The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-08 00:00:00

THE BATTLE OF CHATTANOOGA,

(REUTER'S EXPRESS.)
(From the New York Herald, Sept. 26.)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26.
Telegrams up to two o'clock yesterday afternoon
from General Rosencranz give additional assurance
that his position can b 3 assailed only by regular
siege.

The purpose of General Rosencranz seems to be
to resume offensive operations as soon as the rein-
forcements, including General Burnside's troops,
now on the way, reach him.
The mass of the rebel infantry are in Chattanooga
creek valley.

A division of rebel cavalry cdvanced yesterday or
the day before from Stevens' Gap, threatening a
Union regiment gsarding one of our signal stations,
whereupon the regiment in question retired from
its isolated position in the extreme front before it
could be attacked.
General Rosencranz expresses the earnest wish
that General Bragg will venture a prompt attack
upon him, but is of opinion that it will not be
made.
All was quiet along the lines at two p.m. yester-
day.

A despatch from General Rosencranz, dated last
night, has been received here, stating that ho had
reconnoitered tile enemy's line and found them in
heavy force, but no disposition was evinced to renew
the engagement. The object of the reconnoissance
was attained without incurring a battle.
The information received here officially confirms
in general the statement of the Herald correspon-
dent telegraphed from Cincinnatti. It is known
that the corps of M'Cook and Crittenden, neither of
Which are large, were attacked while on the march
and shamefully stampeded. The main attack, how-
ever, was sustained by the forces until Generals
Granger and Thomas, who repelled repeated assaults
with such fierceness that, according to the state-
ments of rebel prisoners taken on Monday, Bragg
was badly whipped, and the opinion is expressed
that if Granger and Thomas had been furnished
with additional ammunition and supplies, instead of
being recalled, the attack of Bragg would have been
converted into a complete rout of his whole army.

Scraps of information fromLompsvasmseLnEg,eSrsepjtu.s2tsa.
r.
rived, leadbe'ieftoatnhdethatßa
trhatSherman's corps, from
Grant's army, joined Rosencranz on Tuesday or
Wednesday,
nsi.d e, s corps has more re-
cently effected a junction at Grape Vine.
Reports prevalent to-night on the street, say that
Burnside's force has been captured; but nothing has
passed over the wires to-day indicating such an
event, and it is undoubtedly false.
CINCINNATI, Sept. 25.
PRELIMINARY MOVEMENTS.
In the course of the 17th, already unmistakable
signs indicated that the enemy had discovered the
weak points of our position, and were massing their
forces in front of our left centre and left, for the
manifest purpose of crushing those parts of our
I
lines, or getting between them and Chattanooga.
A corresponding movement by the left flank was
I thence made by the whole army further down the
West Chickamauga, so that on Friday morning our
extreme left rested at Gordon's Mill, at the crossing
of the Chickamauga by the Lafayette pike, about
12 miles south of Chattanooga. On the morning of
the 18th (Friday) a portion of the expected rein-
forcements, consisting of two brigades of the reserve
corps, respectively commanded by Colonels M'Cook
and Mitchell, made their appearance near Chatta-
nooga, and were immediately ordered to make a
reconnoissance towards Ringgold, and develop the
intentions of the enemy from that quarter. They
came upon the advance of Longstreet's corps,
pushed it back for some distance, took a number of
prisoners from it, and fully established the antici.
pated concentration of the enemy in front of our
left. All day Friday the cavalry, covering our
front, skirmished with different bodies of the enemy
issuing from the various gaps of the Pigeon Moun-
tains, and advancing upon and again retiring from
our line. No serious collision, however, occurred.
It was evident the rebel generals meant to create a
false impression as to the
points of our line against
which they proposed to strike a blow with concen-
trated power. But Gen. ROSeDeraDZ was not de-
ceived. The reports from the front all tended to
confirm his previous impression that an onset in
overwhelming numbers was contemplated upon our
left flank, and that it had to be met by a still further
shifting line toward Chattanooga.
THE POSITION OF OUR TROOPS.
Accordingly on Friday
night the division of
Brannan and Baird, formerly commanded by tiene-
rals Rousseau and Reynolds,
of Thomas' corps, to-
gether witlquhueou'a of M'Cook's corps, moved from
the centre to the left of Crittenden's corps. They
were in their neW positions at daybreak. The two
ridan's,
other divisions of M'Cook'e ectl4l", Davis's, and She-
were to move into the po6L:ion of Thomas's
corps, bat had not time to assume it fully before the
commencement of the action on the next corning.
On the morning of Saturday our line then appeart-7
as follows :—On the extreme left Brannan, next
Baird and Reynolds, with Johnson in reserve in the
centre, Palmer on the right of Reynolds, and Van
Cleve ou his left. The line, as already stated, was
to be completed by Davis's and Sheridan's divisions,
faced a little east of south.
• TOPOGRAPHY OF TELE BATTLE FIELD.

The sbene of all the movements on the 17th and
18th was I:lllamore's Cave? formerly described as

the valley formed by the Missionary and Pigeon
Mountains. The valley is washed for its greater
part by the West Chickamanga, and traversed by
two roads, one leading from Rossville, and the other
from Chattanooga direct to Lafayette. The roads
run about two miles apart, and west of the Chicka-
manga where the battle of Saturday was fought.
The section of the valley bordered by the two roads
is almost a plain, covered with thick woods, which
rendered the field unfavourable for the effec-
tive use of artillery. The line proper, as
given above, rested nearly at the base of
the Missionary Mountain, some distance in ad-
vance of its right. Gordon's Mills, the point of
intersection of the road, from Chattanooga to La-
fayette and the Chickamanga aforementioned, was
stili held on Saturday morning by Wood's division
of Crittenden's corps, supported by Negley's of
Thonalls'. Their position was a strong one but,
at an angle with the line proper, appeared like a
dangerous extension of the latter, and was proved
such by subsequent events. It was meant to secure
our right against turning man oa avres, but officers
of good judgment entertained the belief that both
greater compactness from closer contraction and
perfect security of the right might have been ob
tained by posting the latter on the eastern abut-
ments of Missionary Ridge. The brigades of
M'Cook and Mitchell of the reserve corps were
ordered back to Rossville on Friday afternoon, for
the protection of our communication with Chatta-
nooga, and hence were not to participate in the
struggle of Saturday. The night had been frosty,
and the troops not being permitted to kindle
bivouac fires, the discomfort they experienced,
together with the fatigue from marching and want
of sleep, put them in a physical condition by no
means as vigorous as it should have been for the
severe work before them. Fortunately the sun rose
clear, and with its cheering rays did much to re-
vive the spirits of the army.