, 1862-04-01
UP I:i..-, TEN I E5SHEE.
LATEST ERaaaii Is: Is: ANTS COLUMN.


Correspondence Of the Cincinnati Gazette.l
SAVANNAH, Tenn, March q.
Every days adyices confirm the views id
yanced the other day, Of the rebel plan Of cp-
erations. They are concentrating the forces
Of their "army of the Mississippi" at the
Point Of tue Memphis and Charleston Railroad
nearest to our position on tue river, and arc
preparing to nleve rapidly to the defense of
the road at any point We may threaten it.
That railroad constitutes the base Of their new
line Of defense.
No less than three Of our scouts came in this
morning, each reporting tiiat lie lad been
miles inside the rebel lines. They concur in
estimating the rebel force at Corinth and Vi
cinisy at over seyecty-iyc thousand, and re-
porting the daily arrival Of more troops from
orouslJ forward; the Puray Court House is
full Of Union men; the advanced posts are
gathering them up throughout the country,
and, willing or unwilling, they are hurried into
the ranks 1t Corinth. Deserters say the army
is full of such men. and that they only remain
in the service through the difficulty in getting
away.
Meantime Bcauregard is pushing forward
every preparation for i formidable resistance.
Outrosts are established at Purdy, Inca and
elsewhere along the railroad, at aud above
Chickasaw, on the river, and six miles in front
Of Corinth, directly toward our advance from
Pittsburgh landing. Fortifcations are being
erected at Corinth aRlthc raw 1evies are being
INT into as efficient state is possible. For-
| tunately there is no occasion for being uneasy
about the Co1inth Notifications. They arc
| like the pot-handle-it is no further around
| than over them.
There is no need to diguise the fact that we
| have serious work ahead Of us. The rebels
are not well posted, but they have the most
tkillful engineers from the old United States
army. They arc not inspired by successes,
| but they hare their pct General at their head,
and desperation must nerve them for last ter
| ribIe struggle. Not only does Memphis f.ll
| with CoriDth, bnt defeat here opens to an At
| my larger than that OF the Potomac, the whole
Territory Of the Gulf States, and the rebels are
not ignorant Of the extremity OF their peril.
Through the entire region Of country ada
cent to our extended lines, the secessioni5ts
talk dispopdingly. Many active rebels do not
hesitate to admit their failure, and are only
anxious that their lesders, while arms still
make them formidable, even in defeat, should
use their power to secure favorable terms
| frem the vicsoriou. enemy. At Purdy, in
spite Of q rebel garrison Of nearly three regi
nents, the resident rebels are utterly refusing
the Confederate bonds in any form, OF At an}
rate Of discount.
It is mistake to suppose that the people
are not informed Of their disasters. I hare
found none, in the course Of conversation:
with scores Of them ut different points outside
our lines, who were ignorant Of the retreat
! from Columbus and Manassas, the magnitude
|
patton Of Nashville, the capture Of Roanoke
| island, Winchester, and even New Madrid-o
which last they hid Information shout aS soo1
| as we had. 1t has been supposed that ths
common people have been kept in ignorance
Of there disasters, but hare always fount
then fully alive to their magnitude
Accounts Of South Tennessee Unionlsu
have been highly rosc-colored, from those 0
the first exploring gunhoats on down. Their
orswarm Union men here, and in far create
.%4- -
the great mass Of the people, aud all the lead
ers arr, as they have beer, ,secess:onists. Sayan
nah itself is Union; do not think the sam
can be said Of the county, and am confident
fatter careful examination and inquiry, that
i can at any rate be said OF none OF the adjou
, | ing counties.
5 The better classes here, except perhaps i
5 Savannah. are all secessionlsts. Where 30
: | find one intelligent, educated man on ou
side, you will find fifty against u.s. I kno,
no reason for blinking such facts, OF for e.
8Gng Gnog5 Gss1ds Sentiment ps Confined snesesss
make no doubt. will develop abundance (
new born loyalty.
q And, apropes to this subject, make di
e count Of fifty per cent. on the story somebol
;, all manner Of lies, I believe, that five or q
g hundred recruits have been enlisted hers f
2 the ranks Of our Donelson~thinned regiment
d The truth was good enough, before it ~
epoiled by raising belief in twice as much.
l. Prisoners are brought in occasionally fro
e the rebel pickets: The well:lznown India.
d scout, Horace Bell, and couple of oar S
"a Ohio cavalrymen, made q dash on reh
picket yesterday, and brought away acouple
r Missfssippiane. They are well dressed IN e.
= uniforms, aud appeared Intelligent. Gene,
at thing about the position or numbers Of tn,
o. army. "No, SIR promptly responded
4 elder of the two. II do not think it wor
?, be honorable, and won't tell anything abo
ID it." They were armed With . short, ride
. muzzle-loading carbine, very much like
old fashioned yager, and, bearing the stamp {
NeW Or1esn6 manufacturer.