The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1862-1864, 1863-01-25
FRos nuSTsvILLE.
e HUNTSVILLE, Ala.
A Ia Jsny. 20 CD &C

III u lhlAuCA HiCttNt u utthANA ~ NV IiS'''DH
Iy Of Grants army advancing upon chstia.
nooga, by the way Of Huntsville, aud thrs
by flank movement, compelling GenI Bragg
to fail back, from his present position.
gave IN that letter tie reasons why thought
that movement could not be successfully
made by the enemy. There is another meye-
ment which they may attempt, though even
that will be extremely hazardous :. them,
and that is for portion, Il not the whole,
Of Grants army to march from Clifton OH the
Tennessee river, by the way of Columbia, To-.
wards Shclbyville, and thus attack Genl
Bragg 10th in trent and on his flank Grants
army would have no large streams to cross,
their march being between Duck and Elk riv-
ers. Tho road frern Clifton TO Columbia is
not a very bad one. From Columbia, to
Shelbyville, part Of it is very bad, and a
part good, being turnpike. Some, hswever,
Of the same difficulties would be experienced
on this route, as on that from Florence, by
the way Of huntsville, such as The danger of
""''"S 'ioii itHilS VI Hhuop OIldllVh ucsu@y-
ed by our cavalry, and being let withou sup
plies in an enemy's country, with this further
difficulty that the column advancing from
Clifton might be attacked by oar army when
il could get no assistance from Rosecran's in
front on account of the high waters Of Duck
river and tins their forces be destroyed in
detail These are mere speculatons howov-
en-, OF the writer, and may or may not become
realities. In no event it seems to me, will
there be any necessity for abandoning Mid
die Tennessee.
II Grants army comes to Middle Tennessee,
we can get reinforcements sufficient to meet
his army, and if il does not then am satisfied
Gen. Bragg has an army euficient, when all the
absent men return, to meet that Of Rosecrans.
On yesterday, Judge Jones of the Confederate
District Court, delivered very lucid charge
to the grandjury, hope he will have ii pub.
lished as il will prove highly interesting and
important to various persons in different por-
tons of the Confederacy. 1t is well for the
lawto be made known, and then those who
violate it are without excuse. On The subject
of selling cotton, he simply charged the law as
it is. The statute on this subject made the
selling of cettan in portions OF country overrun
by the enemy high offence the penalty for
the violation of this law is the forfeiture of
the value Of the cotton sold, and also five years
imprisonment. The Judge instructed the grand
jury to find presentment against all who had
violated this law. He also stated that no
threats of injury to property amounted to com
pulsion, that in order to amount to such duress
as would form legitimate excuse, it mus!
involve the dangers Of loss of lifo or limb.
Whether any indictments will be found by the
grand jury cannot say, but it is certain the
law was violated in many instances which are
serious here to some persons
There is no denying the fact that many Of |
the citizens Of Middle Tennessee and North AL
ALBANIA did either sell their cotton to the enc
my, or to those who did sell to them. That
this was in violation of the act of Congress
above alluded to is not TO be denied The
excuse given by them is that tho enemy
had complete possession Of the country,
that If they refused to sell, the enc
my would take their cotton by force, and that
i was better to receive payment than to haveI
i taken from them and nothing received in
return. Again, they say if they had burned
their cotton, the enemy would have destroyed
al their property, and thus have not only
ruined them, but inflicted great injury upon
the Confederate cause, because the destruc-
ton of private property would have, to that |
extent, been a loss to tho Confederacy, since
the aggregate wealth Of the COnfedcracy 10
made up of the Individual wealth Of its citi-
sens. Without admitting that this reasoning
d q satisfactory conclusion, yet there is some
plausiSiIity in it.
K The pretext that some had, that gold was
more valuable to us than cotton, is too ilinsy
10 deceive any one Of any discernment. What
good would the gold do the Confederate cause
when kept within the Federal lines, the coun- |
Try then being held by the Yankees and they
not permitting gold or anything else valuable
10 Our army to he carried out. The truth is,
most Of those who sold cotton for gold, did it
for their own benefit and not for the COED Of
the Confederate cause, as is clearly shown by
tho fact that such men have kept that gold
md contributed but little, ii any, Of it to help
our cause. Another pretext is equally as
lmsy, and that is, that they sold their cotton
to buy the neccssaries Of life. II would take
but little cotton AZ the high prices to buy the
roal neccssares Of life, and to sell one hun
lred bales Of cotton TO buy afew barrels Of
'alt at the price it was then selling at and