The New York herald., 1863-10-31
The Surrender OF Cumber-
land Gap.
AFFAIRS in TENNESSEE
DBsrIrUrIoH IN GEORGIA.
Rebel Conscription Extended to the
Government Departments,
&C.. &c.. a.

SSk'VA4V4CO
more.
BA1r;6hn, Oct. 27, 1868.
nun Erpl2rdom Of General Lees Recent Movement To
Wavds washimo,ow-H Was Only Fsint to Conceal the
Real Movement of Rebel Troops to the West-Ho,o e War
Depa t'nsnt at Washington UnwtNirgly aided the De-
si9n-Richmond Left DejenceIess in Order to Defeat
General Grant at Chattanooga, dc.
Tho mystery in regard to General Lees recent move.
mcnt towards Washington last cleared up by the in
telligence which have received this morning. it is
cleared up, too, in not at all credtabe the
unmitary managers OF the war at Washington 1t ap-
pears by the facts which have thus come light that
tho whole movement the part or General Lee
was feint. intended TO distract the attention Of the
government from certain important and real move.
ments of tho rebel forces In another direction and that
acting under orders from Washington our gallant Army
OF tho Potomac, with all the troops at Baltimore and
Washington at their back retired from Rappahannock
to the capital before rebel force vastly inferior their
II will be remembered that General Lees demon.
sratons against army began about the 10th instant
On tbatdy forces which had been previously holding
tho line OF the Rapdan river its north sde from above
Cedar Mountain TO its mouth retired to Culpepper after
and gallant skirmHh with the enemy the south
side OF Robinson river. Up to that day it observed
that the enemy had been massng their forces Madison
and it thought that they moved northwards; and
from that day till the 18th 10th army moved
steadily in its retrcgrade towards Washington fol-
lowed closely, 1t supposed by the whole rebel army
But that a mistake. At every point where
army halted and turned upon their pursuers the
ter found to be in inferior force and were easily
vanquished. The battle at Brisoe Station is only
illustration OF this fact Had General Meade been allowed
to halt and his whole army the heights OF Cen.
treve tho l5th and to remain there In line OF battle
the 10th and 17th he wished do the Of
General lees army would have been exposed. For in
that admirable defensive position equal every respect
to that Of the Cemetery Hill at Gettysburg tho rebels
would not have dared 70 attack him The alleged attempt
OF General get In General Meade's rear by way Of
Chaniy and Fairfax the 10th, about which 50 much
noise made in the papers was only stratagem and
very ''woak Invention OF the enemy" at that, as
General Meade assertained by the proper military
mcans. Tho troops then at Washington could easily
have kept open the communication between Cen.
trcvlle and the capital; but under real apprehen.
sons for the safeyof the latter and entirely groundoss
for the safety Of the Army Of the Potomac, the
indeed within the immediate defcnces Washington but
ching. And thus remained until the 10Th. On
shat day and the Goth the reconnoissances in
Centrevie, at Manassas, Aldie nor
any point Of Bull Run Colonel Webster
BY
cavalry IN Thoroughfare Gap on the 10th on the goth
our roos pursuit Of the rebel orccs entered that place
without opposition The rebcl forces under General I1e
had crossed Hedgermsns river "a branch OF the Kappa
hann0Ck) at sulphur Springs only few hours before
Eut all these manuvres extending from the 10th to the
2oth nsi had given General Lee ten days in which 70
Of General lees army assembled at Madison previous to
the 10th inst did not move northwards from that place.
As as tho Union retired 10 Cupepper the bulk
OF General Lees forces moved back rapidly 10 Orange
Court Hocs and from thence transported by rail
road 10 Abingdon in the southwestern part OF Virginia,
by way o. Gordonsvie and Iynchburg, In order TO
rate, first, against Burnside east OF Knoxville, and,
secondly in conjunction with General Bragg against the
Union forces at Chattanooga The number OF troops thus
sent away from General Lees army amounted according
to information, to three divisions OF thousand
men in each They probably arrived Abingdon about
the 18th or 18th inst where they joined the fifteen thou
whole force forty FIVE thousand troops then probably
advanced against at Bristol about the
ons he, az e av n % o. or hsso We hrso d no
from his already depleted army reduced General
Lees forces TO about fifty tho sand men, and was with
this force that he compelled General Meade TO retreat 70
learn also tAt this movement Of rebel troops from
Virginia tho West Is made under the personal super
vision Of JEFF Davis and that includes every available
soldier in Virginia that DO spared. In ordw to do
this Rchm md, OF course is left comparatively dcfenceess
Indeed IL stated that there troops at al at
Richmond and hat tho force along the railroad be-
tween that city ami Wilmington has been reduced to ten
thousand 1t therefore evident the rebels
have decided to hazard the whole event OF the war upon
doing his they have len their capital undeended and
this affords therefore splendid opportunity TO
falls Charleston win speedily follow. But the
only TO take Richmond Is by q campaign by
being sent as is sent Wild goose chase the
Raprah innOck, had been embarked iast Sunday at
Cen. lees army being near washington week ago the
administration papers eDdeavorcd to excuse Meades re-
treat TO Washington by saying that "wbic our army opo
rates the pappahanDcck have seventy miles OF rail-
road guard requiring army OF ITSELF 10 nothing
OF the dcnty OF transporting army supplies so great
distance single track OF wretched railroad" Yet
the War Department ordered General Meade TO
make still another overland campaign against Richmond
II needs prophet to foretcl that this campaign viii re-
suit disss,er as every previous advance Of army
towards Richmond over this route has resulted.
Europen n Coalition with the south.
frrom tho Richmond Whg, Oct. u.
The NEw YORK HERALD OF the 22d inst contains one o.
those sensational productions peculiar TO that shect IL 10
IN the OF letter. dated London, October 10, ad
dressed James Gordon Bennett, ESQ.,, but which In all
probability concoctcd In the HERALD oice The writer
Processes 10 give the outline treaty bc enteretno
between European Powers and tho Confederate
Independence and fair vote IN Maryland ths. they will
attempt TO annex any portion OF Mexico Cuba or
o. The United states In Mexico adverse TO tho doctrine
tho al attn race" or 10 the Spanish West India cooncs
.ne soc Sssrss Of the aSoouiss and the
pations OF the government, aud h feared that The
Laoon administration should conSSs,M ~ me south NJ saAs ~,
sword, eventually consider the whole civilized world
sphere fol the neld Of It's ambitious ope
TSsn comes the most interesting portion Of the le.
tcr-mtcresting because, whether written IN Loncol
osy possible solution OF the "Amsrioan question: ant
~ouid never have appeared In tho NEW Yoax HERALD
c oven in lh shape but for The existence of feeling
in u The termination Of tho We subjoln a
cxtract:--
" tbsrs was anything IN the councils Il washnstor
that ud be denhod with the destination Of oven third
fourth rate saesmanshp. would At once occasion
In the hostiitise prosecuted against hs South pv
se tsrms o pcacs and thus mako the moss Of virtu<
which ID speedily ~ become . necessity.
sagAcioue Prostdcnt would hesitate a moment n
employing al the nssns ~ hts dsposai foresta ths
European alltsnce while u is yet unprotected by pro
posing terms 70 JeGerSon Davis that he would MT decline
iessencs, wbils ~ nay yet do without d,sgracefu
humiliation He would Acknowledge her Independence IN
the sense IN which u will b acknowledged by hs a.
iisIoo. lie would ~ y the truthful consciousness
Of hn hears-. Come, ecns, NJ old oonfrcres have
sach other means ~ no other bsgsrsn empl yet
before. aud sevss w' perhaps snP'oy yaiu, oossc'