New-York daily tribune., 1863-11-06
THE WAR IN TENNESSEE.


A great peril 1t will do no harm 10 say now
,ha, ,he Army Of the Cumberland was IN less
danger of destruction at Chickamauga than
since l., seemingly safe retreat 10 Chattanooga.
Against all the hazards OF battle II bore up
lrayely, but against The imminent certainty oi
starvation what iortitudc could have held out
Yet until the recent seizure Of Lookou, Noun
tain. fhc army vas almost d'sti,ui" oi CON-
muai, l-.on with is base Of supplies, aud II
it condition hal been known 20 the
Rebels ard II thcy had o5s''haiely
held the advantage they possessed,
We oonld have had no right to- expect anv.
thing bat an appalling di.lsier. L,'Ge As ue
pnb!ic seem to have suspected il, Cen Ro-ccFan'
wa. be-icged ai Chattanooga. The position was
strong against assault but the Rebels command.
ed the nver. which was The only practicable
route Cor he transportation OF food aud a'nnlG'
milton. By wagons Il was next 20 Impossible !"
carry anything. The roads over the mountains
and along the bottom lands were equally bad.
Ard ~ long A. the Rebel held Lookou, Noun
tain they held the Army Of Tho Cumberland al
most in their grasp.
From this situation The army has been r.
l!eyed by a movement equally BRILLIANT aud Al.
da,ious. Correspondence containing some par
ticulars Las ju.t come To hand. force from
Chattanoog, Itself. ooop"raiing with "a heavy
column under Hooker that maEohed from
Bridgeport, succeeded in completely surprising
the Rebel force in possession Of Lookout Noun
tain. But even against a surprise the position
was strong. aad II vas not til Cen iiazcn -
sorted 20 the daring e,pcdlcni o' drploymg
nearly his whole isnce a. skiFmishers, cover
,ng line sf thrsc mile. in extent, and
forming apparently the advance o! The
main body, that the Rebels feh back.
The mountain vis gained, and once
gained became Improbable to any eilolt oi the
Rebels 20 re,akc il. An attack upon a portion
Of Hooker's forces WAS rcpulsed By Gen. Gcary
and Gen. How sri, with heavy losses to the
Rebels and the South bank of tie Tennessee
remains IN our poss9s6ion. The holeaguered
forces in Chaitanoogr are not merely rele'cd
from danger but may assume al on,e an oicn-
Atlanta, or forlthe relief Of Burnside. Within
week the whole aspect ofthe campaign gnlschanged.
Gen. Sherman, in command now of the Army
Of the Tennessee, IL reported 20 haze occupied
Tuscumba in the face OF considerable opposi.
ton, and therc remains 10 probability that tho
Rebels can prevent the junction of his forces
with the main body, near Chattanooga, or his
direct cooperation with that column if il al
vances from that point
' The position OF ten. Burnside, however, is u
critical one. There is consider able evidence
that q portion Of Bragg army has been de-
iached to operate against him for the recovery
Of East Tennessee, and there may be some rea-
son 10 fear his being overwhelmed before help
can reach him, or that his supplies mag be cut
off and the subsistence Of his army be endan-
gered. IL WAS marvel that the Rebels suffered
East Tennessee to slip so easily from their hands.
II will be greater if they make no effort to re-
cover il. Its importance TO themnot merely in
strategic point Of view, but asasource supplies
il incalculablc. They cannot mean to surrender
it permanently, for that would be to surrender
the whole of Tennessee and Kentucky, and If
they mean to rcoccupy IT in force they are most
likely to make the effort at once while they may
reasonably hope to fall on burnside when lso'
lated in tho mountains, and annihilate him be-
fore rcGnforcements could arrive. And since
the Rebels are ~ much given to promptncss
AZ we are to slowness of movement
it need surprise nobody TO hear that Burnsides
progress has been summarly checked. lie has,
however, the advantage Of fighting in conntry
Astounding in good defensive positions, aud, u