Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-10-30

1t ~ asserted ilat Earl NuSSsU res0rneu Slr.
stasons letters unopened and refused to see him.
This is an nnfouuded acsqsation.. Lord Russell
mpy declined to conl1ds.a's sa sssn en-,
done, M had had he rcec,cd G2%a'N:nes a"s, through MIR.
siasons hands from Mr. iSsgis. aud granted Dir.
Mason private Observation-Disclosures. s;gs
FRENCH OPINION OF RosEcEaSs' Position.
From re Paris 7 T. s,rct )
It. appears certain that the Federais have met
| with consdorab" repuisc but, as we sal! yes>
telday, The great point to know, is whtth-
cr Gen. Rssccrans can hold Chattanooga, and
| rally there The reiulsrcements Gen. burnside is
taking to him. In that case, which appears
| probable, Gen Bragg victory will not produce
results ntopo:tinua:e with the sacrifices it has
Cost.
TIE SITUATION ~ CHATTANOOGA.
4 Chattanooga correspondent Of the New
i -orh "Tribunc" Of the 24th gives the follow-
iny gloomy view uf the Yankee prospects in
tLoSe parts:
! have already demonstrated in former let.
| tc-s that while Chattanooga is a strnscgically y
important point, it is not a safe oHc. To
| ho;d i, securely involves the necessity Of bold
Ing the Tennessee river fer i(ty rlilcs 10 the
right and left Of it. As soon as our army had
crossed at Belieiont. Stevenson and bridge
pert, it Was virtually master Of the place.
Fnr the same rcasA, when il was GJTcel lack
in;o it, alter the battles Of the 10Th and 2u.h
ulfinIn, the question to hold it rested upon its
ability not ~ much 10 TepcE an attack from
the front as - retain conrfol af the river be-
low. There was not force enough at the c"!a
inand of Gen. Rosccran, to protect all tie
lords ana rcads lending from the sou! h bank
70 his dCpots AND lines Of communication 81
and along the river. Hence his principal
danger WAS the contingency Of = flank lncrc-
lnais hy Il detached column Of tie Cu0niy ever
the same route taat he took TO leave CIIaIta-
nooCG. With :bc arrival OF re.cuinroemcnts
that danger passed away. The failure Of the
enemy 70 make the movement affords good
cyicncc, not oi.ly that their offensive strength
waa greatly weakened in the battles, bu: also
that il really neTcr was a5 far superior a. re-
ported.
The NEST direct danger. in view Of the tenn
rorary state q! partial dissolution Of the nrmy
;7a-. Cf course, ~ first front attack. The
few days delay u the enemy in closing up
with us around the town, gave US time To avcrs
It with the axe, pick and shovel. Bat. al
though :,c checked IN assault. BY infantTy. We
were pnyeritSs IA remove the danger threat
cuiHg :r0Ia their artillery. That with ". =
aionary Ridge ana Lockout Mountain in their
possession, they can u.s. the latter clectiyeiy
against us, tfeShavc amply proved by tier
cannona.ic OIL the 9Th. use the word ''aila,..
lively" although they did iittlc actual damage
az tie time; for their pr0iectilcs fell into our
rcricst ty.o in war tba. will assert that b7
,l,n
loss, in their power TO. they coud not iy IL
cGnn0uala Of a week, annoy anI damage Tsi.H
Yun1 endurance. 1t would be the first instance
10 the history Of wars OF u large army Of an
sheltered troops maintaining i:s position un-
der 4 protractcd anl heavy artillery tira.--
That the enemy hare IS yet ah=tainec! from
guJcctlDG Us 10 Il scvcrer trial than on the
18th is mystery that am rntahk, 10 so!v".
