The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1863-10-24
+ - - From the New York World.
The Situation i'm the Southwest.

\ 1uc Sktu4tlOM IN sAAO '"'-" W - :
The public interest in the army OF tn
! Cumberland is renewed by the appointment
/ of General Grant, in the place OF Genera
From public and private information w
will give an outline Of the situation oil tn'
1.-TWO great armies which" are confronting
1 each other on the banks of the Upper len
nessee river. The range of mountains whicl
stretches from Pennsylvania to Northern
Alabama 70 ms in its passage through Eas'
Tennessee the beautiful valley OF that name
which is now held by the forces OF General
Burnside at Knoxville. Lower down TINS
valley forks, one branch turning TO the north
forming the course of the Tennessee, the
other southwark, becoming the channel oi
the more insignificant Coosa. 1t Is Look
out Mountain which makes the diversion,
and constitutes the separating wall
| General Rosecrans, by threatening 10
cross this Lockout barrier, and thus get In,
to the valley of the Coosa, behind General
Bragg; obliged him to evacuate Chattanoo-
ga, the point of intersection, and, In the race
as to who should first reoccupy the place,
was obliged to fight a bloody battle against
tremendous odds. The first step we
sought in our advance we gained, though at
a fearful cost We hold she valley OF the
Tennessee. Between it and the plains OF
Tennessee, to the north Of the ri-'er, lies
line of rugged hills, with but one or two
highways through which wagons can DO ta,
ken with facility. These we hold. One OF
them is via. Stevenson, and the other by
Chattanooga and McMinnville. BY hold
ing this valley we exclude the enemy from
Tennessee, except at the greatest hazard
Nothing but cavalry eau cross the river and
the inclosing mountains, and, as the iatest
experiment of Wheeler proves, this only
with disastrous results. This is our first
prize, the loss of which the rebels feel deep
ly, and complain that Bragg's victory is bar.
rem if it do not restore them Chattanooga.
But what can be done toward reaching
the center of the rebel line by moving
down the valley of the Coosaf Thus We
are bolding only that neck or Junction, a,
it may be called, of those two valleys thro
which the only roads are to be found. In
the first place, the position OF General
Thomas is absolutely secure against assault
of anything short of overwhelming mum
bers. The base of Lookout NJ ountain is
three miles from the line of defenses around
Chattanooga. The rebels, if they would
besiege him, must descend from the heights
and prosecute their work under disadvan-
tages. If they would assault, they must
charge over breastworks defended by the
bravest of troops. An army which they.|
could not exterminate when taken anawares
and scattered throughout an era OF sixty
miles, they cannot surely drive from IN
trenchments when all collected and pre-
pared. Leaving the two armies as they
we're after the battle Of Chlskamauga,
Thomas cannot be forced from his position, |
and stands an equal chance with the enemy |
to get supplies.
The rebels, whatever their numbers, are
fed by line of railroad a hundred and
twenty miles long, from Atlanta, which Is
the focus Of their internal railway system.
Our own is for the present fed by similar
line from Nashville, as secondary base.
We don't pretend to communicate what Is |
tue plan adopted to get rid of this unpleas-
ant obstruction between us and Atlanta
We see part of Hookers force is reported
at Stevenson, and General Sherman with
heavy!force, Is for the present lost to view, |
but we expect that it will be heard from
near Decatur. 1t is not impossible that
these united corps may move directly upon
Rome from the former point, and thus COM
pei Bragg to take the retrogade, or they
may concentrate at Chattanooga and, con-
Jointly with Thomas, force their way down
to Dalton and Kingston.