Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-02-08

supplies he wanted.
UPON WHAT TBEsE oPIsIoSs ARE FOUNDED
I could AID 70 tbs the testimony OF other off
GERS who have served 10 the roath with distnc
ton. and Who have slIdied this question Atten.
lively But surely these illn-irions examples
are sufi .ient The opinions 81 these eminent Of
6eess are formed sslh a gull kBOEledge OF the
military resources OF the south. and the spirit
and determination OF the southern people
have not besiSated TO place before ,he pu6hc all
The facts that came 20 my knowledge on these
points, and those who. with these facts before
them, can still believe in the possibility Of an
early peace. are without excuse.
LESSONS LEARSED. AND TO De LEARNED
learn finally. from Washington. that an IL
Iusifious member OF the cabinet. who ought 20
be the very man to speak with 4 full knowledee
of all The facts, declares that there sill De no
peace yet; that the time for peace has not vet
come, and that the war must go We have
learned by sad and bitter experience many valua
BILE lessons during the var: We have more vet 10
learn. There are few fundamental principles
OF strategy, we'll known 10 those who have stu
died the art of war, and which cannot be violated
with impuuity Some Of our generals have been
suffered 70 violate these; aud the consequence
has been defeat and disaster. We will avoid
those errors in future But has military history
40 lessons for statesmen Z The civil war 10
which We are engaged i only one of those which
have drenchcd the world in blood. And what
was their duration 7 fhe Peloponnesian war.
twenty seven years; the war of the German con
federation. thirty years the wars of York and
Lancaster, thirty years Ours need not last SO
long But it will. il we heed no. the lessons
which military history teaches.
GEN. LIES POSITION IN THE CONFEDERATE ARMY.
have some important news from the -onth in
relation to the proposal to make General Lee
commander in chief of all the confederate forces.
A bill Tor this purpose has passed both houses Of
| the confederate congress- and only awaits the
| signature of Presiden Davis in order 10 become
| law. The facts IL regard 10 this subject were
correctly stated Ia ny letter of January
From the spring of 1862 I'LL the battle oil the
Seven Pines, in j ne of that year, Gen Lee was
actually the commaDder In-chei OF the cOuied
crate armies. by the appointment of President
/ Davis, and this in pursuance ot act OF the
confederate congress passed in March OF that
| year The battle oil the Seven Piues placed the
confederacT in very critical condition Rich
| m0ud wss in danger Of beng captured, so much
| 80, that it twenty thousand good troop. had been
Hent TO General Mcclellan betwe the IL and
| 10Th of June the confederate capital una doubted
| ly would have fallen. Bv the l0lh anu ~ b of
June, however. the confederate reinforcement
| from General Besuregard, At COrinth be- an 10
rive a, Richmond, aud the Immediate danger
| vas over.
| WHY GEN LEE Wa RELIEVED OF THE CT EF con
| MAND
! s. imminent was that danger however. that
the con ederste government felt the eccssity Of
| committing The task OF he ueieuseo Redmond
| md the comm md OF the troops for that purpose
| 90 General Lee. and of relieving him rom the
gen eraI commend Of the other armies Aud
since tina, time the nam object OF the war. OF
he part OF The north. has been the capture oil
| Rich mond, and our largest aud best armies nave
been hurled against H. And although Genera
| Grants army 10 day Is not near the capture OF
| Richmond as General McCellsns army wa-
after the battle of the Seven Piaes vet even since
tn 4 time il has required the exercise OF the very
highest military genius "a o. file amt defeat suct
armies "a the north has sent against that city i,
1862. o63 vnd 1864 This tx has been az
compshed 10y Gen. Lee and there i no Other
man at the south thtt couli have done it
WHY He HAS NOT BEEN RE-lN-TATED BAFoRE
General Lee would have been restored to tbs
position Of commander ia chief long ago, ii be
could have beep prevailed upon to take thai
| position he realizes that the cUmmlnd of the
armies tor the defense of Richmond Is all that
any one man can attend to- II he accepts the
position OF commander IN chief. ne will have to
delegate the command OF the al mics for the De
fence of Richmond to some other person.
His unwlllingness TO do this. hitherto, has
arisen IRON the fact tha, the whole success OF
! the confederate cause. in moral point of view
depends upon The safety OF Richmond As hong
they retain their capital and can file the a.
| temDts of the north to capture il. they
| sumo a bold front to Europe and before the
| world But to lose their capital would be a
terrible blow to their chances OF final success 1t
would lessen By one half the prospects OF their
recognition by foreign powers
THE SAFETY or RICHMOND PARAMOUNT coNsID-
ERATI0s
| These are among the considerations that have
hitherto prevented General Lee from accepting
| the position OF general in chief. To make Gen.
Lee COMMANDER in Chief would be To remov G
| him from the command of the armies defending
! Richmond, and that has been tell to be risk
too great to be la the meantime, General
| Lee IL the officer highest in rank in the line of
| the confederate army. General Cooper is his
only superior in rank, and he is on the staff anu
not 10 the line Wherever Lee is. he commands
all the troops in that depart ment, under what
ever general they may be.
RECENT MEASURES FOR TIE DEFENSE OF RICH
| kOND.
General Lee is convinced that Richmond will
continue 10 be the point against which the priu-
! cpal military operations of the north will be
conducted He believes that very early IN the
spring powerful armies will be concentrated for
| the capture of that city. and that General Grant
aud General Shesm N will cooperate with All
mIral Porter and Admiral Fafr4gut, for the re-
duction OF the confederate capital believing
this. he has taken every measure in his power 20
| meet ana 10 repel the terrible attack These
measures extend even to the defense of Lynch
! burg. the secure possession OF which hy the con-
ie ier'tes will afford the defenders OF Richmond
/ power al auxiliary All. SO important, indeed il
the posse s,"u OF L,uchburg deemed 10 the con
| teuerate authorities ihat they have actually com
menced the construction of railroad from Dan
vile To Lynchburg. a distance Of eighty mile
/ There j. already ala excellent turnpike road oe
| tween these two place., and this new railroad
will nor be completed before Dext winter h
has been surveyed the work IF grading l. rapid
" progressing, the contracts Tor the seeners and
cross ties have been made, aid the iron tor Tie
rails has been provided The work vii be : ca
div prosecuted during the spring. summer and
| fall of the present year. Lyhchburg will contiu-
ue To be the stOrehouse. or general depot OF the
supplies destined for Richmond. and This new
railroad will be OF the -IetteSt utility. not only
| ia transporting troops. bu, also in collecting a
! Lynchbursh neediul supplies OF provisions &c
PROBABILITY THAT GENERAL LIE WILL SOON BIZ
MADE GhNERAL ~ CHiAF
The impression prevails IN Rlchm oud how
ever thar Gen Lee Wi, now yield to The ex-