Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-12-03
GENERAL GRANTS VICTORY.

The triumph before Chattanooga is fairly confirmed BY
official statements With loss of perhaps six thousand
prisoners five thousand stand Of small arms and fytwo
pieces OF artlery-he latter mostly abandoned the
submits Of Lookout Mountain and Missionary RiJgehe
defeated army under Bragg retreatiDg with all lie
might up last evening toward Dalton, burning the
bridges its impede the fierce pursuit Of Generals
Hooker aud Sherman who had orders to force it to
render another fight
So much of the fighting in this bloody war has been
mere carnage without valuable conseq uences, that the
contrast renders Gen. Grants victory doubly gratifying
Whether Braggs army Immediately overtaken and de-
sroyed not his defeat must prove staggering blow to
tho Conederacy 1t nsures Tennessee it is the final ex
tncton of all rebel hopes Of drawing any supplies from
the Southwestern States in the coming winter OF dettu
ton it hold the only railroad that connects
Virginia with the country west of the Alsghsnies; it
leaves only one tier of States between victorious
Western armies and the Gulf and opens the way to the
railroads that connect these States with Charleston and
the Atlantic coast.
Not only has Chckamauga proved to be abarre victory
for the rebels but the concentration Of all their available
forces to retaLe Chattanooga and Tennessee is
abortive aud their desperate effort has resulted Ouy in
such demonstration of their weakness must dspirt
and dshearten their people 1t is evident that the
sources Of the rebels rapidly approaching exhaustion
The inability Of Gen Johnston to collect last summer,
any thing like respectable force for the relief Of Penn
berton during the many weeks he beseged 10 Vcks-
burg was significant but the fact that in all the time that
has interviewed the battle Of Chckamauga the rebels
have been uaabe though putting forth their
ge to collect sufficient body of forces to hold the
tain ridges which they strongly posted before
Chattanooga is conspicuous display of weakness that
must hasten the downfall of the rebellion We see no
way in which the rebel leaders parry the moral effect
of this great but by making scapegoat Bragg
aud imputing it to his ncapacity
If Braegs army should escape Gen Grants vigorous
pursuit it will be badly demorazed for effective ope-
ratons in future With their confidence shaken in hen-
selves their General aud in the their cause the
rebel soldiers will lose their old audacy The prestige
Of enterprisng and constantly victorious General like
Grant will weaken the of their resistance by the
felt mpossblty of They have little conf
dence in strong defensive position after having
been driven from their entertainments on Lookout Noun
tain and Missionary Ridge.
The rebel losses men are indeed not great and con-
mostly of prisoners but the y.two pieces of artl-
ery which captured proves that Braggs retreat no
strategic movement made to gain stronger posi-
ton Besides the object Of his campaign the reco.
very os Chattanooga and the abandonment of the high
ground immediately in front Of it, had it been voun-
tary would be conspicuous confession of miscarriage.
II it possible for Bragg and Logste to fall back
and fleet junction. they might STILL by the aid of good
fortune and we-slected positions reard for while the
advance Of armies to Atlanta But 10 the face OF en-
active and vigiant commander like Gn Grant such a
junction is well nigh impossible and EVENT. accomplished
would be only temporary obstruction 1t would simply
release Burnside's army for offensive operations
The rebels cut 81 from Texas from which they used
to receive cattle aud other important supplies from Ten
and the Southwest great producing region
which they have been accustomed to draw by East
"~"ncssee railroad which they have hope of
recovering the crops in the region that to them
have been scanty and they will fud it next to impossible
"a suupy their armies There is food enough yet if it
were distributed but it is in the hands of planters and
farmers who know that the supply is insufficient to last
ill the neat harvest and who will not part with it, They
will Keep it for their families; if they have
plus they win exchange it for Confederate money,
which will presently be Of value With the short supply
Of food the Coufederacy they have not only their armies
To feed but at least extra million of negroes who have
been withdrawn the States occupied by armies 1t
is safe to assume therefore, that the rebels nearing the
pont of utter and absolute exhauaton-Neo York World