The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-11-15
NASHVILLE TENNESSEE. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER IS. 1868
DisagFeeabIo News from Chatta.
nOOgh.
fFfom Ito Richmond Examiner, Nov. 5.l

[From the Richmond Examiner Nov. o.
The news from Chattanooga is not
agreeable. We have, at last, some key
TO the absurd riddles of the lying tele-
graph, in which the Yankees were rep
resented TO have gained the southern
bank Of the Tennessee, in consequence
of victory won from them by General
Jenkins. The real facts seem 70 have
been simply these A detachment of the
enemy embarked at Chattanooga, on the
night of the Goth ultimo, and came quiz
city down the river to a point where
there had been = ferry. Here they land
ed, found the Confederate guard asleep,
without waking a sentinel, and hand.
cuted them before their eyes were well
open. These were the cavalry piokets.
Proceeding up the hill, the enemy found
the infantry pickets--Also asleep, and
took possession of them in like manner.
A solitary sentinel further on happen
ed 10 have walked up in Zine to hear
them, and fired off his gun. The report
walked up q regiment, which fell into
line and fought some. But the enemy,
having brought up an overwhelming
force, this gallant regiment was forced
! 10 fall back. A bridge was speedily
thrown over the river at the ferry, large
body of troops, infantry, cavalry and ar
tillery, We're brought over, and, in few
] hours, the hillside was covered with
breasLworks and batteries.
The idea that all this was only move
ment TO cover the retreat of the enemy
from Chattanooga, is said TO have been
| the first view of the Confederate Gener-
| al Bat getting no confirmation from
further developments, General Jenkins
| excellent brigade--the same, we believe,
for some time encamped in the neighbor :
hood of RichmOnd-was ordered to dis
lodge the enemy, and regain the ferry.
| The attack was made on the 29th, and
was at first successful. But the Yankee
reinforcements arriving, Gen. jenkins
was finally repulsed.
Meantime, a column of the enemy had
marched up the riverside from Bridge
port, and had thrown another bridge
across the stream al She'll Mound. The
enemy now having possession of both
banks, from Bridgeport to Browns Ferry,
which enables them to bring their sup
| plies, by water, TO a pc mt within two and
a half miles of their camp, Grant is no
longer. dependent upon the railroad for
food. His troops have no longer to live
on half rations. 1t is no longer impossi-
bic for him to winter at Chattanooga, il
he thinks proper TO do so. Nor will his
threatened advance be any more nullilied
by the want of stores. In a word, we
have lost the advantages of the battle of
Ohiokamauga. The battle of Chicka-
manga must be fought over again.
So much for sleeping pickets. Why
did our pickets sleep? All the pickets
in the world will go to sleep, with the
regularity of aldermen, when they have
ascertained the fact that there is NO
danger of being awakened by their
generals and shot, after five minutes
notice. But it Is the duty of the lieu
tenants, captains, majors, the officers of
the day, to look after the pickets. So it
is; but they never do it in armies where
discipline is not preserved-where dis
cipline is not living thing-by the in
SEPARATION it receives from the Commander
in-chief That inspiration is not i'm
parted by the isolated examples, but by
constant attention and personal inspec-
ton, continually repeated In readi9g
the lives and histories of successful
military leaders, who has not been struck
by the anecdotes of incidents, which
reveal their minute attention TO details,
their constant visits to the ouiposts, the
watchful eye which they kept on the
practical execution of general orders :
But who that knows the routine of the
armies of this war is not astonished by
the impossible gulf that separates head
quarters from the extremities of the
force. The commander sits still and
gives orders to his lieutenan,s, who
transmit them. The lieutenants are
responsible are the majot generals,
brigadiers, colonies, captains, sorgeants,
cOrporals-each TO the other. But no
amount of responsibility, even if rigidly
enforced, will ever compensate for the
absence of that vigorous activity Of in-
tellect will and person, which makes
the command of true general--.iko
Frederic, for inbtance--felt in every
corner Of his camp and by every sentinel
on his lines.