New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-08-29
J,1pORTANT FROM GEN. RUBLLT
DEPARTMENT.

ION in Hcntucky-Tho Present EI'ue OF
Operations OF the Army of the Chic
Compuisory OGCDsivc-Ncporsee
Strength Of the Fnrmy-Thc Bpuuders
of thc Past-East Tcnnessce-ErPossfe
Of Southern Kentucky 70 1Hv""o"
The Guerrilla business.
'''"' WV NASHVILLE, Aug Is, 1862.
Tn the record Of the movements OF the amy OF the
nl;o snea the evacuation of Corin'n, gwen IN my /
-. 800 -. r-eseut line OF operations lobe as
r-m,.- IT. Lee consisting Of tue 4th Division.
O. Noloo, resting in the vicinity OF NchsDn-
IL ,rn,ar made up Of the LET and 9TH Divs-
- General Thomas and Wood, about d
-. - 20 the east of Winchester, near Tracy
o.. 49, ,;c,t upder Gen. MeCook, formed OF the
o. .h o,d mart Of the 81 Division near the mouth
|pa,,Ie Creek four and half miles to the east OF
R,;dceport on the Memphis and Charleston Rairoao'
md some fifteen detached regiments earrisonne
towus and guarding lines OF con'mnnlcaton SONS
the Nashville and Decatur, Nashville ana oha''"-
nooaa and Memylis and Charleston Kallroad.
From q strictly military point OF view, the oonl'
n, od az Gen Nelson can hardly be considered as
left wing in its relation 10 the remainder ol te Army
az the Ohio 1t holds the left OF It's line OF opera
s;o,s IN he sure but is too far separated from the
otIer FIVE Divisions for prompt mutual sup
mort. and hence, cannot be Wen oeslgha'ed
wing Il Inust be rather looked upon at u sepa-
co-ns assigned for the special service OF protect
90 Neshy,lls and the base of the whole army Still
NOV he nroAerly regarded az cooperating with the
other Divisions upon Interior Ines. 4,
TIE strategic objection Of the main body oil The
Army OF the Ohio AS that OF Gen. Nelson 'o.l-
maud hes been all along and is now only 'protee-
tion and defensive." There has been an impression
IN the North ever Gen. Buefs corps was turpeo
eastward from Corntb, that a campaign LOT tne
liberation of Eas; Tennessee was In contemplation;
-. Int no 70
IA the Army Of tie Ohio for the hot season, was
simply the occulstion Of Northern Alabama, ana
the opening and operating OF lhe heu P'ie on"
Charleston Railraai IN that section The ooncehtra
tion of heavy Rebel forces IN East Tennessee, h'eSd
Of as exleciel, Alabama, and the consequent eN-
posure of Mode Tennessee ana hentncsy 10 III
vasion, rcnG".,d change OK front ara Tue ar
sumption ii iee rrestt, nu S. me.. Of he
army Is s;N nrly 10 "hold orr own, ls EVIL
oeni; for sn army intended for offensive movements
h, nssse5 hod NOT distributed in numbtr Of bodies
along an extended line, as Is the case win me sew
,ral division If Gen. Buell.. Neither IL IT likely TO
remain rot.oness for weeks, ii bent upon strislDg
anu not upon preventing blows, nor TO engage IN TIE
hercnlesn labOrs in terrifying not only lis loSliions
bu, also is lines Of communication that have been
perforuec in this department during the last SIN
weeks and Of toe extent Of when an ldea may De
formed IRON tue fact that from iuka TO bridgeport,
FROM Nashville TO Decatur and Stevenson, there Is
hardly station 10 lie 'ouud witt ont stockads or
ea,thwork and from McMinnville TO the mouth OF
Battle Greek not an sncampnent that has not been
artiscally strengthened by more or less elaborate
mtrenchments. $500 ,
Whether a defensive attitude ha. been maintained
by the Army of the OHIO sin the beginning OF July
IL accordance with the orders OF Gen. iaieck, am
MOT prepared 10 say. l know, however that Gen.
