The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-01-31

warnings u Danger srsm East rennss-
NtNE4sg eF see. E~1f 81
Our dispatches Of tho last day Or two
from East Tennessee sboW that the rebels are
unusually active in that quarter. and evidently
Intend 70 recapture Knoxville. II they can.
without loss Of time. This d certainly the
game Of Lcngstrect; for be knows that the for
tinoations Of Knsxville mar be much more
easily carried now than next spring. OF next
month. or even next week; and he knows. too.
from the bountiful manner In which our armies
are supplied. that he would be apt 70 obtain
with the capture of Knoxville subsistence.
medicines, clothing, co.. sufficient To make his
army comfortable for two or three months to
come.
Joe ychnston's forces lately south Of Chat
tanooga. on the roads leading TO Dalton. Geor-
gle, ere reported by a accommodating squad or
two Of Union cavalry a. having disappeared.
The immediate inference Ia that they have bcea
moved round 10 = junction with Longstreet.
The numerous detaohmenta Of rebels, infantry
and cavalry. which short time ago were ops
rating In Che shenandoah valley end
In other valleys among the Virgiaia
mountaina T. he northward, arc not aow
to ha found there. Having diverted our Atten.
zion 10 the protection II the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad and Harpers Ferry. they have'
probably pushed on to q junction with Long
street BY these and other reinforcemen@ it
may be that Longstreet's column Of twenty
vuhn t~xrR aws haQ
enlarged into powerful army Of City thou
sand men, Why nots
We may safely assume that JEFF. Davis Ia
pretty well posted touching the present situa-
ton Of things and the advantages which invite
him to immediate action in East Tennessee.
He knows, at slf events that without East
Tennessee his confederacy is gone, and chat all
hopes Of recovering this important ground may
be dismissed II the task shall be delayed till
the return Of spring The wintry obstacles Of
rains and SHOWS, and miry roads and swollen
streams, may be overcome by Longstreet's
half clad and half starved soldiers, with the
prospect before them Of plentiful supplies Of
provisions and clothing With the Surprise and
capture Of Knoxville. Nor have we any
reason to doubt that this daring enter
prise ia the main object Of all these predatory
operations Of the enemy in Virginia, East Ten.
nessee and Northern Alabama. Desperate
cases call for desperate measures, and thus II
is possible that greater concentration. OF the
enemy may be impending over General Foster
than that which stopped the advance Of Rose
Grams into Georgia.
From Washington and from Tennessee we
have no lack Of reports Of the Generalization
OF the rebel armies and the assertions Of their
soldiers. We would admonish the administra
ton, however, that we have paid somewhat too
dearly for its credulity heretofore in regard tc
such reports to justify any want Of vigilance 0,
preparation at this crisis, in view of q sudden
assault by the enemy, East or West Let US
have no more sleeping or slumbering over Our
great successes, under the pleasing delusion
that the rebellion is ended for we apprehend
that the hardest fighting Of the war is before
us, and that the enemy will open the ball.