The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-16 00:00:00

TBE CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA,

(From the Special Correspondent of the Times.)

NEW YORK, Dec. 1.

The triumph of General Grant at Chattanooga
was no t as complete as he announced, nor is Bragg
altogether annihilated. There has been no fighting
in Georgia for the last three days. The Confederates
are rallying their forces at Dalton, where their
enemies, owing, perhaps, to hunger, exhaustion, or
lack of means of transport, show little inclination
to come to the scratch. As I before said, it is evi-
dent--first, that Bragg was attacked in the midst
of the ensorder of a contemplated retreat ; secondly,
that on ly a part of his forces could be brought to
bear against Grant, the remainder being already too
far on their way to be recalled in time ; thirdly,
that, with the exception of a hard fight on some
point of Missionary Ridge, there was really no
serloos battle, but merely a hastened retreat, with
such contingencies as will necessarily attend a
move meat of that perilous nature. The loss of the
Confederates is 5,000 or 6,000 prisoners and 50 to 60

cann on, and 7,000 st&nd of arms seems to be con-
firm ed. The Federals had from 3,000 to 4,000 dead
and wounded; but that portion of Bragg's army
which was not in action is now showing a good
cournenance in and about Dalton, and the stragglers
fro' n the scene of blood at Chattanooga are recover-
ing their breath and rallying round their unbroken
cor nrades. Bragg stands still on the defensive, and
Gr Ant allows bulletins from his Camp to announce
th at " the campaign in. this quarter and for this year
is at an end."

From Knoxville there is nothing positive. Long-
street, it seems, had orders to rejoin Bragg as soon as
'LI Le latter found 'himself in conflict with Grant, but
e are not quite assured as yet that the orders were
it nmediately complied with. Railway communica-
tion has been cut off between the two Confederate
leElders, and Longstreet could only effect his junc..
tion with his superior officer by a circuitous route.
Possibly, 'ne may wish before he takes any fur-
ther resc,iution to acquit himself of the errand
on which he came, which was to meet Burn-
side. tr his worthy, indeed, assures us that he is
quite safe, and all right, with almost imbecile itera-
tion. Meanwhile, half the town of Knoxville has
been burnt about his ears. Huw this came to pass
•we are not told, and this is all that we are told.
For five days, in fact, we have no news from the
south-west.

Still the greatest mystification of all hangs upon
the doings of Gen. Meade and the army of the Po-
tomac in Virginia. Theßapidan was crossed as early
as between the Thursday and Friday of last week,
as we all know. Lee gave up the strong intrench-
nients which he was said to have reared on the south
bank of that river, and took up his position in the
neighbcurhood of Orange Courthouse. Since then
we have hardly heard anything positive as to the
operations of either army. A " heavy cannonade" is
heard now and then, perhaps, by men of very lively
imagination ; but of real actions we have no symp-
tom.,, bating the false rumours got up by speculat-
ing rogues at the exchange. The combatants have,
however, had a few fine days at frequent intervals,
and tlie roads have been tolerably dry and practicable
heri4ofore. But yesterday we had the first sight of
mow here in New York, and the night brought on
a rather sharp frost. Virginian mud will hardly
allow Meade henceforth any opportunity of making
up for lost time. About Charleston nut one word
for a week.

