The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-10-09
A sensation Letter.
The N Y. Herald publishes the fol.
lowing letter:


As'i at Richmond on a. Ist Of Sc icisbcr-I tan o.
as Fall and Water Ccmpugn-TAe Dsrsasire Polios
70 be ADHERED 'o-The sauaae-n Armics 10 b coaeyp
trot'd a, RisAm ND aBd CSoaanoogu--Ths s,apss 10
Be Liberated, .is,aed cad Isocrporsis1 into GsF
Armfss
About the last Of August q secret mil
itary council was held AZ Richmond,
which was also attended by several of
several of the mo't eminent Southern
statesmen. JEFF Davis, being then in
very feeble heellh had summoned TO the
rebel capi'Sl Gen. Lee, Gen. Johnston,
and Gen. Bsauregard.
AT the time this council assembled the
forces AZ the disposal OF the rebels scarce
ly exceeded 300 900 Electives, while
they knew that the U1ion armies In the
| held amounted TO 100000 men. They
estimated Gen. Meade's force on the
Rappshannock at 10000 troops that
Gen. Ro>ecrans (who was then advan-
cling from Murfreesb"ro and Shelbvvile
towards the Tennessee river had $4,000,
and that Burnside (who was then ad.
vancing towards the Clinch river, on his
way to Knoxvilla) had so 600 troops.
They supposed that the latter two bodies
of troops, amounting together in the ag-
grega'e, as they estimated, TO 100 900
men, were, of course, acting in concert,
in pursuance of some definite and W n
considered plan, and that ey were aim.
Jig at Chattanooga 6rst, with the ultl-
mate design Of penetrating the interior
g
troops confronting them at two points.
To oppose them, after properly providing
for the defence of Charleston and Mo-
bile, deducting the armies of observation
on the peninsula and in North Carolina,
aud providing for operations ia Ttx4s
and tor necessary garrisons aud guards
they had only about 1S9 600 men imme-
diately on the line OF the proposed Ope
rstions--namely, liz, 900 under Lee, and
| 10000 under Bragg. So that when Ia !.
council came to look the matter sauarelg in
the face they found that aftere xhausting
all their Efforts they wonld be compelled
TO mahouvTe their 1000 CONTESTANTS in
such manner 40 at least 70 bsffl, and
keep at bay the $50 600 Union troops
who were advancing against them. Be-
ing, therefore, l00. 900 men weaker than
the North for all the PURPOSES of the
campaign, 1t was seen that in order to
prevent defeat, IL would be necessary for
them TO concentrate their forces at such
points and az such times that they would
be always greatly superior in numbers
F.; on decisive fields and at critical mo
me ITS. In order to effect this, they made
arrangements for the concentration OF all
their disposable forces at two command
ing p ,ints-na nely, at Richmond and
at atlanta. IL required some time 70
carry these arrangements into eff-ct.--
AT that juncture the rebel forces " ere
very much scattered. Besides that, the
military operations thea in progress in
Tennessee required great watchfulness,
and the exercise OF much tact on the
part OF Gen. Johnston, TO whom that de-
partment had been assigned.
The latter OH ,er, however, who, az a
strstegis,, has but one superior in the
rebel army, made some very SIX llful 90 N
binations, the results Of which we're seen
10 the battles of September 20 and 81
Gen. JOhnston's first object was 70 Gu,
IF Burnside, before the latter could eff
feet junction with kosecrans; and, al
though Bragg had not troops enough At
the time 70 accomplish this design, yet
! I. &c still entertained, and may vet be
carried into effect,
The actual results of the battles OF
September 20 and Fl have not yet been
made public. Unless my information IL
at fault however, those results are such
as will of necessity put an end 20 the
campaign in Eastern Tennessee for this
year, aud will compel the army Of Rose
Grams to abandon Chat anoofa and re-
treat 10 Nashville. AS regards Burnside
he ia in imminent peril Of being cut of
II is out of the question for him TO effect
a junction with Roseorans now. II was
his failure TO do so when II was in his
power, during the fret two weeks In
September, that caused the repulse Of
Roseorans.
The programme which had been agreed
upon before this council met for the cam.
paign Of the fall and winter was briefly
stated In nv letter Of September % You
may depend upon il that programme W III
be prosecuted with the utmost strength
Of the @ infederAoy. II is based upon /
strict adherence TO the defensive policy
except so far as relates TO Washington.
But there was another mat er that va
brought before the council-a matlsr o
such ranscendent importance thatit vii
startle the world when it becomes kno Wn
because it il is carried into Effect, il viii
change the whole aspect Of the war |
is the proposal 10 iberats aud arm the
slaves and to organizs them into Tegi
ments. To the abolitioDiNs and radica
republicans OF the North this ststemen
will seem almost incredible. but 4
those of the readers Il the Herald VIII
have lived or travelled in the y nth, An'
who know from their own obseryatipE
what slavery really 10, aud wh'
understand the nature of the re
, lntions that exist between the kin'
aud iudicious master and the slave
to those who know the fee lings OF mu
tual attachment aud respect which exis
between the slaves and their mas ers-
the matter will seem probable enough
Tue Southern people are not afraid
put arms In the hands Of their flAvei
: because they know aud have proved IN
3 fidelity Of the Ia ter The aiming Of VI
slaves, 40 an ultimate resort, entered int
the calculations Of the rebel leaders Z
an early period Of the war. The actui
D measure itse has been deferred for var
= Gus reasons o reason was that tb
q negroes heretofore could DO made moi
I useful 81 home In rsi,ing the crops &
the support II the armies m the D Ia a.
j. Al a.. ,.cti tu uf riff auun4 AnDfh