The New York herald., 1863-06-17

Tennessee and the Rappahsnnock.
by our correspondence from Murfreesboro,
published yesterday. it would appear that
Rosecrans is making some advances against
Bragg, but that he is ordered from Washington
not to provoke the rebel general too far, but
just to divert him sufficiently to keep him from
sending reinforcements to Johnston, in the
vicinity OF Vicksburg. But from other sources
of information, more reliable, we learn that it is
highly probable that if Rosecrans boldly and in
earnest advanced he would find no Bragg there,
but discover to his great modification, that the
rebel bird had flown, leaving behind only some
deceptive appearances of his presence
From the intelligence we have received we
are led to believe that Bragg has reinforced
Lee with one-third of his army, and Johnston
with one-third, while with one-third he amuses
Rosecrans, ndifpressed by that general will fall
back upon the strong Notifications at Chatta-
noogs and hold them till he is reinforced in turn
by Johnston or Lee, or from some other quarter.
Such is the advantage of interior lines to the
rebels. and the disadvantage to us Of exterior
lines. The probability therefore is that
Johnston has at this moment an army
fully as large as Grants, and that he
will speedily operate against his rear, while, by
concert, the garrison sallies out from Vicksburg
and attacks him in front, thus enclosing him
between two fires. 1t is highly improbable
that Lee would make so bold q movement
northward If he had not received large rein
forcements from Bragg; and the Importance of
vicksburg and Port Hudson, and the peril in
which these strongholds are placed, have no
doubt compelled JEFF. Davis to send every
available man from the balance of Bragg's
army to Johnston. The march Of Lee is not
an isolated move, but part Of a comprehensive
game which is played on the Mississippi, on the
Rappahannock, on the Potomac, and on the
Cumberland and the Tennessee The pieces
are being moved simultaneously by An unseen
hand on the whole OF the chessboard of the
war; and we shall only see the full meaning
and drift of the various operations when the
game is won or lost
The latest Information from Vcksburg goes
to show that Johnston has been reinforced and
Is advancing. Indeed, one rebel journal of the
9th inst. says that Johnston has already sue
ceeded, by an adroit movement on the Big
Black, in introducing part of his army
into the garrison at Vicksburg, while
it is added by journal of this city
that the same news had reached Washington
from our own generals, but that the despatch
had been suppressed. From telegraphic de-
spatch from Baltimore, in another column, it
will be seen that the Richmond papers of sa-
turday go still farther, and say that Johnston
has cut his way through Grants lines with his
whole army and entered vicksburg-an opera
ton by which It is expected he will be able i'm.
medistely to raise the siege. This is probably
premature. But it must be confessed that the
rebel papers are growing more confident every
day about the ability Of their generals to hold
correspondents Of the Northern papers write
In far less confident tone Of the ultimate cap
ture of these strongholds than they did at first.
A letter in the Knoxville Register Of the 9th
instant, which We publish elsewhere, represents
Johnston To be in bad way, and the State Of
Mississippi to be in extreme danger. But this
may be dodge, and tho writer may have re-
CciVcV uW IuStTuCsiOuo tNOM OOuHsSOu III OTucI
TO deceive Grant and the administration at
Warrington. Certain II In that other and later
advices from the South indicate very different
state Of things. The Chattanooga Rebel Of the
18th instant says Johnston Is now supplied
with commissary stores, transportation and
artillery, all Of which he wanted before. II
this be true II shows the value Of interior lines
of communication. For the same reason Il was
equally practicable to have reinforced John.
ston, not only from Braggs army, but from
other points, and we would not be surprised II
1t should turn out that he is now in command
of seventy-fve thousand men. Ample time
has been given the rebels by our War Depart
ment to do il. They have had interior lines,
and it would be very unlike the game Of
strategy they have hitherto played IL JEFF
Davis and his generals did not avail themselves
Of these advantages. A tremendous campaign,
pregnant with vast results, is now eliminating,
and viii probably be solved by the Fourth Of
July.