The New York herald., 1863-09-08

sno 0ountry would amply anord Few pieces Of Artillery
could successfully dispute tho ascent OF the ridge.
HEADQUARTERS. ARMY THE CUMBERLAND, Z
STxyx>sN, Ala. August 20. 1883. )
PROBABLE oArrURs or CHATTANOOGA.
For the first timo in the history of the in this do
pariment the occupation Of Chattanooga has become
probability Tho extensive preparations TO capture the
place evnco determination the part of the govern
mont TO "bold. possess and py" the great rebel
stronghold The rapid concentration upon OF two great
armies and Rosecrans and the utter de
morazaton OF the rebel forces defending II, render this
probability OF its capture almost certainty. hear In
CO tain circles prophetic remarks OF long campagn but
little doubt be entertained that Chattanooga will be
In our hands within fortnight after we shall have
the Tennessee river and its capture Is antci
paod without struggle the extensive works which
guard the northern approaches.
TIE ARMY DEFxSI ING CHATTANOOGA.
The force defending Chattanooga is the old army OF
Bragg OF two corps, each Of TWO divisions But there
many very many changes in It since the time II held
Middle Tennessee have prded myself on knowing as
much about Baggs army ~ could DO learned by tho best
systems Of espionage but confess now lost In the
multitude OF changes which have taken place The willy
Bragg himseH dsgraeed had damned the reboi confcdo
racy and Je Davis and to tho bosom Of his
family At Atlanta having previously tried TO redeem his
character unrelentng cruelty BY turning loose two
hundred OF his soldiers c0ndem Cd to death for stfag
Cling, ye Davis ID said to have sent him word that
he had better for his soldiers than to shoot hem
TO send them 70 him" So Bragg, tho dscipnarian
turned his condemned ioose the time pro
claiming forgiveness TO all deserters who might return
immediately. But lately valiant Joe Johnston thinking
the hills around Chattanooga excellent protection for
his and important person. has relieved Bragg and
taken command himself. Hardee disgracod by going 10
ricu tno in ladt nf n
lowing sold Rosey" possession Of the "gaps" Of
Middle Tennessee has been relieved Of his Command
and Lieutenant General A.. P. Hill now com
mands It, Bishop Polk still remains In command
Of his corps. But Bragg's favorte, Withers,
has got disgusted with the unratsful OF the
bellon and has resigned. HIS division. enoamped on
Chattanooga creek commanded by Brigadier Con-
ers Deys formerly colonel Of the Twenty second Ala
bama Cleburne tho little Irishman and Stewart the
little pleasant hammered but somewhat foppsh Tonnes
remain constant tho cause. and their divisions
Of Hills corps does Cheatham, Of Polks corps Colo
mel strowbrdge First Louisiana post commandant At
Chattanooga, his regiment s headquarters guard
Strah and Roddy are made brigader generals Morgan
gone and Forrest aspres 70 his place and his renswn
TEs THOUSAND RxBxI DEsxK1zRs.
But these the changes OF the surfacethe wrinkles
the face. There dangerous changes st tss
bottom Of the channe there deader changes nearer
the heart. When thu army left Mureesboro 70 aiisck
Bragg At tho gap, 1t estimated he had thirty nine
thousand three hundred men-n round numbers forty
thousand. He lost two thousand Ave hundred by cap
ture The number of desertes Is simply incaoulable.
hsve doubt in my mind that he has lost ton thou
sand since his retreat began The logic by which
arrive at this conclusion to be found In tho books Of
the Provost Marshal General am told By Captain Cas-
per- Assistant Provost Marshal that the number Of de-
serters In since July reaches nve thousand
The greater part Of these havo been paroed to home
or North and arc never likely TO "Dxie again until
tho war ID over.
TIE REsEIs PARoLxD RosxoRASs.
colonel r. W. M0Csin, Fifty first Ohio infantry, Pro.
vost Marshal At McMinnvle, reports that six hundred
and fifteen rebel soldiers, deserers from Braggs army
had been parocd by him tho Tth Of July TO tho
10th OF August. These all mon Just from Braggs
army. He also says that nine hundred and Sky eight
citizens had voluntarily taken oath OF allegiance and
hundred and nftyve had taken tho non-combatant
oath ana parole We're these desertions from
Kentucky and Tennessee regiments they hitherto
uniformly been they would argue nothing than q
disposition to get home They would not indicate an
increase Of the Generalization affecting Braggs army
But ''rats desert sinking ship" 30 tho rebel
soldiers deserving their armies They begin to 10 X
out for No. I, and seek safety by deserton,
for fear there may be an amnesty de
clared. Desertions nov common from reg
ments from all the rebel states. A few moments
since six doserters from the Fifth Arkansas were
brought In. In Inst which casually glanced In the
Provost Marshals Office saw the Of deserters
from the Seventh and Ninth Mississippi Eighth and Thr
~ eighth Arkansas FOURTH Twelfth, twenty SIXTH For
ty ninth and Ffeth Alabama First louisiana and Third
Confederate Even the Georgians are deserting g-the
flower Of the rebel Western armies, they call them
selves The motive power inducing these to resign
nothing less than the OF nature self pre-
serva,ion and they each and all have greater love
for themselves than for the desposm they have
long Hundreds OF deserers have said that there are
thousands Of men In the mountains waiting our coming
TO desert to us. the Tennessee did present a bar
ror to them impossible, the number of dcserters In
hands would be doubled Another such retreat as his
stronghold his army would eventually forced 10 sur
render. dispensing in the mountans would he picked
up pecemea bp cavalry Successfully retreatiug IL
would be totally and irretrevabiy deuorazed III re
be invasion OF kentucky 10 it, Il Is there.
lore lost, whatever 1t may do.
HEADQUARTERS, ARMY o. TIE CUMBERLAND
snyKNsoN Ala, August y, 1868.
TsE IArE BoxAaRpnssT CHATTANOOGA
No detailed report tho bombardment q Chattanooga
has yet come In, and have not, therefore, sent
you any other rcpot Of hat interesting the
brief one transmitted BY telegraph That report how
ever contained The principal points OF the affair and all
could add would only be unorgnal reflections aud
deductions which you well do In the onlce. A
week has elapsed since then and doubtless many have
wondered why the bombardment not followed up BY