New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-12-31
KENTUCKY AND TENNESsEE.

KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE.
Our advces from Kentucky and Tennessee ore
not so full as we could desire. BY the suspen.
sion of travel and mails on the railroad from
Louisville to Nashville, the general break
ing up of telegraphic lines, and the irregularit!
of river navigation, means of sending news are
meager and precarious The leading features
of the latest intelligence are: The retreat OF
Gen. Grant across the Tallahatchie; a general
foray of small bodies of Rebels over
all of Tennessee and part Of Kentucky
west of the Tennessee River; the erratic do
ings of Morgan, the guerrilla, along the railroad
from Bowling Green nearly up to Louisville
the apparent cornering Of Gen. Rosecrans al
Nashville by large force under Gen. Bragg,
and lastly rumor of the capture Of Knox
vile by a Union force under Col. Carter.
Much that is telegraphed and written OF these
general facts is mere guess-wOrk, and a great
deal that passes for news is serousl y. adulter-
ated with fiction; but as the greater portion
is the story of retreats, surprises, and defeats
on the wrong side, we would rather find them
false than true.
Of Gen. Grants return toward Memphis, or
at least to point near Grand Junction, there
is no doubt. This movement has been COM
PEELED by the cepger of having his communica-
ton with Memphis destroyed, as that with
Kentucky (by railroad) had already been. I'I
seems that Bragg, while holding Rosecrans, or
al least watching him with his main army,
sent three or four halfgucrrilla bands
across the Tennessee TO break up the railroads
running from Coriuth Grand Junction, aud
Memphis, northward to Hickman aud Column
bus, and easterly to Bowling Green. These
Rebel forces succeeded in doing their work.
Their main force was brigade of cavalry,
with six field pieces under Gen. Forrest, who
crossed the Tennessee River, 30 miles east OF
jackson. and met orr forces at Lexington
about halfway between the river and Jack
SOD, where, after three hours fight
the Union troops were whipped. Forres,
reached the railroad above Jackson, aud
marched north, taking the stations as lie came
TO them destroying bridges and telegraph.
This movement was magn6ed at first into
demonstration against Columbus, Cairo, and
the Ohio River towns, but the scare is now
pretty we'll over, aud it is believed that For
rest has retreated toward the Tennessee.
In the mean time Van Dorm made a similar
dash further South capturing Holly Springs
and breaking the roads between there and
Grand Junction He, too, made of as soon as
his work was over, aud so far as we know
escaped without damsge. All this was done
North Of Grants army and East Of that OF
Rosecrans, most Of it directly between the
two.
In Central Kentucky, at last accounts, the
Rebel guerrilla Morgan has been operating
the Louisville and Bowling Green Railroad ac
cording to his usual fashion, dashlng in here
aud there to burn bridge, tear up the track,
or capture and plumber 1deienseess town.
lie is lied about so much that We know not what
to believe At any rate he is between Gen.
ROsecrans and the Ohio, in the heart OF Ken
lucky, holding its only important railroad, and
cutting of our Nashville army from commune
cation with Louisville.
Since writing thus far, dispatch informs
us that Morgan was attacked at Rolling Fork
on Monday, and repulsed with some
loss, by Col. Harlan. The Rebels re-
treated toward Bardstown where they stayed
over night, and yesterday they pushed
eastward On the Springfield turnpike.
Another repulse of the Rebels is reported to
have taken place at New-iiayen. The only
very serious damage done by Morgan to the
Nashville Railroad is the destruction of tressle
work at Muldragh's Hill.
There has been little of late from Eastern
Kentucky. We have q small force near the
Virginia border, on the Tug Fork, but they
have nothing to do. Floyd, the thief, has q
few thousand Rebels somewhere in the kann-
VIVA region, aud is said to be going INTO Win
ter quarters.
Latest news and rum0rs from Nashville
speak of fighting, and that Rosecrans has
driven the Rebels back toward Murireesboro.
We trust this may prove true. 1t is very
much feared that this extensive surrounding Of
Rebel railroad breaking expeditions has put
Gen. Rosecraas into critical Rositlop, and