Buell. ard his division commanders nave oeeh con-
soering themselves during the past TOUR weeks upon
she defensive, Rot by choice, but by compuison-
viz the greatly superior numbers OF the enemy
p,asscd IL their front al Chattanooga and 10 the
north Of /, ZAP the Valley OF the Tennessee ~ the
various general headquarters from Huntsville tn
MeMnnvil. it VIII be difficult TO Ind any one with
out b plchtitade Of apparent facts and hgures 70
;rove not only that Gen. Bragg has from oo,Voo 70
20 900 men ia the neighhohood OF Chattanooga, and
Gen Kirby Smith from 1000 To 81 ,OoO about Knox
vile have information to the contrary, and henc'
AN ready to give those concerned the benefit OF TIM
estimate of the strength OF their opponents III
Vhouph know the faith OF the Northern public IL
the rustw ortbi ess 81 tie meas rements OF tie en-
euy's resources hy our Generals has been great,
shaken during the lss twelve months, aud although
N gems highly improbable that the Rebels, witt
the AMPLE information they undoubtedly bave as
or own effective force, would continue to watch u
s. we DO them, If they had TIE stated Immense
sodies Of troops 10 operate with.
If the intelligence obtained by our Generals upor
Lsl subj,ct is credible lthey can certainly not b.
,rned for conteuting Themselves with the defensive
and endeeyoring TO make up for the difference il
Numbers in favor Of the enemy by the most extern
aive and vigorous system Of tieldwoIks But, while
bsboldug the Encouraging present. the mind invo
uutarily turns back 10 the time when the Kcbelf
dieputng the Union entrance Into Eat Tennessee
numbered not tens OF tholsa nds but simple thou
ssu0s aud finds O dsheGrteLing contrast between
he lost possibilities of then, AID the apparent i'm
cssibilities Of now. 1t may be Improbable TO
rood over tie plumbers OF the past; but III the face
T the CORY fact that its lesson has been
,tslly lost 10 the authority Authorities
o.srolue the operations OF the Western NJ
aies, expression OF dissatisfaction cannot be pro-
onneed captiOus fau-hndiDg. Who il so ignorant
g regardless Of events III Etet Tennessee, from The
Union occu, a,ion of Nashville, TO the Rebel retrea,
rom COsIuth, as 10 venture 10 deny that No. 600 men
advancing from Middle Tennessee could not in con.
Junction with Gen. MorgIns forces at the CuuIb1r.
land Gap in all that time have swept every vestiye
of Confederate soltiery from between Chattanooga
and Nashville, at last freed the almost hopeless
ioyasts o. East Tennessee AID received the Of
thousands Of that region eager for and oppor.
sanities FOR aveDgiDg their wrongs upon their OPP
pressors into the CuCn ra' ksi Who that is Goa.
versant with the ardInees Of Tie movements Of the
army of the Ohio through Northern Alabama,
dsres deny that had q single divsion
been buried by water and rail to the assistance Of
Gen. Mitchell soon after the evacuation Of Corinth
Chattanooga, the key to East Tennessee and Geor.
the record Of the rapdity and of the move
ruents of Gen. hiIcbes small force before his eyes,
will have the hardihood TO assert that we could not
muster sufficient force for the capture Of Cha.ta-
Cyoga before the evles marshaled 10 its defense
were REINFORCED by whole divisions from Beaure-
CARDS srmyY Gen. Buell. knows well az your
correspondent that almost mon elapsed before q
man OF the latter reached East Tennessee. The
pain truth If, that our generals have moved so
slowly, buslcd themselves 70 much with railroad re-
pairing Shown little foresight ~ TO give the
enemy ample time TO transfer part Of the army in
MhslssllDi via Mobile, to Chattanooga, and row
sha. the Rebels have gathered q large force they
md hos