Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-12-04
LONGSTREET IS RETREATING
The Siege of Knoxville Raised.
FORT SMITH IN DANGER.
MEADELIKELYTO BE REMOVED
AKmY INTELLIGENCE.

| WASHINGTON, December 2
Special to the Tribune
The Army Of the Potomac encamped on the
| grounds 1t left the morning of Thanksgiving
| Ihe reasons for this sudden change Of pro
| gramme without forcing Lee to q general battle
] are these; At q council of wa held Monday
night facts demonstrated that the enerny was en-,
| trenched behind very formidable earthworks
which they were every moment strengthening
| Fearful loss OF life would be entaed upon US,
/ and the impOssibllity of succoring our wounded
/ before they would perish with cold, in case we
/ attempted TO carry the rebel works by assault
was one ofthe considerations which induced the
/ subsequent action.
| Our atoms and forage had nearly run out and
the roads were too bad TO allow further transpor-
tatIon from our distant base Of supplies.
| The Welghty considerations which have been
stated induced the Commander to issue an order
| to fall back. Tonight the Army Of the Potomac
rests on its old base on the line Of the Orange
and Alexandria Railroad
As late as eleven o'clock yesterday we rode a
| circuit IN front of our position. We could look
/ over into the rebel works and see GRAY. bac K :
| digging away with wonderful activity Their
guns are all mounted and fronting at us
Runners are fife in camp that Longstreet had
| reinforced Lee and we were falling back on
Fredericksburg, but could trace them
our entire battle line in the enemyis front lin
about nine o'clock in the evening, when all fell
! back, crossing the Rapidan by Germapia and
CulPepper FOrds. Our total losses in missing
and wounded are five hundred and forty, and
sixty killed. Our wounded suffered extremely
IN their ambulances on the rough roads and
Oy the severe cold while lying in wagons last
nlghti and as they must again tonight. A special
tran mas already been dispatched up the road
TO bring down the disabled men,
Inc rallroAd track and telegraph wires re-
NAMED as we left them, uninjured.
Our main army left the front about midnight.
Tuesday, and its advance could be seen an,
proacmng Brandy Station at four o'clock this
morning.
A party Of five rebel cavsIrymen came dasbine
{ of he Do,
bridges were up. They we're greeted with she'll
and rapidly vanished.
But one train per day is now run upon the
The euerrillas charged with snU1rIup uus U1
our men came IN on to-nights train from Ca'lett's
Station Sunday night guerrlllas rushed into a
tent OF the Tooth Pennsy lyanla, on picket near
Licking Run, capturing five ofthem. Yesterday
morning three guerrillss caught q private of the
l4zd fennsY lyanla near Catett's Station, strip
ped MN OF all his clothing and shot him dead
with his own gun. The guerrillas brought down
tonight are suspected of having some connec-
ton with this murder.
The Worlds Washington special saws that the
campaign IN Virginia is ended. All forward
movements of the Potomac Army have ceased
and nearly the whole Of the army have returned
to their old base along the Orange Alexandris
Railroad, a. ulpeppeT, Brandy Station and Rap
pahannoek Bridge. The retrograde movement
commenced Tuesday.
It's said IN Washington that the failure to car
Y OFT the plans OF the War department involves
mander OF the Army Of the Potomac.
The reasons given for the abandonment Of the
campaign are, that Lee so intrenched himself
daily as 70 delay any rapid R1Vance on our part
and at the same time prevent an attack
Our army fell back in a safe ana orderly man
ner, the enemy being ignorant Of our Intentions
GeOeral SedgWlck and Hooker are prominent
ly named for General Meade's successor if any
change IS made
The Herald's specials also state that the eondi-
ton OF the roads and the want Of supplies in
duced Meade 10 fall back to Brandy Station,
which IS now made this base of our supplies
Trains laden with provisions are rapidly reachin 2
that point from Alexandria
Our army, after the check administered to
General Warren ct Mine Run, Monday, fell back
to the RaPidan and crossed the river in safety at
night.
Inc Herald has the folloAinr:
Mine River IS stream ten feet in width but
very shallow, If We may Judge by the depth of
the clear water, but very deer when we connt in
the mud at its bottom. At It's sides, extending
several rods back, is low marsh, miry and re ed
grown. From the edges Of the msrsh the land
rises gradually to the height Of perhaps one
hundred feet. half mile back from the right
shore these slopes open and in many places are
cultivated patches. Young pines dot the slopes
ana extend BACK to dense woods which crowns
the submits of the hills.
The enemy fortified the western slope by
strong earthWOrks at its summit, in front Of
which they felled trees, shrubbery and brush,
forming an mpenetrable abattis They had also
dug succession Of rife pits half way up the
slope, within easy range Of the creek, and an
other series ofthe same style Of defenses at the
commencement of the abattls.
HIS line of defenses extends from Clark 5
Mountain, south Of the plank road, to the mouth
OF the stream, and was fully suBporaed by artil-
lery, and was, in fact, said by military men to be
burg.
The Tnbune's special says that Sunday morn.
ing General Warren, of the I'd corps, with the Sd
division OF the 9Th corps, moved down on the
tredrlcksburg plank road, which runs parallel
with the Orange Pike, and about three miles
from II, and proceeded for mile, when he en-
eountered the enemy's skirmishers who were
driven forward mile and half to the west
The enemy then opened with artillery on the
I'd division Of the ID corps from some temporary
works on hill half mile south of the unfnish.
ed railroad, but were soon driven out, and the
corps rested for the night with the intention OF
charging and hanking the rebels in the morning.
Early yesterday morning General Warren re-
quested his commanders to inform their man of
! the nature Of the task before them, and TO ex-
hort them TO make gallant assault upon the en-
emy's works in their front, which had been
thrown up during the night. He then made n
honr and half he hesit8ted to aot After an
hours cannonading he was to make q gram
charge, and the men were instructed to reserve
their fire till they entered the rebel WORKS. No
| charge was made on the left. At 1880 l. n. Cen
eral Meade came down TO the left ard was for a
long time engaged iD earnest conversation with
General Warren. General Meade seemed 20 be
administering rebuke to Warren.