres by which Gen. Hood has com.
PEELED the evacuation of every of the above
named fortified posts except Chattanooga, and
has compelled Gen Thoms- and bis army TO re-
treat TO Nashville
And nov, il tm correctly informed. the GOV
eminent has received intelligence which iudi
Gates that there il strong prob tblitv that Nash
vile will have 70 be abandoned. which. Of course,
will nccessita,e the abandonment Of Chattanooga:
and then The whole of Tennessee with the
gle exception Of Knoxville, will be beyond the
Federal control Indeed il NAV be doubted
whether !, De not too late avert that cal, nifty
We are nor beginning 20 see the results at
Sherman's capture Of Atlanta early in Septem-
her last Almost the whole of Tennessee los; TO
the North: alm0s; the whole OF Georgia re-
gained BY the South: and Shermsns army. ~
point OF fact trying 20 get DOT Of that State a.
ias, possible