, 1863-11-05
From Our Special Correspondent

RAkkR's FERRI, Tennessee Rtver,1
October q, 1868.
As intimated in my last communication,
movement was on the tspis which promised
most important results-nothtug less thau
the occupation Of Lookout Mountain, and
the yalley Of the Tennessee River. So long
az these two positions were In the hands of
the enemy the abandonment Of Chatt.nooga
MAS foregone conclusion. It was barely
possible, while the roads were good to trans-
port 1ations and forage from Bridgeport and
Stevenson in quantities sufficient to sustain
life. But when the fall rains came on, that
route would be closed, and unless newer
and more practicable one could be devised,
we would be forced to fall back to Bridge
port aid the sequatchie Valley with the
doubtful possession Of Chickamagua. This
was the situation Of the; supply question
when Gen. Grant arrived and established his
headquarters ut Chattanooga. Almost his
first official act vas to direct Gen. Hooker,
with the 11th ard 12th army corps to cross
the river at Bridgeport ard follow up the line
Of railroad to shellmonnt, thence along the
base ef Raccon Mountain Range, across the
Lookout Mountain. At the same time M.jor
Gen. Palmer was directed to cross with his
division Waldron's Ridge, pass into the Be-
qustchie Valley snd striks. the River at Rank
ms Ferry, and hold himself in readiness to
cooperate with Gen. Hooker. The latter
expedition your correspondent accompanied.
It is my purpose In this letter to detail fen
Of the inctdenta.-
DEPARTURE.
We were ordered to be in column at two
o'clock Sunday morning, and, puactua1ly at
the hour, after hasty bite Of coffse and hard
bread, ne we're in the saddle and crossing the
pontocn bridge at Chattanooga. The neces.
tity Of an carly start will be apparent, when
it Is rem embered that the route we were to-
take led us along the bank Of the Tennessee
River, at point where from one bank to-
the ether scarce]y two hundred yards inter!
thither bank are thickly posted, and think 1t
'tno great shakes" Of feat to knock over q
horse or pick off q man every shot We had
little interest, therefore, IN passing the ugly
spot before daylight.
UP TIE MOUNTAIN. j,
The accent Of this spur Of Waldron's Ridge
Is very like the deHcent Of the same rapgs
over which passed when I first reached Chat.
tsncoga. For the tsdown" In my description OF
have q faif idea Of the route. The road Is, il
any thing, more rocky and rugged, and the
mountain sides more broken and preclpitous:
The suck ls mountain stream which rushes
down fftghtful gorge, extending from eum.
nit to base, and atus immensely to the Wild
AID picturesque beauty Of the ecenery. Every
turn cf its winding roa6-bed, gaye Us an e1-
nt1{kita vihw nj the mnunfnfn t0pranf ~.r1e&r
as crJstal-which, swollen By the recent rains,
1oa1ed ard Teamed over It's rocky bed, non
1ushirg madly down rome lofty preclpice like
miniature Niagara, snd agsin RAINING in
steady, ercktn volume, few rods ahead,
.gain 10 tumble into the valley below. So,
from top to bottom, plunging, 1oa1ing, foam
irg, through forests Of evergreen and forests
Of csk, and chestnut and birch, gloriously
host-tiuged and tinted, the Mountain Suck
1eoches the Tennessee. It is q bit Of noun
tain ecerery which ! hsFe never seen paral-
ltled, and well xorthy journey to Cnatta-
bathtd In golden sunlight on That glorious
Sabbath morning.
cAMPm.
We reached the top Of the mountain with
our batteries, our wagons, and our an1-
balances, with 70 other loss than using up
ard throwing donn tie steep ten mules and
1c1Eee, whose powcls It endurance we're not
equal to the demands upon them, and SO
s'Wi1ted" in their tracks, and, Ut IN esrIy
tonr, ercan,ptd. Unfortunately, our supply
wagons wele the last that reached he top Of
the hill, and 1t WAS dark before ne could
break our list, ard indulge In soldiers fre,
ItTer So we'll re}ished a. st the termination
cfa la1d days ma1ch-hard brtad and coffee
Onr tents had not arrived at bed time, and
ne sr1zad cut our bl.1kets, vith our let to. to.
wa1ds tie fire, and laid down uIder the smoke
to keep off the dew, and tlept eoundly until
1eyeille SOUNDED at tsylight,
"A STRONG MINDED WOMAN.
About eight in The morning a soldier ap-
proacEed the camp fire around which Gen,
Palmer ard tie rest Of US were seated, having
In thalge two other folders and q strong
minteo woman, the Eite of a tallow faced
den,zen Of the mountainH. The General de.
tired the woman to explain her business.
She was Virgo, and Getting her arms aki1p-
10, NTH her cool btack eyes alfght With 1nger.
and Ter sTar'by Tisage all agloM with enthu.
ssa:% IT, thu e, 1ssornttd h hsF gileraeses:
ced.1 Eekate tf Joa AZ, must faJ, you've
got the e-tt set of rapsca1liors it was evar
ny lo1tu1e g to orkon!ss."
well, my good woman what have they
"Dun, WHIT hsyn't they dun. In the first
We sold 'em to this 'ere federal army to Keep
'em from tta.vin; nc had 4 few bnshels left
ever, which We lalclatea to get three dollars
q butEel for, but these cuesed thieves have
dun gene stole 'em."
But 60 yeu know they have stole your
potateess They shall be pu1ished,'' said
Gen. PalEer emphatically.
II didn't ste ZEN stea1 'em, bat know
they had none when they knm here, and I
fouId = bag Ct 'eIa In the hind end of the
ssgin.n
The General being lawyer. WIS unable to
sec that the guilt VAS properly saddled upon
the r1tsc cEer, and ordered his release.
Soldier No. 7ss tall, wicked looking
CLAP, who had stolen bowie knife, and
upen him the she devil poured the yi.ls cf
her II digrAtion. Tho evidence was fortu-
Iatejy batter in this i1ttar ce, fer, at the dead
hour Of night, when ghosts ard thieves are
supposed to be doing their dirty work, sha
hs d hterd m ominous sound at her smoke
house ioor, and sailipg ont Of Ter bedroom,
clothed with innocence and 4 dimity night
gown Of cGubtfnl purity, had eeIzed bean
ac1cse his back 81 he was making free with
tie Fork and axings she had Ibid aside for
her own table. She didn't care for the 'tpork
and ta:ers,' be had taken, for he droppsd
them In his flight, and she eustained no loss.
Tie soldier, not knowing whether he had
erconxtered man, ghost Or dtvil In the dark
ness, teszed huge bowie knife, and brand
i*hiI e 1t btfcre her a.tonished eyes m ade hls
exit feftre ehe recovered from an iocfpient
sTGor. Next me rr1ng she sought him cut,
ard chsrged lin before the Geteral with
stealing the Brff1, aud demanded dYe dollars
not y oIth shilling, but the soldier paid her
three dollars, md was released.
MONDAYS MARCH,.
We ma,ched s1opg ths Anderson road ali
Gay Monday; until u struck the road Ieadfug
tn Eurreft1 f3aD. Af The fnot nf Eh}rh fha