Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-09-28

Affairs Near Chattanooga.
Among our Geographic dispatches this
morning, will be found important reports rel
alive to a supposed movement of portions of
the army of the Potomac towards Chattanoo-
ga, and also towards South Carolina These
reports came to us by telegraph, in the regu-
lar way; yet we would not print them if they
had not already appeared in the New York
papers of Saturday afternoon and Sunday
morning. These reports are important, if
true; but they come from reporters who are
not always accurately informed, and who
sometimes see what does not exist and fire.
quently give us their guesses as facts.
One portion of the story is contradicted.
The government had not taken possession of
the Baltimore and Ohio railroad as the re-
port said; and it may turn out that troops
from Meade's army have not gone down the
Potomac in transports; or, if troops have left
Washington in that way, that they have gone
to Richmond, Mobile or Newbern. 1t is true
that sufficient force, landing in South Carroll.
ma, somewhere between Beaufort and Charles
ton, would not have TO go far to reach Branch
vile, and destroy the only railroad communica-
ton the rebels now have between Virginia and
Chattanooga; and then the same force might
turn round and attack Charleston in the rear,
If such movement would hasten the cap
ture of that place. 1t would be good strategy
to shut up that large rebel force in northern
Georgia without supplies, and then concen-
trate against it all the troops that can reason
ably be taken from Meade and Grant.
We have no doubt that the government is
doing all in its power to reinforce Rosecrans
and defeat the great rebel army that has at
tackled him; but the reports we repu5lish
from the New ford papers do not come to US
on such authority as we usually deem neces-
sary to warrant belief Besides, the govern
ment has taken measures to suppress ac-
counts of its actual movements and policy with
respect to Chattanooga; and we do not
suppose the military censor would al |
low such reports to come from Wash
ington by telegraph, if they were true.
We must all acait for the news, and
wait patiently. A little delay will not harm
US, while premature publications, describing
all the plans, aims, movements, and expecta-
tons of the war department, might do much
harm. If the government will now move
swiftly, reinforce General Rosecrans, check
mate the rebels and substantially end the re-
bellion by defeating the great rebel army col
lected in Northern Georgia, we can well
afford to practice a little self-denial in the
matter of news, and wait as long as may be
Tn VIII has
The latest reports from Chattanooga state
that Rosecrans was secure in his position, and
that the rebels had suffered so severely ID the
battles already fought, that they were in no |
haste to renew the conflict. Gen. Burnside's |
army was in the neighborhood of Chattanoo-
ga; and probably portion of Gen. Grants
army, by this time, is somewhere in that
neighborhood, with whatever troops could
be collected from the various militia
ry stations in Kentucky and Middle
Tennessee, whose places can be taken, as
far as necessary, by others to arrive from
Vicksburg. 1t seems to us that the desperate
movement of the rebels to crush Rosecrans
and re-take East Tennessee is already fail
ure; and that they are likely, in the end, TO
lose badly. If they should find their COM
muncation with Richmond and Raleigh cut
off, and then see Rosecrans moving forward
again from Chattanooga, with force which
they could not withstand, it is possible that
their strategy would seem by no means as
good as they had believed.
1t is very natural to desire complete and
reliable account of affairs near Chattanooga;
but we must, for the present, endeavor to be
content with what we get. Doubtless we
shall, ere long, know exactly where Gen.
Burnside is, what he has been doing and
whether his army has joined that of Rose
Grams; and we shall know, also, what is to
follow the recent conflict between the rebels
and our army under Rosecrans.