, 1864-02-05

Tue 1TOnls NQN lu4uIuSs &0E- [@& E%Ao10AA5
superintcuded its movements. The enemy |
cndeayored By n flank movement with their !
cavalry to get into our rear. The quick eye |
Of the General SO arranged matters as to
throw jenkins Qate Hood 81 division In their |
front, and he ordered Gen. Martin to throw a
t1cm upon jenkins. Martin gave the order.
The enemy, without being pressed, came
Unexpectedly on jenkins, and were driven
pell-incll, as We supposed, on Martins caval-
Is. But, alas! the cavalry, bV aome mistake,
had gone aronnd to the front Of the enemy
and to the rear Of jenkins, and, Of course,
the way was open for their escape, Of which
they took the earliest advantage and went on
tbcir way rejoicing.
There is something wrong about the cava1-
~ officers. The natetil e us good as can
be desired, bnt the discipline is wretched,
and It is almost inefficient in consequence
We must havea change in our cavalry leaders.
They fall back too soon, advance too seldom;
allow their men to scatter, Struggle and pill
lagc, to such an extent, that, instead Of
baud Of chcraliers, fighting foT liberty, they
hare become loosely organized mass OF ma
rau1ers, and the love Of plundering has 80 fur
prcaominntea, tint the fruits Of victory are
often lost from the fact the cavalry is plum
derinp when Il should be pursuing.
4 striking instance Of this occurred In the
present movement. Harrison's brigade was
ordered to make certain Increment Which
promised the successful capture of about
LOCO horses from which the enemy had dis
mounted. The more was made, the horses
actually captured, the men in charge shot
under sufficient guard, our cayaly became
mob Of plundcrcFs, commenced rifing the
host}crs Of pistols, loaded themselves with
spoils and, in the midst Of ethelr confsuion, q
brigade OF Federnl cnyalxy dashed in, recoT-
cred the horses and scattered our men.
JT,-&H ,1n{ {a IA $a rt-$i1
not only continue, but eIow worse, until the
name Of caya]1yman will carry With it SO
much rcproach that the truly patriotic OF
their number land there are many Will blush
10 be known as belonging to the organization:
For this evil there is but one remedy-strict
! ing General owes it to himself, to this arm Of
| tue service, and, more than all, to the coun-
| try, 10 see that these things are redrcsscd-
Had the cavalry been US efficient as it would
| have been under leader like Ransom or
| Hampton, this would have been the last week
| for federal forces in East Tennessee Where
| ever they met our men they showed that they
! were utterly dcmora1ized, and depended en-
! t1re]y on their flcctncss Of foot for safety
| Our infantry could not follow them--the
| roads arc Nrctched-tbe snow almost con-
| stantly upon the ground, and many, many OF
| the men unshod.
The Infantry did all that it went to do-re-
eist the advance Of the enemy. The pursuit
rested with the cavalry. Had 1t been led
| With the dash and toldness that the occasion
| demanded, the whole Federal force, wagons
and all, wolud hive been in imminent peril AZ
| it is, the movement has been full Of fruits:
We now occupy and control TINT part OF
| East Tennessee capable to sustain our army.
We are at present well fed The Yankees
| are on half rations, and driven back to the
| nelghborhood OF Knoxville; their bill ol
fare twill grow small BY degrees and beauts-
fully less, until at last they must retire from
this portion Of the State,
| OI men are we'll hutted, In fine spirits,
well fed, aud, in a few days more, viii b
well clothed. After that, If the cavalry will
ha1f do it's duty, If starvation has not already
driven the Yankees out, our troops will
TuE SOUTH ON TIE DEFENSIVE.
from the Richmond Eznuatner, Jan. 81
The time has passed for offensive military
operations on the part Of Southern armies
Beyond recovering lost portions Of territory
| the true policy now is to risk nothing. Al
first, before MARYLAND, Kentucky and Missou
ii iwere lost, We might have gained much bJ
taking Washington and penetrating to thu
centre Of the enemy's power. But we ther
threw ourselves on the defensive, allowed
| our soil to be invaded, consented that OIL
| own supplies should enbsist the troops o.
