The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-10 00:00:00

THE C JIVIL WAR IN AMERICA,

(F Pont the correspondent of the Times.)
NEW YORK, NOV. 27.

It seer tied fated that the national solemnities ob-
served ' ny the people of the United States should
this ye 49.. r be signalized by events propitious to their
cause, rand the Americans are, naturally enough,
fain tr.) see in the coincidence the best proof that
"Hea yen is with them." The 4th of July brought
then i the news of the victory at Gettysburg and the
sur render of Vicksburg. 'thanksgiving Day, for
wl .ich the 26th of this month Was appointed,
et leered them with the tidings of " the splendid
victory of Grant's Grand Army," the capture of
5,000 to 10,000 prisoners and 40 pieces of artillery,
and the retreat and probable dispersion or sur-
render of Bragg's force."

As at Gettysburg there was a moment, on the
second day of the battle, in 'which the Southerners,
by a timely movement, could have utterly crushed
their enemies, so an Opportunity had equally offered
itself to Bragg, 800 E. after Chickamauga, to achieve
the (Instruction of Rosencranz's army, had he taken
advientage of the extremities to which the Federals
wee .e reduced, previous to the opening of their cora-
net inications at Bridgeport. After opening the
T ennessee River for their benefit, the Northerners
leave been undisturbed, preparing for that onset
' which, in the course of a few days, was to drive
IBragg from a position which his own irresolution
sand sluggishness had rendered untenable.
Already for several weeks the Southern papers
had thrown out broad hints that Lookout Moun-
tain must be abandoned, and all the accounts
that reached us through deserters described the
state of Bragg's army as anything but encouraging.
We had, however, become very loth to believe mere
runaway stories, and the " demoralisation " of the
Confederate army had been too trite a theme on the
part of the Northern press to deserve much atten-
tion. There seems little doubt, nevertheless, that
it was through deserters that General Grant ascer-
tained, on Sunday evening, that Bragg was in full
re treat. Roused by that report, the Federal Com-
mander in Chief ordered a reconnaissance in force on
the Mondayeetenich was followed by a general en gage-
ment on the Tuesday, and ended in the total defeat
of the Confederates on the Wednesday. The par-
ticulars yeas will have doubtless received before this
letter can be printed, through the telegraph. I would
only wish. to observe that the battle occurred be-
tween, tan army which had been for weeks making
ready for a regular onslaught, and another army
caught in the midst of the hurry and confusion
inseparable from a retreat. The aim of Bragg was
to steal. see gay, and the first, discovery made by his
enemy vies that he had rent his heavy artillery to
the seen :. On the first day there was mere skirmish-
ing, t/ ae rifle pits were carried by storm, a few
share, shooters were captured. The second day wit-
ness ad a more deliberate attack on Lookout Ie loun-
teen, the occupation of a part of which led to the
a bandonment of the whole. Missionary ridge, which
was stoutly defended on that same day, was given
nip on the following, and the retiring Southerner,
hopeless of farther resistance, only thought of mak-
uggoad his retreat, by the destruction of bridges
and the burning of stores, provisions, &c.
That the fighting, except at one point on Mis-
sionary Ridge, was not of any great consequence,
We ratty be tempted to infer from the small number
of casualties on either side, so far as we can make
out 'from the reports which have hitherto reached
us. Gen. Grant gives no particulars of the killed and
Nsenteded, rank and file, but simply the names of
throe officers killed and eight wounded, while the
pri aoners taken from the enemy are variously corn-
Prated at 5,000, 6,000, and even 10,000, besides 40
Va 60 pieces of artillery, 5,000 stand of small arms,
10 battle flags, &c. dad Bragg stood up for the
defence of so formidable a position as he held, even
with a 'weakened army, and against widely superior
forces, he might have sold the victory to the enemy
at a far dearer price.
However comparatively easy and bloodless the
success of the Federals may be, it is not the less full
and signal, and of such an importance as to cast all
their former achievements into the shade. Bragg
is said to have fatten back as far as Dilton. General
