Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-11-09
FROM CHATTANOOGA.
Our army correspondence.



other changes in It's organization have speedily
followed. Thecommsnder. Major General hose
Grams. under whose guidance and judcious man
agement the army has acquired so much renown,
has also been ordered away from US; snd, al
though our new commander is not stranger. yet
be Is an officer with whom we have much to
learn The honors, the reputation and the victo-
ries gained by the Army Of the Cumberland have
given il prestige that is interwoven with the
destinies of the officers and men who composed
it, and who conducted il to the eminent popularity
&c can boast; remove the principal Of them, and
the result must necessarily be feeble representa-
ton of that power which carried so much terror
to the rebel hosts and their cause
The 2Oth and Dist army corps have figured
largely and performed their parts well and faith
fully in the campaigns of the Army of the West:
they have maintained az honorable position
the chief constituents of that army that never
was defeated from the first. Now they are no
more. Like many brave men who formerly
sweled their ranks, they have fallen willis, brave
ly battling for their country's rights ne br
gades of which your readers have heard 50 much
will greet YOU no more; the new organization has
swallowed them by detail; their prestige has been
divided into many parts and distributed; 30 that
their future operations can only reach YOU from
the stranger detachments with which they are
now compelled to serve
men here against that unfortunate correspondent
of the Herald, Mr. Shanks. His report indeed
was in very bad taste. Running away from the
battle field, as he did, unmind al of the changes
which might occur at any moment, altering
thereby the whole aspect of affairs, was an act
very discredita5le - any man. much more TO one
who was about TO give the elements of popularity
or censure of good men to the world. He must
evidently have confined his observations To the
rear of the army altogether, where nothing but
confusion and tumutuous excitement usually
prevails. The of n retreafing army contains
the elements of Generalization seldom felt or
known in the front. even when an enraged enemy
presses upon it The supernumer,ries. the
cOmOattants-althOugh they may all be brave
enough. as Shanks no doubt was. not toconfess
their fears vet their chief anxieties are to avoid
danger, and the first or slightest ntimation of it
impresses them with the necessity to seek shelter,
which they will instantly perfurm regardless of
all systems or rules, thereby adding to the gener-
al confusion an irresistible impulse sweeping
everything before il. Mr. Shhnks must have
found himself in that position in the Army OF the
Cumberland. which nnaccustomed to retrOgrade
movements, might have been attended with more
confusion than the emergencies of the case really
authorized, and. as the molly throng of wounded
men, teams and telmsters. loose horses, hangers
on and negroes were pressing to the rear in an
irresistible current he must have found resistance
hopeless and allowed himself to be forced into
Chattanooga, with little time for correcting his
hasty notes taken upon the 5eld in the heat and
tumult OF battle.
How Me- Shanks succeeded in crossing the
river on Sunday, the 2Oth is really quite remark
able There was but one small bridge and that
was jammed all day and night of Sunday with
the wagons OF the army containing supplies and
baggage The bridge, too, was so narrow that
it must have been dangerous proceeding to
walk alongside of moving wagon upon it 1t
must have been there that he confirmed in
the idea of the disasters of our army, as il has
since been reported here that "a certain non COM
missoned officer, out of breath, in the last agones
of despair, communicated to gaping crowd the
dismal Intelligence that he heard Gen Rosecrans
tell the bows that all lost and they should get
across the river as fast as they possibly could.
We doubt not but that officer and the correspond
ent travelled together. although nothing has been
heard of the son of Mars since he passed through
Stevenson, making good time toward the North.
IF Mr.. Shanks has not relinquished the service
for good, but purposes to return again to the
field, let him be advised by one who has had some
experience in war, never again to trust himself IN
the rear of a fighting army. The front is the
only place to arrive at the facts in the case, and
it is the only place where an individual of nerv
GUS temperament can hope to retain his mental
equilibrium. There can be no shutting there; no
eouiyocating circumstances will there present
themselves from which errors can spring: there.
too, no false or inexplcable moves can be made;
and, except the curling, graceful smoke, giving
the air slight sulphurous faint, all will he as
clear as the sun at noonday-or. TO use martial
expression. "the sun of Austerlitz " Besides,
after the first fire is over, reporter would become
inspired, filed with enthusiasm beyond the
power of all other causes OF emulation; the
pride and circumstance of glorious would
lend vigor to your genius which, communicated
in your reports, would set all New York in
dazzle of glory. But il is needless for me to
continue this advice further. presumng that Mr..
Shanks will at once adopt the grand idea and
never more permit himself to be enumerated
among the stragglers in the rear OF an army
The results of the late great battle has not
proved as dis ,strous to our army as at first
supposed We quietly and very peacelbly occu
py Chattanooga, vet whilst our cunning foe sits
upon bis airy perch upon Lookout Mountain,
watching Us carefully. and from day TO day giving
occasional salute 10 remind US of his august
presence. He has very kindly permitted Us TO
entrench ourselves effectualiy. for which purpose
the fair proportions of his town has been success
fully distorted TO our use. contributing much 70
our comfort and security The hotels. churches,
and other public buildings hire. afforded ample
room for hospital purposes, whilst many Of the
finest residences have opened their luxurious ca
pacties to the accommodation OF the officers, and
the men have not been unmndiul of their com
forts. and have Appropriated brick well
lumber and constructed for themselves very
comfortable "chehangs" from the demolished
dwellings of the chivalry.
Since the aggravating effects of Shanks' de-
moralizing letter has passed by, the army has
subsidized into calm Indifference to the enemy
and everything else Were it not for the great
want of supplies from which we are suffering,
a merrier set of Yankees never disturbed the dull
echoes of this abode of chivalry than we would
be, but this unsuitable want, with the wet weather
we have had. intermingles with our daily enjoy
ments in a manner by no means agreeable. There
can he bit little doubt now that most il not all
of Longstreet's army has been Withdrawn.
Whether they have gone to Virginia we can not
tell. There is vet large force confronting US,
and keeps watch over all our movements. They
have been making some singular changes within
the past few days. which has an ominous signif-
cance and as we are allow ed 70 surprise ON their
operations, funk movement to gain our rear
may be reasonably suspected If the should sue
coed. with strong force. in gaining position
upon the north side of the river. above or below
US. the evacuation of Chattanooga by our forces
will be inevitable, and "A retreat on Murfreesboro
the only alternative left very small addi-
tional rebel force between here aud Stevenson
will effect our communication so as 10 cut off
out supplies and compel US to fall back. That
they do not intend TO assail our front is fact
well settled now; they have allowed the time for
the success of such demonstration to pass by
long since. and although they occupy all their
strong positions between US and Chickamauga,
vet they have very complacently beheld the pro-
g1ession or our works under their mountain bat
teries without molestation. and with singular in
difference. much as if we were secure within their
tolls, but very generously allowed to gnaw at
the meshes which snvironed US, for our own
amusement