But Suppo>nc cTcn that Ii Is not awaiting
U2. there are still! o,:Icr wars lciE Open t. III.
e"c,!iy to draw u ont ot Chattanooga. From
tiia.'anohca to Knoxville the distance i. 10
;niies. That this ivne line cG:not be success.
fully guarded against All attempt to cross the
Tennessee in force. either by ten. Rosecrars
or Gen. burnside, is evident. i llinl:iug
movement to our right is, ~ already stata'!.
!;I inHgpr practicable i0r the cnclav. I;u'
there w.s nothing 20 prevent one TO or !cit
IL the mentioned direction unit! to-day. Since
midnight the vcry gates If heaven seem t. he
opened, and the rain is muring down in in
coSsant torrents. 1.-THE roads he not rendered
impracticahlc Iy il. VT will III 81! probability
see the one hundred and twentv ront0nns thr
enemy have j'ililt at CnickainauIa Station put
To ,i-e before long. snmeThc-c between here
ana Knoxville. It would cer;ainiy be r|,c
brSt move they could make. il would give
their army once more the brncfi: Of the crnp-
% ihc rich valley of the Tennessee. 1t would
throw it between Rosecrans's aud BurnSlcs,
and compel the eiattvr to beat a hasty retreat
to Kentucky TO escape annihilatinn. And
lastly, it would force this army to abandon
Chattanooga and hunt up the enemy for bat.
tie north orthe Tennessee.
\ last element of uncertainty a. to tic du-
ration Of our occupation Of Chattanooga il
formed by our precarious lines Of commun;ca
ton. We hare had three bridges across the
Tea aesSc. Two Of these were rendered i'm
practicable. by the rise a. week ago. and one
had u be removed The ether vas again used
until this morning, when the danger of i:s
being carried away by tho great rise now t"
De expected induced Gen. Rnsccrans to ordc,
likewise its removal. The third was bull;
,luriry last week, and affords now the only
mears of communication with the NOrt!,
bank. That it 10 insufficient for our immense
transportation, need hardly say.
fcan, the roads tn Stevenson, our supply
depot, arc SO rugged that hauling a suficicacy
OF supplies over them is attended with diff
cnttics tie character Of which only these can
conceive who have passed over thcm. The
present rain will probably double these. Ore
Of tho roads along the river is rendered in.
safe by the busllwhacEer5 firing from tic
South bank.
l5ayas natural f,r the enemy TO attempt tn
cut the long thread Of rairoa,is-nver thrcc
irn 'rei miiCs---tl,at ai9nc connects ue with
the North, by dint of cavalry raids Ilis Ia
be l,orc1 that oar cavalry will prercnt tic
u,sc!i:,,: contemplated bv the bands 81
Wheeler and Forrest now again loose in Mid.
die Tennessee and Southern Kentucky. II
they should succeed in breaking our railroad
connections for any considerable length ri
time, q rctrograde movement by our forces
cannot be avoided.
Whatever the future may have in store for 49,
it is obvious that the rebels are masters Of the
situaiion-at least so FIR rs The power to shape
!: is with hem. That they have improved the
time Of Guictudc elapsed Stree the battles 20 re-
p&ir HHHl"reS ana garner lluitic!ai e!!e!!Sl't
force raaY be presumed. rs the fortunes os the
Confeaeracy depend ia great measure upon
imth+r src"asscs on their part. and as they have
concentrated al cira7ailable strength bsiore
us. il is rot likely that they will lie idle mnsh
iorgcr. Without having sny positive ground
Tor The theory think that if they fail iE starving
Us Oil: Of Chattanooga thay will make the flank
movement 10 the lett under cover Of Il cannonade
upon out front.
AS to ourselves, prudence forbids me from
saying more than that we not yet iii the con-
difioa to resume the offensive, although we ere
able TO operate promptly according tc :ha inii:a-
tive OF the enemy. For my part, would deem
it a cause for congratulation ii the enemy should
give us an opportunity to meet them in + deci>
sive battle hundred miles nc ,rcr 10 the O:ie
river.
-~--Ep-S%------
There will be two ene-arnet men Ii the
traf,r