The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-31 00:00:00

and recovered his lost guns. This is all moonshine.
The only thing we hear with a moment's attention,
and which we believe, is that immediately on the
repulse of oar cavalry at Fisher's General Early
orthred forward his whole force and moved down
the valley."
The official despatches relating to Sherman's
command are as follow :
" War Department, Oct. 18.
"The following despatch has been received

'l' Chattanooga, Tennessee, Oct. 17, 3 p.m.
" ' Hood's main force was about Lafayette last
night, and Sherman at Ship's-gap. The report of
yesterday that Hood was approaching Carpenter's
Ferry was a mistake. He had not crossed Lookout
mountain last night.
" ' J. M. SCHOFIELD, Major.General.'
1' Major. General Dix."
Another official despatch, dated at Chattanooga
yesterday, is as follows :
"I left General Sherman at Ship's-gap on Tay&
lor's ridge at dark last night. The General and
army are all right, and in the best of spirits for a
fight. Hood won't fight, though offered repeatedly.
His dreadful repulse at Allatoona has made him
very cautious. General Slocum is all right at
Atlanta, with plenty of provisions and forage.
Hood's raid has produced no military result as yet.
If he wants to invade Tennessee, as he has promised
his men, he will lose by desertion twice as many as
he has captured. The losses of men thus far have
been in our favour. Hood demanded over his own
signature the surrender of Resaca and Dalton, and
said that, if surrendered, the white officers and men
would be paroled in a few days, but that if the post
were carried by assault 'no prisoners would be
taken.' Rome is all right.
"C. A. DANA, ActingeSecretary of War."
" War Department, Washington, D.C.,
Oct. 18, 9 p.m.
" The subjoined despatches have reached this de.
partment this afternoon :--
"Nashville, Tennessee, Oct. 17, 4 p.m.
" ' The following despatch has been received from
General Sherman :

" Ship's gap, Oct. 16, 5 p.m.
"' We took Ship's-gap to-day, capturing a park
of the 34th North Carolina. Two corps are repro•
sented to be at Lafayette, and one went south from
Villanova plain. They obstructed Snake Creek
Pass to delay our trains, but by to-morrow I can
move in any direction.
" ' W. T. SHERMAN, Major-General.'
" ' Deserters from Hood's army report his force
at 30,000. The strength of his cavalry is not
known. There is no additional news from the Tens
!lessee River except that Rhoddy's force moved
from Tuscumbia yesterday.
" ' G. H. THOMAS, Major-General.'
" Chattanooga, Oct. 17, 10 p.m.
"' The rear of Hood's army left Dafayette, going
south, at daylight this morning.
" 'J. M. SCHOFIELD, MajoraGeneral.
"'The country south and south-west of Lafayette
is exceedingly difficult for an inferior army vigo•
rously pursued, consisting of narrow valleys, pa•
rallel to the ranges of Taylor's ridge and Lookouts
mountain, broken by rough hills, and destitute of
food for man or beast until you reach the Coosa
river, a distance equal to three daya'forced marshes.
" I C. A. DANA, Acting-Secretary of War.'
" Chattanooga, Oct. 17.
" ' General Sherman and the army are all right,
and masters of the situation. Every point ever
held by us is still in our possession. Atlanta is all
right, with plenty to eat, and the short railroad
will be repaired in ten days, and the telegraph in
three days. Hood thus far has no more men than
we have, and his raid has produced no military
result. He was dreadfully repulsed at Allatoona by
General Corse and his brave compeers, who deserve
the thanks of the whole country for their gallant
and stubborn defence.
" WM. WARNER (of General Sherman's Staff).'
"Major-General Dix."
A despatch from Nashville of the 18th says :
" Hood's army has destroyed the railroad for 23
miles between Tunnel-hill and itesaca, also between
Big Shanty and Adatoona. The rebel commander
demanded the surrender of Resaca, threatening the
garrison with death if his command was not corn-

