Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-01-11

sent down. sith oriers % take Fort Fisher and
Fort CasvelI at all hazards, and not to come
back till the work was done; that Burnside(l)
was 70 be placed 10 command: and that General
Grant himself was 70 superinteDd the details Of
the expedition.
To day, however, il is whispered thai this idea
has been abandoned, and that tbe troops design
ed for Wilmington Wilt remain guarding the
lines 10 front Of Petersburg AID Richmond. Bet
ter &c DO 20. certainly, thsn = be compelled az
the end Of an eight mo0ths siege of the rebel
capital, 20 raise that siege simply because we had
not men enough 10 hold our extended lines And
yet il Is hard to abandon the attack on Whining
ton just now. / have just heard from there.
Admiral Porter and the greater part OF bis feet
are still there. keeping Up slow and Ineffective
bOmbardment on Fort Fisher; and the rebel
blockade runners are sailing into Wilmington at
the rate Of three vessels per week. all loaded
with the most valuable cargOes.
IL is understood here that General Sherman is
TO be reinforced to a considerable extent, as soon
practicable; but that, reinforced or not. be Is
to move on Augusta at an early day. The ad-
minIstratiOn expects a great deal from General
Sherman this uinter-too much, perhaps. he is
expected to capture Augusta and Macon forth
with. and TO bring the whole state OF Georgia
under subsection TO the government. He is not
expected TO take Charleston at present
There are those here. among the self-constitu-
ted military advisers of the president, who Occa-
sionally amid their wild vagaries, stumble upon
a really sensible and practicable idea. They are
now pressing upon Mr. Lincoln the plan of bring
ing General Sherman's army away from Savan-
nah in transport vessels. taking them rp the
James river. uniting Sherman army with Grant,
and making a grand combined attack on Rich
mond; aided, too. by Admiral Porter's whole
feet. whch they want brought from Wilmington
e. bof IL "a al hat III MI m
will be adopted 1t is entirely too sensible and
practical to be viewed with favor by those who
have the management of the war in charge.
If, peradyenture, it should be adopted, it would
give the confederate leaders pretty considerable
trouble If the whole army were 10 be concen-
trated at Deep Bottom, on the north side of the
James river. the rebel capital might probably be
taken by grand assault from the east. But
there is one point in favor of the rebels, and that
is that Richmond is inaccessible by water. and
therefore the fleet could not operate. Butler's
canal, even, would not get the vessels past Fort
Darling, or past the distractions above that
work; and now, even Buffers canal has proved
as great a humbug as Butler himself and just
the failure that every body expected. An attempt
made few days ago to blow out portion of the
work with gunpowder, only resulted in filing tn,
ditch with as much mud as will require the labor
of weeks to remove So that even if the com
Oiucu ufoNcibrul vi 10 udGCr IL viii
have to be made without the navy.
We are now about TO reap some of the fruits
of Mr.. Lincoln's policy of emancipation. The
fret object which he and the republican party hac
in view. in causing the war, was to abolish slav
cry in the southern states. The policy of subju
cation and determination afterwards adopt
ed, in order that that end might he more certain
ly accomplished; with the ultimate view of max
ing the negroes the equals in all respects OF tbs
white people Of the north
The arming of negroes by the north was a very
short lighted expedient the part of Mr.. Lin
coin and bis friends They did not dream thai
the south would dare to arm their negroes They
had no idea that this business of armng negroe:
would prove two edged sword, which would Gu
them and their party TO pieces. But SO it is prov
| ing to be.
/ learn, on the most undoub:ed authority thai
the subject how to make the slaves most usefu
10 gaining the independence of the south. which
has been under discussion at Richmond for sew
eral months, and which has been deliberately
studied in all its bearings has at last beer
definitely settled, and policy in regard to th'
subject has been adopted. That settlement anc
that policy will startle the republican party like
\ a IL. l.