, 1863-12-31
FROM TENNESSEE,

WASHINGTON, Dec S0.-The following has
been received ut headquarters Of tie army:
CHATTANOOGA, Dec. $, 1865.
TO Major General HalIeclz:
Col. Long, of the 4tA Ohio cnraky, COM
manding tho 2d division Of cavalry reports
The rebel Gen. Wheeler with l 1,oW or 1 500
cavalry and mounted infantry attacked Col
Siebcrt and captured supply tr,in from
Chattanooga, for KNOXVILLE, about II o'clock
this morning at Charlcstown, on tic south
bank of the Hiawasse.
ment at Ch1r1estown Inst night, anj Colonel
seibert's skirmishers hotly engaged with the
enemy this morning before Col. Long was
apprizcd Of their approach. !:
He Immediately moved the small .oree for
dpty ri in his campat the TING l5o & ma crossed
liter gasa G3 Long 4e pa4sng aS9s enS aeH
closely, discovering aportion Of tlcir force
cut oil on the right. He charged ttqm with
sabres, completely .de1nolishing an{6catter-
ing, them in great confusion and in every d.
tectioD.
Several Of the enemy, number not known,
we're killed and wounded. One hundred
and twenty-one prisoners were captured, in
cluding five commissioned officers.
The Hnin rebel column lied and were pur-
sued five miles on the Dalton roal, and
when last seen were flying prccipitately.
wounded. The officer in command Of the
courier station Mt Cleveland also reports
that he WAS attacked carly this morning, Dec.
aSth, BY force Of 100 rebels. lie drove them
off, however.
{Signcd) GRO Fl. THOMAS,
Major General Commanding.
KNOXVILLE, Dec. 10, 1853
One Of The first things Gen. Foster finds
himself called upon to do, Is to perfect his
line of communication with the North. lie
designs abandoning Burnside's pla1 "a plan
surely original, in this age Of railroads and
steamboats-of bringing forward hissapplies
ria Niclolasyil1e, Camp Nelson, andCumber-
land Gap, about two hundred miles in Wag
will be placed In repair at the earliest posi-
bic moment, and the work Of accmulating
quazt2rmastcr, commis5ary, and ordnance
stores prosecuted with unreMitti1g vigor.
The most important bridge destroyed on the
road between Knoxville and Chatta1ooga IL
tLat hy which the Holston River wa| crossed
1T loudon. The old bridge was d Imagnit1-
cent structure, some 1,70o feet loi:, built
upon massive stone piers about cue hun
dTc1 and fifty feet apart, It Ras de-
stroyed by fire when Burnside's cEry into
Tennessee compelled the rebels to eyacuatc
loudon, and cannot be replaced except at n
cost Of great labor and consldcnhc delay.
Tho rapid nature Of tls stream. which is frc-
Gucntly raised 10 n great height By the rains
in the mountains, precludes tue possibility Of
employing any temporary structure p supply
its place. The piers are still standing, but
little damaged by the means takcn tf destroy !
them, and tLc woEkmen arc now engaged up
on tho tinbers for bridge almost lpon the
model Of the old one. Capt ]. Huntington,
is sanguine OF completing it in frdm six to
eight weeks from the present W1itilg. The
Tennessee uud Hnlston Rivers are nov IN ex-
cel!ent stage for navi gation, and vii remain
so Until after the usual rains In Mardi. And
plies for Gen. Fosters army will be
brought from Chattanooga to lcudon By
steamer, and from thence brought forward
By rail. We Aaye three steamers above the
Muscle shoais-the Paint Rock, thi Chatta-
nooga nnd the Dunbar: The two former
order, BY General RoEecrans' forces. The |
Dunbar, in an unfinished state, Wassunk by
the rebels, but rafsed and completed since
TIC battle Of ChicIamnuga. Gen. Burnside
found the keel Of another boat on ihe why's
at KensinEton- junction Of tho Holston
been stationed at that point, comnetcd the
hull, and during the siege Of Knoxville, float |
ed it down to Chattanooga. Machinery is
being brought from the North, and this
fourth steamboat will in short time be
ready for use.
er steamboat ut Kingston, and will probably
have the hull completed By spring.; The tilh-
bcr for steamboat building is very fine and
abundant, and tue only drawback Col. Bird |
will meet will be the scarcity Of nails, which,
during the present Inadequate means Of |
transportation from the North, he is manu-
featuring from iron taken from the hills sur |
rounding him. it is said that even Fith this |
additional labor and expense. stcamtDats can |
be constructed at Kingston much cheaper |
tlan in Cincinnati or Louisville. THIS is q |
grand tribute to the energy with Which Gen. |
Grant ia prosecuting affairs In his division. |
He is not only driving the rebels bdore him
is constructing steamboats, from theikcel up
wards to navigate Southern Riyir6, and |
using the natural resources Of the territory |
he las conquered, to push his conaiest fur
thcr on
Tuscumbia, present distractions so formila- |
bic that steamboats, cannot ascend the Tenn |
cesce river from its mouth to Chattanooga.
There ere now three or four transports and q
light draft gunboat, however, lyin. ct the |
foot Of the shoals, awaiting the tine when
tue river attains It's flood height, Taich VIII
then be made to bring them all over the
shoals. This will be no new experiment, as
boats have been warped over them yrars ago
They can bring no load, however, and are de- |
signed for use above the shoals.
When the railroad is completed from
nooga TO Knoxville, these boats will al find
profitable employment upon that portion Of
the Tennessee between Bridgeport md Deca-
tur, along Which some point will doubtless
be selected as base OF operations in Ala
bama.
The Cincinnati Sanitary Fair.
CNc1xsAT1, Dec. S0.-The Sanitary Fair
closes on Saturday night. The Produce and
Merchandise Hall, for the reception Of dona-
tions Of merchandise and country produce,
will continue open until January 9ta.
From Louisville.
LOUISVILLE, Dec. S0.-About thrte-fourths
of The 2sth Pennsylvania infantry having re-
enlisted have arrived ea route for Philadel-
plia, expecting to reach there Jan ninth, On
q thirty days furlough.