plied with. Colonel Weaver, of the Eighth Ohio,

commanding the post, refused to surrender. After
some brief skirmishing the rebel force withdrew.
The enemy advanced upon Dalton, which was sure
rendered without a shot by Colonel Johnson, of the
44th United States' coloured infantry, who could
have easily held the town if so disposed. Tunnel.
hill was unmolested. The cars and building at that
station were destroyed. From that point Hood
went southward on the road, and was confronted
by the 4th corps, under General Stanley, at Snake
Creep Gap. Severe fighting ensued. The result
is not obtainable. General Beauregard is reported
to be the Commander-in• Chief of the army of the
Mississippi, Hood being commander of this depart.
meet. Sherman is watching every move of his
antagonist, and important operations may be ex-
pected soon from that quarter. A despatch this
morning reports Hood at Somerville. No reinforces
meets have reached him, and his militia have nearly
all deserted him. Prominent military men believe
that the rebel movements will result disastrously to
them. Some rebel forces are repotted at Cedar-hill,
near Springfield, Tennessee, under Holmes. The
guerillas have opened a recruiting camp there."
Advices from Chattanooga to the 15th give the
following Scraps of intelligence :
"Major-General Schofield arrivad here to-day, and as-
sumed the general direction of affairs here. The enemy are
reported in force at Dalton. Colonel Johnson, of the 44th
United States' coloured, was making a determined defence

at Chattanooga, which is strongly fortified and supplied
with troops to make a protracted and successful defence.
General Sherman is close on General's Hood's rear, and un-
doubtedly will make it a hornet's nest for him. The reports
of our scouts fail to show the presence of any considerable
body of the enemy north of Tunnel-hill. Walter and Whit-
field counties have undoubtedly been scoured by a small
body of rebel cavalry, which has not been very effective in
destroying the railroad, though in possession of Alton, and
but little damage is believed to have been done. Officers
blockaded here on their way to the front have been ordered
to prepare to join their commands at once. General Scho-
field sent out a strong reconnoitring party to-day to dis-
cover the whereabouts of the rebel column said to be moving
towards the west. Scouts cf the 44th coloured regiment,
in the garrison at Dalton, who escaped after Colonel John-
son's surrender, arrived here to day. They give numerous
accounts of the affair. They state that they were on picket
wanted to fight, knocked over the flag-bearer, and after
the surrender many refused to stay caught. Ringgold
and the intermediate points have been strengthened by
General Schofield. We have nothing definite as to Sher-
man's whereabouts. Ho is known to be energetically at
work to open and keep open the route to Atlanta, no mat-
ter what rebel column intervenes. Our forces to-day re-
occupied Ringgold and the block-house three miles in ad-
vance, and found the railroads and bridges safe. It is
generally believed that Dalton, with the 46th coloured,
surrendered to Hood's army yesterday, but nothing official
is received. There is no communication yet with General
Sherman. There was an abundance of supplies at Atlanta,
in anticipation of such a movement by the rebels. Major-
General Stedman had arrived and resumed the command
of the district. There are six months' supplies on hand,
and the officers of the army feel that Hood is making a
movement that will certainly prove disastrous."
A despatch of the 16th from Louisvil:e men-
tions :

"At last advices General Kilpatrick, with his cavalry,
was at Dalton. No apprehensions are now felt for Chatta-
nooga or Knoxville. General Sherman has over 100 days
rations at Atlanta. Knoxville has enough provisions to
stand a six months' siege. At Chattanooga the Government
storehouses are full of provisions, and large supplies, beside,
are on the ground, covered with tarpaulins. Gen, Milroy
was at Tullahoma and Gen. Scholefield at Chattanooga.
Upon this statement the New York World
notes :

A few days since Gen. Sherman was reported as having
50 days' rations. Now ho is said to have rations for 100
days.

The Charleston Courier of October 11 has a de-
spatch from Augusta, dated Oct. 10, which says

The correspondent of the Montgomery Hail, with Hood's
army, says the occupation of Rome was effected without a
fight, and the dash into Marietta was bloodless. When
Sherman learnt that Hood had moved northward he crossed
the river with two corps, and formed a line of observa-
tion at Vinning's Station, Gen. Hood's line crossed the
railroad at Big Shanty on the 4th. The two armies held
this position to each other without firing a gun. On the sth
Sherman withdrew, retiring to Atlanta. Our army then
set to work, effectually destroying the railroad from Big
Shanty to Oastaneida. All the bridges from Marietta to
Dalton were destroyed. We have strongly fortified Kene-
saw-mountain. Jackson holds Rome, and Wheeler has
possession of Resaca.'!