Happen what may, in short, no efforts could
en able the Federals to come to an end of their en-
terprise before the winter is over. Actual prostra-
tion of the South in the field is not to be thought of,
though the prolongation of the war may eventually
heed to its exhaustion. There are not a few men in
the Seceded States, I have no doubt, who would be
willing to die in the last ditch. The behaviour of
those Southerns in the field has been throughout
above all praise. The leaders have exhibited genius
and horoism ; the mass have given evidence of a
power of endurance unequalled perhaps in the
world's history. Still, behind the ranks of the com-
batants, there is a people whose fortitude may pos
sibly be unequai to the rude contest to which it is
exposed. Tao South is not generally suffering from
want of provisions, whatever the Federals may say
to the contrary. But the condition of their money
market is such as to give great uneasiness to those
who wish for an indefinite prolongation of the
struggle. I have no very high opinion of the num-
bers and energies of the so-called Union party in
the Confederacy. If they really were strong and
many, more shame to their cowardice for allowing
a feeble majority to ride rough shod over them for
the best part of three years. No, the danger to the
South does not arise from the Union opposition,
but there aro in every community a vast mass of
men without a mind or will of their own—men
always ready to bow to the powers that be, to
accept any change that chance may bring about,
to accommodate themselves to any public combina-
tion, only striving that it should not too harshly
clash with their private interests. It is this last
class of persons, " who never were alive," as Dante
has it, the neutral, passive, unimpressionable class,
that begins to tire of the strife in the South. In
the Border States, and in those invaded
by the Northern troops, this class suffers
itself to be mustered up into a republican, and
!yen an anti-slavery party. Theycarrytheelections
1,4 favour of the United States' Government ; they
lola meetings and councils for the reorganization
of their State administration, and for the election
othfet_tepresentatives to Congress. Altogether,
1 Wno little readiness to let bygones be
bygones,and to open the way for reconciliation and
eons proreae.
qSitiaetnets. be2vmene
The disturbances in those Border
daily less significant and less fre-
ifssouri is comparatively quieter
than it has been for the last two years. Quantrell
seems to have
himself off to Arkansas ;
several other gue,in:
chiefs have been taken pri-
soners, and the
firm Yet conciliating rule of
General Schofield, elut
over e
the rabid Republica he
carried the victory
had a soothing effect
uT,o'l_Bl his adversaries, has
In New
troubled waters
of conflicting parties.
"Worleans we hear
of constant efforts for the reconstitution of the
State of Louisiana, and the substitution of a civil
administration to military rule. i„„
and Kentucky the --4-'elaware,Marv-
land, Tennessee,-es Union party
have, at least apparently, the upper hand in all
political
conflicts. Those contests may ,
is true' but not be fairly
and honourably fought, itthat more
than one-half of the people are willing
vote for
the Union is no matter of doubt. The.
of et infusion
of
cities
Northern elements, especially in the tati.
more, St. Louis, Louisville, (Irl'e3.nS' &C., has
_it never
given the Union party art ascendancy which
had before; and it has easily dragged after it that
inert and sluggish mass who, as I said, are always
too happy to follow any lead, to submit to any
pressure.
That the prolongation of the struggle may
within
free or six months wear out the South I, candidly
speaking, believe by no means impossible. Heroes
of the Lee and Davis stamp may choose to break
rather than to bend, and for them death or exile
will be the more bearable lot ; but if resistance in
the field is overcome, I do really incline to believe that
men will be found in the South willing to put for-
ward or to accept proposals either of submission or
oompromise ; and if the two fractions of these dis•
united States can ever come to terms, and the im-
placable leaders of the secession movement are pro-
videntially removed, the pacification and concilia-
tion of the rebel districts may turn out less difficult
a task than people are now fain to imagine. The
States
of Georgia, Akbanaa. South Carolina, and
especially North Carolina, 'may eventually come
under the mane
geraeat of the Washington Govern-
ment with no greater trouble than Maryland or
Missouri, if it a
be that the Government finds a
plausible solution to the slavery question—a matter
which, to my mind, is net so very difficult. The loves
of a multitude, seye the old Italian statesman, are
short-lived end fleeting, and so are their hatreds and
rancon:s e!so. For my
Owe Part, I have found the
Americans ae fickle hnd ineoneiatent a race as any
can be, so far as political principles are concerned.
to Watch they ;
The only point st-c.., most of the
Northerners and also many of the Southerners, i
he Union, the glorification' of
the preservation of
their big country an 4 ration—a country andnation,
expree,!ed himself in
as Mr. Beecher el?gartly