The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-11-07
War News OF the Week.

War News OF the Week.
The positions OF Gen Meades and Gen.
Lees armies remain unchanged since our
last, except that the former, whose head
quarters are still at Waprenton, has made
such a::disposition Of a part Of his forces
IS 20 afford protection to the Orange and
Alexandria r K, which is repaired to War
.ea:yu. The army correspondents, hcw>
ever, arc quite confident the present qnet
will soen je broken, and assert that Meade's
and Lee movements within the last lew
days have been such as are usually made
on the eve ola great battle. Indeed, Ten
Meade has positive orders 70 bring On g
battle at all hazard, on pain OIL being re-
moved if he don't, besides which. he pro-
poses to rebuild the Railroad to the fap>
pahanuock, and before he can 90 50, Will
have slight obstruction of some 2i,oOo
rebels 20 remove who are on this side, and
apparently eatrenching themselves as il
they meut to stay, TO say nothing OF forty
ar f;ftv thousand more on The southern
bank of that stream.
The quiet tina: has teigned SC long at
cLa.ies.o. hos at Iength been broken, and
since the 9th ult, 1.-The most furious
bombardment that ever took place" ac-
cordiug to a rebel despatch, has been kept
up BY the federal batteries at fort Wagner
and Gregg, Cummings point and by four
monitors on Fort Sumpter, Moultrie and
johnson, but directed chiefly against
Sumnter.
A gos.ipy letter from Morris Island has
this relation: That when Gilmore and
Dahlgren were placed in command OF the
army and navy operating against Chaies-
ton, after duly measuring the work before
them, it was agreed that, if the army Gun
de. GiiImore) would take Morris Island
with Fort Gregg Wagner and Cummings
Point batteries. and cripple Fort Sumpter,
then the navy would remove the obstruc-
tons in the harbor, and. laying its iron
Glade at the wharfs Of Charleston, either
compel the surrender OF, or destroy the
CITY. Gilmore went TO work with spirit
and in few weeks did up his part Of the
job. Then after waiting patiently for
month or more for Dahlsren to preform
his part Of the contract, and seeing TO
movement in that direction, finally adj
dressed him note, asking him when he
proposed to 60 to work. Dahlgren replied
that he was waiting to see For, Sumpter
destroyed. Gilmore replied that ne sup
posed that had already been sufficiently
done, but if the navy was not satisfied he
would rase it to the waters cd &c. And that
il what Gilmore is now at: How he has
succeeded the rebel despatch informs US.
They admit that another wall of Sumpter
has fallen, buryiug Il MEN in i; ruins, aud
that in few days more under the present
bomtardment, the fort must be evacuated.
Gilmore has also from one Of his ritled
guns, thrown three more shells charged
with Greek fire, into Charleston, but with
what effect Is not Known.
The only important event Of the week
near Chattanooga Vas the taking OF Look
GU: mountain on the 29th ult. by Joe
Hooker This mountain abuts on the
Tennessee river some miles below or
chance Of getting provisions TO our army
was either by the railroad en- the South
bank or the wagon road on the north bank
of the Tennessee river, boil, of which were
Ill .Laf
lockout Mountain. 1t became simply a
question whether the army shall abandon
Chattanooga or take Lookout mountain
The latter was resolved on, and Joe Hook.
sr did it handsomely, after Z pretty severe
fight by moonlight in which he killed
and wounded some 500 rebels, took 1Oi
prisoners, and Loco Enfield rifles, wit!
= loss of $50 men. Thus the road to Chat
tanooga is opened and the famine tina
tnr eatsned our army preyented.-Sragg:
flank movement into Tennessee on oul
left appears not TO have amounted to any.
Thing serious.
Gen. Burnside has had some pretty
s.yere skirmishins in Eastern Tennessee
with the rebels during the week complete
~ routing them so tina, he announces tina,
East Tennessee is again free Of rebels.
Gen. Sherman was at last account a.
Tuscumbis, having some 10000 to l5.00t
rebels under Lorins Roaiy, &c., in his
front. At his present rate of progress i!
will take him u month to reach Chatta-
nooea.
The Texas expedition utder Gen. Frank
lin, had, Oh the ODD alt, reached oEelousas
having had several st;rmishes, out no reg
ular battle with the enemy. Among the
prisoner: the expedition has captured, was
Gen. Pratt, a native of Connecticut, bu
of course full blood secessionist.
SENSIBLE CAUTIoE-The Chicago IiiLunt
in view of the small vote in Chicago at tn
election on Tuesdays caution, its iliends il
tn is wise:
The Union men Of this city will perni
rs to tell them that they fool themselves
If they believe that the contest of Tuesda,
last, out of which the Union ticket emery
ed with nearly three thousand majority
was any test o. the relative strength of tn
two pO!itIca. organizations Ia Chicago.
They may as xcii apply the same eau
ton to the resslt in this county, and tn
state generally. b. their Union Leagu
machinery the aboiitionists got out thei
whole vote, while the deAoerats, havin
NO such machinery, staid at home. Tina
Is the whole sum and disturbance Of the mai
ter.
FAIRBANKS ScaLEs-Weiehea in tn
balance of just criticism, all are obhge,