The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-05-14
War News of tho Week.

War News of tho Week.
We have given elsewhere resume o
%s. news from the field Of conflict II
Virginia
The news from Cen Sherman's depart
meut is mcagre. Important operations
are unquestionably IN progress IN tha'
quarter but as Gen Sherman allows no
newspaper correspondents with bis army
his movements must be gathered rather
from rebel sources than cur own. ne
movement of Sherman Is ike TINS
Thomas, with The main army, !" IN the
centre, moving straight On the enemy In
'front.' either at Dalton, Rome. Atlanta OF
wherever he may make stand. On hi'
right is Mcpherson, making long dstour
from Huntsville to strike Johnston rear
wherever that may be, when Thomas en-
cages him; and on his left is another
column moving east Of Dalton to turn
Johnston's right.
The only news really received from
Sherman is, that, after three days heavy
diminishing south Of Tunnel Hill, the
enemy have been driven back to Rocky
->-., D-..aIu Ss~~-t- aI-~-*-ius'
from which Thomas army is now engaged
in expelling him.
1t is asserted that the largest number OF
effective men ever collected in . Western
army, is now south of Ringgold, ready
for advance. The preparations have had
a significance of their own. The men
march light-that is without wagons.
There are rumors at Cincinnati that
Johnston has been defeated in . battle at
Dalton, and is retreatins towards Atlanta.
Gen. Banks is still at Alexandra, while
Porter's feet is above, working its way
slowly down with an occasional loss of
transport from guerillas and batteries on
shore. Two Of the gunboats have already
been blown up on account of the impossi>
bilIty Of getting them down by reason of
low water, and the whole fleet is in more
or less danger. Gen. Smith, will remain
on Red River until Porter can get ut
Banks has been superseded in his COM
msnd by Gen. Candy, who is now on his
way to Alexandria The whole Red Riv.
err expedition under Banks management
has proved a miserable failure.
Gen Steele, who had marched from
Little Rock to Red River to cooperate
with Banks, and who, in consequence OF
Banks failure, was left alone with 5000
men, to cope with the whole rebel army
that had whipped Banks with 30 600 men
and fleet of gunboats, got back to Little
Rock on the Sd inst, saving most Of his
men. but losing nearly all his trains. his
advance and retreat, when written by a
competent hand, will make nearly as in
teresting a history es the celebrated re-
treat of Xenophon. We have a fne
sketch of it in the St. Louis Republican,
and shall try to publish next week.
Since Grant has left the West matters
have evidently been growing worse on the
Mississippi. Fort Pillow has been cap
tured by the rebels; not a mile Of Red
River is safe for steamboat navigation
except strongly conveyed; Natchez IS
threatened; SO is Port Hudson; and SO
is Ration Rouge Guerrillas swarm be.
hind the lsvees fir. M Cairo to New Orleans
and navigation is nearly ns unsafe a.
before Vicksburg was taken. Last August
q steamboat, without = convey or even g
gun on board, could pass from New Orr
leans to Cairo without the least fear
Advices from East Tennessee state that
the Federals have SO thoroughly destroyed
the Virginia and East Tennessee Railroad
from Wautaga River to Bulls Gap that
months will be required to render il
servicsable again.
gagement in Albenarls Seund,-thc
rebel ram Albenarle, with her satellite,
the Cotton Plant, and the gu.boat Bomb
shell, captured by the rebels at Ply mouth,
contending with seven Federal sunboats.
The fight lasted three hours, and resulted
in the capture of the Bombshell BY the
Federals, anil the disabling of the FEEDER
al Sunboat Sassacue. The -am succeeded
~ shc AeOAHOAS hiVeI. lUc
rebel ram on the Neuse River is hard
aground, and her engine has been taken
out by the rebels.
The rebels are displaying great activity
at Charleston. A considerable number of
heavy mortars have been meunted at
Fort Sump.er to FIRE open the Morris
Island batteries; seven iron-clads have
been finished, and are now afloat in the
harbor; and all indications point to the
curly resumption Of offensive operations
by the rebels
dispatch from Fortees> Monroe states
that nine officers OF colored regiments
have resigned "fer insufficient cause. at
the approach Of active operations" But