The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1863-11-20

TIE WAR NEws.--The most important war
intelligence to-day is from the extreme South
west by an arrival at New York we learn
that the expedition under the command of Gen
Banks has landed safeiy on the Texas shore OF
i the Rio Grande, after experiencing some severe
| weather at sea and much difficulty in landing
| the troops through the surf. The Confederates
on discovering that the Federal forces had reach
| ed the shore, destroyed the works at Fort Brown
| and set fire to the town of Brownsville. Some
fighting occurred in the streets of the village be-
! tween the citizens, those desiring the Federal
| occupation resisting the attempt to burn the
| town.--Brownsville is on the left bank of tile
| Rio Grande, opposite Matamoras, forty miles
from the mouth Of the river. The report Of
the attack by the Confederates upon the advance
of Gen. Washburnes division, in the Teche dis
| trict, is confirmed. The Souherners were driv-
en- back with loss of two hundred prisoners
and one hundred killed The Federal loss was
| forty killed
We have some intcre sting news from the
South through Richmond journals of Saturday
last received by the way of Fortress Monroe
| Charleston dispatches to Friday last report the
| continued bombardment Of Sumter, the firing
being kept up during Thursday and at night,
and was still going on Friday morning at the
time the dispatch was sent over the wires. On
Thursday one mortar and a gunboat sheled the
Confederate batteries on Sullivan's Island for
one hour
correspondent Of the New York Times at
Morris Island, under date of the 18th instant
writes: ''Ihe bOmbardment Of Sumter has been
continued at intervals No grand movement
has yet been instituted. THE public will do
well to be moderate in its anticipations of excit-
ing events in this locality, for the Indications
DO not favor brilliant achievements at present.
We have no advices from Burnside and by
to-day or tomorrow General Foster will have
reached Knoxville and taken the command out
OF his hands. The Federal position there is
very critical one. Forty miles northeast of
Knoxville, at Bulls Gap, is force of the enc
my flushed with victory, which has driven the
Federal troops steadily before it for sixty miles
from Southwestern Virginia. Twenty-Five miles
northwest, at Kingston, is another force, also
elated by success, having recently forced a Fed
eral retreat Of the body opposed to it for fifteen
miles eastward from place called Washington.
len miles south Of Kingston is another force,
at Loudon, twenty-five miles west of Knoxville
Ihis latter has direct railroad communication
With and is receiving strong reinforcments from
Bragg at Chattanooga. Thus environed on all
sides, the Federal troops, it seems, only remain
in Knoxville because they cannot successfully
withdraw Their line Of retreat is north.nor
east to Cumberland Gap, about fifty miles dis
tant. The road is a rough onc and the enemy
at Kingston or Bulls Gap can easily obstruct
or ambush !! before the Federal troops can be
well started out of Knoxville. Hence they
stay there, and, acting strictly on the defensive,
gradually draw in their outposts in preparation
for siege. The route to Cumberland Gap, it
seems, is beset with guerlas. On Thursday
last they attacked a forage train, near the Gap,
and captured it. 1t was subsequently retakcn,
however, with ten Confederate prisoners.
From Chattanooga there is nothing startling.
Correspondents write that the Federal army
VIII not resume operations very soon on account