, 1863-11-24
FROM EAST TENNESSEE.
Burnside's sExpedition--Its
DiHcul tiles, nature
and perils.
Matters at Knoxville up to
the l7th inst,

the l7th inst.
C1Sc1SsAr1, Nov. q. Major General Eos.
ter arrived here, and will leave tor Knoxville
to day. Official adyice4 from East Tenneasee,
up to IL O'Clock yesterday morning, are en-
couraging. 1t that time firing at Knoxville
vas heard By our extreme outposts from
Cumberland Gap.
Ad}utant Stanley, Of the 18th Ksntucky
cavalry, arrived at Cumberland Gap yestef-
tion. Bnrnside waa still holding ont. and
notified the citizens that he would ceytafnlv
hold Knoxville. The rebel force opposfnv
him Is estimated at thirty six thousand.
Knoxville is not closely invested. The
enemy 9ave W1thdraxn from the south side
The s artillery firing On tho 18Th and Goth
heavy loss. Brigadier General Sanders,
wounded at Campbell's Station faw days
ago, has since died. Colonel WooGord is
slightly wounded.
The G0unercial says:
The Withdrawal Of the enemy from the
south side OF Knoxville Is significant Of de-
cisive 1cpu1se. Burnside il holding Knox
vile under Instructions from Grant, and It Is
not to be supposed, therefore, that the forces
0oAGA AAot1hst oUoht1 8uQ GQefmA1 are
Waatlng thelr time during these momentouk
daya. We are in hourly expectation of r.
ceiS1pg intelligence Of the most important
character. :.
Especial Correspondence Of the Chicago Tr1oune1
KNOXVILLE. Eov. 17th, 1858.
How far, what am to write will come with
In the rules which govern your publication o.
neWB from the army, yourselves must be the
Judge. With the experiences Of the past few
weeks fresh in my mind. and with these sur
Eoundtngs at present about NE, could w1ite
more than your readers would care to read or
you to print, or perhaps the authorities to
permit. The connection Of East Tennessee
with this war is fu1l Of thrilling interest.
The hials Of its faithful Unionists, the eyils
that the rebellion has Visited npou this poo
pic, who from location and pursuits hare lit
tie Interest In the great stake Of the south,
will I'LL many a thrilling page in the
annals Of this war, If the pen il
held BY competent and appreciat,ng hands.
The map shows how and Why East Tennes-
fce has occupied the position she has borne
In relation to The war. It il confined in q
wiley whose general dfreclon is from north
east to southwest, from forty to sixty miles
In width, the Blue Rtdgc Mountains forming
the Iron barrier On the south, the Cumber-
land Mountains set over against them, cut
ting the region of from easy access from
Kentucky, and the other portions of Tennes-
zee. The great Virginia and Tennessee Ra.l-
road traverses this ra1ley, following the gen
era1 course Of the Tennessee River. Lenz zth-
wise, the valley presents no unueual hin.
ORANGES to communication and transportation,
but to enter It from any other direction. OF to
push an amy into It from Kentucky through
the gars In the Cumberland Mountains, was
early seen to be one Of the greatest under
taEngs Of the war. And the experience
thereof has fully borne out the foreshadou-
ing. This is why 80 tard1ly our arms were
carried into the region with an intent Of per
maEence, for the great mid of Carter, some
months back, meant raid and nothing
more.
But Gen. Burnside came to stay, aud here
re are, and my letter ie written with nv
memory still full of the experiences that be-
fel Us among the mountains, and my mind
impressed With the aspects that have since
and now freshly present themselves ~ new
features open in the campaign. Let me d.
vide my letter into such order and arrange
ment as shall give your readers competant
idea Of tho task Of reaching this valley, what
has been done since, and what is probably in
store for us.
The obstacles this army has overcome In
reaching Knoxville are trightfu1 The pas
rf a
undertaking bealde which eTen the crossing
Of the Alps pales. The rebels In the valley
looked up at the stretch Of the Cumberland
rauge and confded implicitly In its strength.
They laughed at the idea Of transportation
over reads scarcely safe for sure footed mules,
They had indeed anticipated that weak points
In the great barrier would be contested and
these gaps they fortified. Burnside dared
everything In attempting the campaign. He
even avoided the routes the rebels balleved
the only available ones through these noun
tain Eastneeses aud Where they lsast expected
him, where Indeed they believed nature had
set the seal Of fimpoBsib1lity, there he climbed
with his army ind swooped down Into East
Tennessee, causing well nigh as much as.
tonithment as If he had Swung his army oyer
with gigantic balloon Those Of us.who
thated the march will remember Its horrors, In
uany cases the horses utterly failed to drag
tie gnns mp the precipitous aides Of the as
ctuts, and then the WON and struggling AMI
mails gave place to men who, With hands
and shoulders to wheel and Timber, hoist
ed gurs and caissons from height
to height. The fearful wayside was
suewn with broken wheels and vehicles,
and horses ::ard mules dying exhausted on
The march. Baggage animals, mules, and
drivers, In serera! Instances, made uissteps
and rolled down preciptees. Nothing but the
1ndomitab1e courage and hardihood Of Buzz
side, nothing less lofty than the heroism
that possessed his amy. could have ever
Eeen such an undertaking accomplished.
cou1te the rebels ran. They fed like chick
ems from hawk. for they well nigh deemed
that our ewoop was out Of the ar itself. or
course such march precluded the possfb1li-
y Of large supply trains. Let the fact stand
with that suggestiyeness 1t uay in this let.
the characteristics Of this region to prepare
you tor the statement that its occupation Is
hardly to be thought OF, save in connection
With Federal AuccesseA which secure firmly
the great Eailroad adit to the valley at Chnt-
AAutukhs MIN ILL., 1epe1k IN unQl4fNr0ed
possession Of both extremes of the valley, an
Union army at Knoxville, however strong,
would resemble oil too painfully = rat in
piece OF EtoVepipe, both ends Of which You
Io1d. Cloee him In he etarvea, and all the
sooner 4 there be two rats. Do you appreci-
We came to Knoxville. and the loyallsts
welcomed us. We have done much to K1u
their confidence In our ability to remsin, but
rothing more convincing In this respect th.n
cur very act Of coming and its attendant d!f.
6culties. Gen. Burnhlde and his active coE-
mande1s and eager army spread themselves
at once throughout the field. TheeKpeditlon
to Brietol, on the State line Of Tennessee,
dispatches from Richmond A6out that time
tell that eyen Lynchbu1g residents were IN.
easy, Until recently we have been using
the railroad northWa d 4 distance Of 60 miles
10 Lcudon. The Tennessee liver At
this place Is about $50 feet wide.
Its couree through the valley Is wonder
fully tostuous, doubling and re doubling on
itself, Is 1t rolls down to oward Chattanoosa
On its north bank stands Knoxville. The
surface Of the town and Its vicinity is broken
Ind irregular, and pitches sharply to the sur
face Of the river, which is no Y spanned by
Fontoon bridge Of thirty.slx bosts. This
%Sea dsf ai Sess erected .n6 BY 9sg aSnn1a aas Sa
WAS sared BY them, since it Tas
narrowly rescued from the enemy on
TIE river forty miles below, whe7e It found
the crossing ut Loudon at point where the
railroad bridge had been DESTROYED. Hearing
Cf The Threatened rebt1 movement, G.nerI
White and his men with great expedition and
secrecy removed every pound Of stores at