The New York herald., 1863-12-03
Longstreers Retreat from Knoxville
The War East aud west.


The War East and West.
Longstreet, from Information which appears
to be reliable has not only abandoned his
siege of Knoxville as a hopeless enterprise,
but, as if despairing of junction with Bragg
has turned his face eastward, and is moving to-
wards Virginia.
In addition to the danger of being cut off in
| moving southward, Longstreets retreat to-
wards Virginia may have been Influenced by
two other important onsderations:-F t
supplies of East Tennessee; and secondly, the
danger of Lees army. From East Tennessee
and Southwestern Virginia LoEgstreet, If not
interrupted, may furnish sufficient provisions
TO subsist not only his own column, but the
army of Lee, through the winter. We presume,
however, that Gen. Grant will exercise the
casting vote upon this question, and will not
suspend active operations short of the COM
plete liberation Of loyal, ever faithful
East Tennessee. Beyond this important
work we can hardly anticipate from him any
forward movement for perhaps month or two
to come. Having routed the enemy from Chat
tanooga and secured all its approaches, his first
care will be to establish there bountiful depot
of supplies, and to strengthen his defenoes so
that he may have safe ard convenient base of
operations from which to advance in the spring.
There are no meadows filled with fat cattle, no
barns and mills bursting with their stores of
grain and -four in Northern Georgia, like those
which invited the half famished army of Lee
last summer into Southern Pennsylvania; but,
on the contrary, in pursuing the enemy below
Chattanooga, not only will General Grant be
compelled to furnish everything eaten by his
army, but considerable amounts to the starving |
local population of the country. Hence the
necessity of laying in heavy store of supplies
before resuming his pursuit of Bragg.
We understand, too, that the late unfavorable
weather for military operations in Eastern Vir
ginia has so far retarded the contemplated
object of General Meades advance, upon
q limited supply of rations, as to constrain him
to fall back for provisions, and we have intel
at Brandy Station, by trains from Alexandria.
Hence we may venture to pronounce the cam
paign in Eastern Virginia at an end, and that
no further advances against the enemy may be
expected in that quarter till April or May, un-
less the administration shall be brought to
realize the advantages offered in favor of an
active winter campaign, by way of the York or
The James river, up the Richmond peninsula.
But assuming that neither General Grant nor
General Meade will finish up the work before
hem till the return of spring, there are three
other generals with whom active operations
may still be prosecuted. We refer to General
Butler on the North Carolina seaboard, General
Gillmsre at Charleston and General Banks in
Texas. Thus, II from this time forward we
may accomplish nothing more during the win
ter. we may certainly accomplish the capture
Of Wilmington and Charleston and the COM
plete subjugation Of the rebel forces in Texas.
We only insist that the government shall not
rest upon its late victories, when the country
demands at every available point vigorous
prosecution Of the war in order to bring it as
soon as possible to an end