Tnomas announced on Wednesday evening that he
would pursue the enemy in the morning. Hooker
was reported to have reached Ringgold, about 15
miles from Chattanooga, and the upshot of it all
was that the great position on Lookout Mountain
and Missionary Ridge was irreparably lost to the
Confederates, and that they had no great chance of
a safe resting place between Dalton and their basis
of operation ea Atlanta. Can General Grant follow
up his victor y ? His army, we are told, has long
been on hrelf rations; it is wanting in all supplies,
especially in means of transport. It is not im-
possible; that this consideration, and the activity of
the Southerners in the destruction of roads and
brietges, may induce him to stop in mid career, and
Pat off the further advance into Georgia, and the
farad subjugation of the South till next spring; but
in the meanwhile who can calculate the extent of
'this his late success, and its results on the relative
Position of the contending parties? All the great
valley of Tennessee is, at last, in Federal hands.
the communication between Virginia and the
south-west,, along that road, is lost to the Confede-
X", past hope. Burnside's army at Knoxville is
theand Longstreet, who was only yesterday
the a,tie
all the ger, of whom Bragg wrote that "he held
betweettit'ads leading into Knoxville, except the one
will
havettoleton and the French Broad Rivers,"
allowed tt:aaon to thank his good fortune if he is
Generals attatin Bragg before some of Grant's
The last the:sine in his rear or cut off his retreat.
been gloriously Zelih Or four days, meanwhile, have
and bright, and the Army of
p
the Potomac, which 11 pro le expected would not
again move during vim
enr, because " King Mud
it, and the order to
forbade," has now clear sad
tolerable roads before
m
issued. The news of Grant forward" has been
greet doings had reached
Meade's head-quarters yeaterati
begot moruing, and had
spread among the soldiers
they set out, thril-
• h eager desire t
ling thorn with e' tl
to the valour
eon e is said to
of their Western comrades. Gentrai,
Lee is
have 36,000 infantry and 1.0,000
meeatdorye—a force
vastly inferior to that which
e tan muster
.
against him. His line extends %lout the
south
bank of the Rapidan, from White's
vern to Mile
Run. President Davis was with Lee very lately, and
is perhaps still with him. A great review of e
teu_
Southern troops was held on Wednesday, whenen
the
President addressed stirring words to that eauelt.
enduring soldiery. On the other hand, the Federal
army is said to " present a megnificent spectacle?.
It marched yesterday, at 8 o'clock in the morning, in
three cdeutrees. A battle was expected to come offat Qertna nia Ford, but hitherto no action is reported.
No pan of mine can attempt to describe the exul
tateion of these Northern people on the arrival of the
grand news from Caattanuaga. The excitement
was great even iu this harum-scarum city. which
was yesterday wholly bent on the full enjoyment
'of its holiday, and crowded theatres, saloons, and
callers to such an extent that tens of thousands of
spectators and merrymakers beset the doors of all
those places of entertainment, vainly waiting for a
chance of admission. But in the more sober towns
of New England, iu Philadelphia, in Washington,
the joy of the people rose to frenzy, and the bulle-
tits from the borders of Georgia were read in
almost all the churches by way of text to the ser-
mon,, The news is great in itself, but the friends
of Aunt r.
inerican Union exaggerate, if possible, its im-
portance, and are ready to cry " Finnis Secessins !"
A new eespat
which he
announces the " complete rout of the
enemy," the
caissons, and occasions:tc'und encumbered with waggons,
theee latter, at least pieces of artillery ; 60 of
dera tes. General Granataeadbeen lost by the Confe
con tieue to Red °thy
thdes that the pnrsuit will
easoien he was about to start morning, orning, a place for
f in a few hours.
Red CluY
is a small p„t_vil 1
few ge in Whitefielo
count y, Georgia, a miles in advance
the Georgia and in of Ring-
gold, very near ennessee baundary
to th
line. It is about 16 miles north of Dalton, on
Tennessee and
a branch of the _BestGeorgia Rail-
way, and its ocea
ation cuts off all
n probability of
Longstreet joiningßragg, were he to attempt to
fail back upon him. It is difficult to estimate to its
full extent the calamity which has befallen the
Confederacy are not
Southern arms. Bragg and the