The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-05 00:00:00

Efit enirtOS•

TO COBRESPONDTSTS.
advertisenteata Intended for "Ito Poem " Loudon Pronhig
Paper, must be at the Moe. 10, ionverleetroot. by Two
o'clock ou the day of publication.

iur,u4g.gr•T

Tins LevenlltG. THI BON ARSIIII WI:MM.—BUNNY
ALE FARM. Mesita Howe, Farm, Clark Braid, and Coe.
Mesdames Beatrice, Snowdon, sad Y Inswillima—FlTlVlD
WAGGLL.i. Mr. Compton.—And MY 111.11BAND4

PLINCIeBI.,

Thal ER WI BORN TO 000 D LUCE. Mr. D. Murray.
And THE STREETS 01, LONDON. Moas Vining, a. w Ray,
1). Planar, D Murray, J. Nelson. B. degrader, and H. MellonIln IL Maiden, Mims Barbed as Owyane.

.LYCVT3I.

ran Eviortdo. MY WIFFSCiiii. Mr. WlLtUeomb. —RUT
BLA4 Mears. Pechter, Ryder, Fltztrtelc. Clerk*, Strintro,
Reymood, Moreland. Collett, Clifford : Mks C. Leelorcq. 3lts.
Wtostonley.—And NURSZY CHICKWIRD, Mr. WiddlocanO.

eILITANNTA.
Tymt HYwan. UPSIDE DOWN. —6laarlag by llc. Abort
Steele. the Greet Vance, IdW. Doutl, and the celebrated
D Aubans.—And THE lIDTHILWS DYING CHILD. Mrs.
S. lace.—Commence at halt-pact 6.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON-BLIDGIL
THIS DAT Yarning, sh. San.. ...Afternoon. Ch. SUL
rO4WILIow Morning. Oh. 4912.....Attern00k TL ITm.

LONDON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 5.

Au. doubt as to the direction in which General
SHERMAN bent his steps when he left Atlanta is
dispelled by the news which reaches us by the Africa.
The telegram which nearly a month ago announced
that SHERMAN had broken from Atlanta and bad
marched " for the east "—an announcement that
was, not unreasonably, disregarded as being
wild and incomprehensible—though not historical,
was prophetic. SHERMAN, when last heard of,
had started on the greatest adventure of the war,
cutting himself loose from his old line of supplies,
and plunging boldly into the heart of Georgis,with
a march of 250 or 300 miles right through that
State to accomplish before he could reach the coast,
where only he and his army could expect to look
upon the faces of friend*.

The light now thrown upon SHERMAN'S move-
ments is mingled and comes from two sources—
from the statements of Federal correspondents re-
specting the Federal General's plans and objects,
and from those of the Richmond newspapers as to
his actual movements. The peculiar defects to
which each is liable are obvious and need not be
dwelt on. From Richmond journals of November
22 we learn that by that time SHERMAN
had advanced to within 18 miles of Macon,
to reach which point he must have marched
70 or 80 miles from Atlanta. The earlier
statement of the same paper, that a portion of his
force had been met, attacked, and defeated at
Jonesburgh on the 16th by HOWELL and Cone
with Georgian militia, and that he was being
steadily driven back, has no importance, whatever
its origin, in the face of this fact. The
Federal cavalry are said to have occupied Mil-
ledgeville : this town is the capital of the State of
Georgia, and it was probably there that those mem-
bers of the Georgian Legislature said to have been
captured were taken. SHERMAN'S objective point is
Augusta, of the present condition of which little is
known, but which was very lately an important Con-
federate arsenal, and, because it was considered one
of the securest places in the South, was constituted
an important cotton depot. The correspondent of the
York Timis, whose letters must be of earlier
date than the reports of the Richmond press, ap-
pears to have expected that the Federal general
would not divide his army until he had taken
Macon. But, according to one of the accounts,
SHERMAN'S forces were advancing in two columns,
one of which was moving eastward directly for
Augusta along the State Railway, which it had de-
stroyed as far as Covington. SHERMA.N'S army is
said to have thirty days' rations, not too much for
an expedition so subject as his to accidents and de-
lays ; but his manner of advancing, with cavalry
far extended on either side of his route, and forag-
ing over the country, will doubtless enable him
to derive supplies until he encounters an enemy
strong enough to compel him to concentrate.
He may, however, lose valuable time while raising
provisions in this manner. According to a pro-
bable conjecture, SHERMAN proposes to occupy
Augusts, fortify it, and, drawing supplies from
Savannah, make it the base of operations which will
tell directly on Lee's army. This, however, is
looking a long way ahead, seeing that be has not
advanced half-way to Augusta. That position is
of more importance to the Confederates, as well
as to the Federals, than Atlanta was or
could be, and we may suppose that
Mr. DAtIS will strain every nerve to hold it.
SHERMAN has a powerful army, if his numbers are
correctly reported at 50,000 men, including 8,000
cavalry, and if he should take Macon without much
loss it is not likely that he will meet any force that
can cope with him in the field. But, while he
must approach Augusta by daily marches, the Con-
federates, who have free railroad communication ,
with Augusta, may fortify it, and with the aid of
militia place that city in a formidable state of de-
fence. It seems far more probable that this will
happen, and that the campaign will be a simple
failure, than that, as some are predicting, SHERMAN
will sutler the fate of BURGOYNE. But it is idle to
criticise the undertaking in its present state. It
assuredly violates some of the plainest rules of
war ; but the true captain is he who knows when
those rules are to be followed, and when to be
disregarded. The one test of military capacity
which mankind are agreed to accept is success,
and tried by this standard General SHERMAN will
soon appear either as a rash and speculative
soldier, or as one of the most capable commanders
which this war has produced.
It is too soon to learn how these movements
in Georgia will affect the armies in Virginia and
Alabama. There is a rumour that General BEAURE-
I.ARD was to follow SHERMAN, and also that General
EARLY was moving south ; and in connexion with
this latter event, a statement that SHERIDAN was