Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-06-01

turned.
Let me say At the outset. however, that the
course which the Secretary OF War has pursued
for a week past, IN suppressing news from the
army. j. one for which he ought TO be brought TO
account: for il j. uniustihGbe any grounds
whatever During the last five or six DAYS the
two hostile armies have been engaged In import
ant maneuvres. Whatever movements were
made by Get Lee were known At once to Grant
Whatever movements made by Gen. Grant
were known at once 90 Lee. IL Is idle, II u
childish to believe anything to the contrary. Is
Lee fOolI Is Grant smpetonl
In the face of this undeniable fact. however,
and on the pretext OF keeping important lnior-
nation from the enemy. the Secretary OF War
laws embargo on the press, and iorbids the
publication OF army movements. All over the
loyal States of the North, fathers aud mothers,
wives and sisters, rise morning after morning
from beds where they have sought sleep
in vain. and look with eyes red with weep
ing and with aching hearts, for the army news
in the morning papers They look in vain. The
idle caprice OF "A third rate lawyer. who happens
TO be Secretary of War. deprives them OF the
least intelligence from their friends, their
fathers, their brothers, their sons, and their
husbands. But they obligingly furnished
with something from the War Department, called
an "official bulletin" In this bungled. tangled
mixed up. contradictory, and confused tumble OF
words, devoid OF all sense and meaning. ex.
pressed in bad English, and so ungramatcal thai
a girl eleven years old would be ashamed to own
il as her composition, intelligent men and women
are told 'as much truth as is good for them;
To use phrase just now in favor a. the White
House Day after day. for five days past. the
intelligence of the nation has been insuted II
this way. Is it not time for the American peo-
pie TO remember that it is they who are tn,
sovereigns and the master, and to make these
people at Washington remember that they arr
our servants; and that "a breath unmakes them
as a breath can maker"
Mr. Stanton's "oflical bulletins" | say, ar,
deusive, and are either based on false iniorma-
ton. or else they intended purposev TO mis-
lead and deceive They speak of Gen. Grant al
following closely and pursuing Lees army which
it is alleged, hasretreated across the North Anna
and is now retreatng across the South Anna
They even speak of this pursuit" as being onll
intermtted on account of the fatigue OF our men
and of its being understood that the close "pur-
suit" of Lees army was to be kent up.
Now all this is deceptive and delusve, ant
creates a wrong impression and is besides unlus
TO Gen. Grant Hitherto he has not displayed
much strategy in this campaign. He has moves
on the enemy's works, and behold the result
Seven battles; no victory in either one; 40, 00
army on the 9th of May lst eleven miles from
where 1t had started on the 4th; Lees army a
firm as "a rock on the north side of the Pc. wher
il had been ever since the 9TH where for te
DAYS in succession it had withstood our utmos
efforts to dislodge it, and where il ben
largely reinforced. Why. so firmly was Lee e.
tablished in his eutrenched position on the mort
side of the Pc, that on the 18th he sent on
whole corps of his army (Ewell's CORPSE to tur
orr right, and II possible to capture large quan
tity of commssary stores that were moving frof
Fredericksburg toward Milford. The Fight too
place, not on the Pc, not at Spottsylvania. bu
halfway between Charlottesville and Fredericks
burg.
Such, | say were the results of moving o
the enemy's works" for fifteen consecutive day.
IL was time TO change the mode of operation,
and to try strategy So General Grant thought
He determined to turn Lees right flank and hi
strong position on the Pc, aud | believe he ha
done il. On Saturday our army moved from il
position south of the Nv river; on that day Han
cocks corps passed through Bowling Green an
reached the Mattapony river; on the 22d tn
main body of our army had moved down th
railroad from Milford TO the north side of tn
North Anna. at Jericho Ford; aud on the %
Hancock corps. having crossed the MattapOu
below Bowling Green. had relched a point cas-
of the railroad. where they formed the left o
the army On the 29th the whole army WI
Inassed on the el bank OF the North Anna. nea
its mouth
Thus the rebel army was thanked Thus IN
strong position of the rebel General on the rive
Pc turned, aud rendered untenable "Suc
cess, SAYS Marshal SAKE, "is in the legs of th
soldiers" a simple movement of the army
without the loss OF a man, had accOmplishe
what five bloody battles had failed TO DO. Sure
there must be something in strategy after all
Not 80 thinks the Secretary of War Strategy
he thinks. is born of the devil and French athe
ism. He would now have Us believe that Gran
is hurrying his army westwardly. towards III
South Anna. in close pursuit of Lee He woul
have Us believe that Grant will throw away til
brilliant advantage he has gained. will discar
strategy gain, will again move the enemy
works.
will not insult Gen Gran, by believing thi:
But il it should prove true--if Gen. Grant follow
the rebel commander wherever the latter ma
choose 20 lead him. there is reason to fear that h
will meet with a disastrous repulse
Gen Lees army is no, now what i was
week or ten DAYS ago. Ii has been re eniorce
during the interval 70 extent that makes hin
100 600 or 100 900 strong; some good auihofi
ties say even stronger than that 1t is mucl
more reasonable 10 suppose that Gen Graut vii
avoid the South Anna river alt0gether-wil
avoid attacking the rebel army-will endeavor
now that he has danked Lee. to keep him dank
ed-slll continue 10 move his army on Lee
right flank to Hanover. south OF the Pamunk
river, and will there establish new base of Ope
ritions against Richmond The necessity o
having water base for his supplies and a shor
one. too such as the Pamunky river will Civ
him. has been painfully evident to Gen Gran
ever since he began tins campaign.
Even with base at Fredericksburg, and viii
our army as near that point as the Nv river IN,
risk of having To depend upon land transporta
ton for any considerable distance was painful,
shown by the attack made on our trains on IN.
18Th, e. which | alluded above. With our arm,
once al Hanover. all questions about the sat,
and speedy transmission ot our stores. are at al
ead. At Hanover too. junction can be tormet
With the troops under General Smith and Gen
eTal Gilmore. who are useless worse than use
les. a long Is they remain under Butler. on III,
south side OF the James river. When this June
lion is effected at some point TO the east of Rich
mond. there may be some prospect of the captur,
o. the rebel capital. but not before
Look into the Future.
IwO weeks since gave in these column.
some speculation, concerning the changes in our
national character and habits which will probabl,
be effected by this great civil war The creation