The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-16 00:00:00

uprising of a monstrous unknown object above the
national fleet, had run into their holes, or else that
that the distance being so great, and the atmos-
phere so hazy, an object the size of a man would be
invisible. The information obtained concerning the
guns was somewhat misty and unce ain, and did
not at all contain those elements of satisfaction and
exactness which distinguished the other points as-
certained during the reconnaissances. Several ob-
jects were seen which were probably neither stumps,
logs, nor four horse waggons, and hence in all like-
lihood were guns; but how many, or of what ca-
libre, or exactly how located, could not be learnt,
owing to their minuteness and their great distance
from the observer. Taken in all, tne balloon re-
connaissance was eminently satisfactory, with few
exceptions, arising from the great distance, the
smallness of the objects, and haziness of the atmos-
phere."

The Detroit Advertiser says :
" From a gentleman just arrived from Island No.
10 we have a satisfactory explanation of the appa-
rent delay and inaction of our forces in that quarter.
One reason given for the little vigour with which the
bombardment has been prosecuted for the past week
or ten days is that it is only desired to keep the enemy
at Island No. 10 diverted, while Gen. Grant strikes a
blow somewhere on the Upper Tennessee. In the
' meantime our forces are not idle. For several days
they have been busily employed in cutting a channel
across the point just above the island, and by this time,
it is thought, the gunboats may by this means have
passed the terrible batteries of the island without
exposing themselves to the enemy's fire. Owing to
the rapid current of the river the gun and mortar
boats have had great difficulty to contend with in
having:to fight down stream. By getting below
the island they will be able to attack it from an
unexpected quarter, and will have the advantage of
keeping head up stream, which all vessel-men will
readily appreciate. We should hesitate to publish
this information were we not assured that the enter-
prise was, when our informant left, so far advanced
as to render its full completion by this time un-
doubted. The river, which just now is very high,
was expected materially to aid the work with its
rapid current.''
Union City has been captured by a portion of the
army of the West. A special despatch to the Chi-
cago Journal, from Cairo the Ist, says,—
" Colonel Buford yesterday, accompanied by the
27th and 42d Illinois Regiments, and a part of the
Wisconsin from near Island No, 10, with a detach-
ment of cavalry and artillery from Hickman under
Hay, made a descent upon Union City, after a forced
march of 30 miles, and fell upon the rebel encamp-
ment at 7 o'clock in the morning, dispersing the
entire force stationed there under Clay and King,
consisting of both cavalry and infantry. They fled
in every direction. Several of the enemy were killed,
and a large amount of spoils was captured, includ-
ing 150 waggons filled with commissary and quar-
termaster's stores, &c. Our loss is one man killed
from an explosion in burning a tent. The rebel
force numbered 700 infantry, and between 700 and
800 cavalry."
The line of defence of the Federal army is de-
scribed by a special correspondent of the Cincinnati
Gazette, who is with the Federal army near Sa-
vannah, Tennessee, under command of Generals
Smith and Grant ;
" This seems to be the centre of rebel operations.
Their new line of defence has for its base the
Charleston and Memphis road, the preservation
of which is absolutely necessary to any pre-
tence of resistance through Northern Mississippi,
Alabama, and Georgia. Along this railroad are
Tuscumbia and Florence, at the foot of the muscle
shoals and the junction with the Nashville and
Florence road, where the rebels have had forces
since Donelson ; Decatur, near the head of the
lower muscle shoal, where the greater part of the
Donelson and Bowling Green forces are said to
have concentrated at first after the retreat from
Nashville ; Huntsville and Bellfontaine, at both of
which there are said to be small bodies of troops ;
Stevenson, important as the junction with the rail-
road from Nashville through Murfreesborough,
through which the rebels retreated ; and Chatta-
nooga, a strong and important position. All these
points are east of Corinth, and all, except the last, I
are in Alabama. To the west of Corinth the load 4
runs in a tolerably straight line to Memphis, 100

miles distant ; and north-west runs the road to Jack•

son, almost in the centre of West Tennessee, where
rebel fortifications are said to be preparing with
great rapidity. Such is the new line of defence for
the rebel ' army of the Mississippi,' the command of
which their crack General, Beauregard, has re-
cently assumed. Beauregard's department is un-
derstood to extend at least as far as Decatur,
Alabama, and Memphis. He is known to have
been making his head-quarters last week at
Corinth, within 10 or 15 miles of our picket
lines, and during a portion of the week it is also cer-
tain that he had around him at the same point
Generals Polk, Johnston, Pillow, Cheatham, Free-
man, and Wright. Oar line, on the other hand,
for the present is simply the Tennessee River, from
Smithland Kentucky, to Eastport Mississippi. There
have been numerous ineffectual attempts to oppose
our free passage along the river, by the two wooden
gunboats, the Lexington and A. 0. Tyler, have
served an admirable purpose as a roving police, pre-
' venting the erection of batteries, and silencing the
only one that had been completed—that at Pitts-
, burg Landing, nine miles above. Above Eastport,
at Chickasaw Bluffs and other points, the rebels
are understood to have batteries that command
the navigation of the river, and protect Florence
andr Decatur from attack by water for the present.
f4e general understanding of the rebel movements
is that, with Corinth as their base of operations in
opposition to our force at Savannah, they are en-
Ideavouring to station troops and erect defences at
the exposed points east and west along the rail-
roads, so as to be ready to oppose our advance, and
I concentrate their forces by nil at any point we may
attempt to pounce upon. Accordingly, for the pre-
sent, the rebel troops are pouring into Corinth,
both as the nearest point to the body of
our army, and as a convenient rendezvous
for the railroad line. In two days last
week our scouts saw 15 trains, laden with
soldiers, enter the town. Many of their troops are
supposed to be the raw militia, half-armed and un-
organised, that have been gathered by the recent
levies, but the numbers are becoming formidable.
Sixty thousand is the lowest figure to which the
official information will reduce them; and after
making all the necessary discounts and deductions,
I cannot see how we can work them down to an
actual number of less than 35,000 or 40,00 Q. With
Beauregard at their head, it will be seen that this
force will not let our expedition remain without
anything to do. How soon we shall do anything
depends on the powers that remain behind."

There aro indications of activity in the army of
the Potomac. The Confederates in large force were
on the 26th driven from Warrenton Junction, 10

miles beyond Manassas, and crowded steadily back
until they were forced to cross the Rappahannock

towards Gordonsville. They blew up the railroad
bridge behind them, to stop further immediate pur-

suit. There are now believed to be no Confederates

between the Federal army and the Rappahannock.

There had been considerable skirmishing for two
or three days, but with no loss on the Federal side.
l‘lr. Seward had paid a visit to Winchester, and

inspected the battle-field. The official report of the
battle has been published. Gen. Shields has written

to a friend a description of the event :
" Headquarters, General Shield's Division,
Winchester, Virginia, March 26.
" I will give you a brief account of our late ope-
rations. My reconnaissance beyond Strasburg, ont ,
18th
and _
19th inst., discovered Jackson rein-
foroa
upp-orlttasong position near Newmarket, within
under sohnbotistanc,) of the main body of the rebels
n. It was necessary to decoy him from
that position; therefore I fell back rapidly to
Winchester 0,11 the
20th, as if in retreat, march-
ing my whole
one day. My commandforee nearly thirty miles in
secludel position,' tw:placed at night in a
milesas from Wincester, on
the Martinsburg road.. oit e
sh the 21st the rebel
cavalry, under Ashby, showed
themselves to our
pickets within sight of Winchester,
°n the 22d all
of General Banks' command, with the exception of
my division evacuated Winchester en route for