both belligerents, and suffered the extensiEt
| belt between the two hostile nations, Whict
was desolated BY the contending forces, to bt
subsistence have now been too far exhausted
to admit any other than defensive tactics
We must stand behind the wide belt Of 1ant
which war has deyasted, and put our enem,!
to the hazard and cost Of crossing that VII
dcrncss Of dcstitution. We may recover Ten
nessee md Arkansas, we may carry our line
to the banks of the Potomac, We may preven
the navigation Of the Mississippi By the cor
stant presence, ut certain pointa, Of movabl
batteries Of artillery; but in these, and IN al
our military enterprises and operations, vi
must observe the wary tactics of Fabfus, ant
win the battle By risking nothing.
Hereafter our strength will consist In oul
very poverty. Our country is too eparsell
Inhabited, scarcely supplied with food ant
foFnge, to be successfully invaded Tor IN IN
definite period. The war will last as long ~
| the North eau maintain muster-rou strength
Of three.qnarters Of q million, and spport at
| army of four hundred thousand men at dis
! tapce Of several hundred miles from Its basl:
| Of subsistence. It hns become With rs noN
simple question Of endurance. we cal
husband our resources; we can maintain ou
| armies at q standard Of strength hpportionet
to the productive capacities Of the country
I when outnumbered, we can weary the eheh.
and Wnete his strength by artfu1 man9nvres
attacking him in detail and de troying him ..
piccemeal; but If We undertake more, :"
risk all.
and presents no where any large accumHla
tion OF supplies. In the compact States 9
Europe, Whcre every foot Of the soil
BROUGHT into requIsation, where agriculture !
at the maximum, where every acre gEoans VII
redundant crops, invasion By large armies
comparatively not only practicable, pu
profitable and eelfbustaining. There, armie
move over great distances without the apper
dare Of leagues Of wagon trains, drawn
their food along for hundreds Of miles benin
them. But the case is verg different on th
; / H. Il otvyYl14f1 f1ro{ xtf
fact is witnessed in the case Of East Tenne
see, where the Federal armies are now con
| pelied to retreat from sheer want Of SUPPLE
, Yet that country is cmphatically the granas
OF the South. The traveller will see on t
roadside from Bristol to Chattanooga, in Il
month Of June, more wheat, than Il he col
r tipues Ills journey on to Vicksbnrg, the
travels BY the Southern route back all Il
way to Richmond, then up the famed Jam
, River Valley, and through Southwest VI
giniu to Bristol aga1n. The enemy have occ
pied East Tennessee only four or I'VE month
;. sually abundant harvest OF all crops had bel
secured, rendered grcater by the cxtraort
nary e1ertions Of the inhabitants, put for
under the invitation Of Mr. Davis corn-plaI
Ing proclamation last spring. Just after t
heaviest crop ever raised IA that product,
out By Bragg, and the enemy invited to ent
y | ard enjoy. Yet they are now forced to eve
nate d large portion Of the most producti
mcat and corn country In the Confederat
y from sheer want Of supplies
J: The fact proves that no @ portion Of our ~ +
amy, It proves that, in order to our sub
0ation. the North must transport seve
f,un1rrd thousand troops orer distances
several hundreds Of miles, and support th'
at these long Distances with supplies brou.
from home With the South, tas duration
snnn1y Of food for our people and arm
NTH the North, It's duration Is question
enlistment and finnnce-a question OF recr1
sne muste1-roll strength Of at least tht
r. o,arters Of million Of men for their arm]
u and Of maintaining system Of finance sa It t.,
lrndred thousand troops and their subs
ar. cuce over distances Of many hundreds
'm miles.
after alI this waste and extravaganza
III of only, at the eleventh hour, she does not
r. 10 submission In six months more, By c
ne scriptiug her present producing. classes
K thr1istinr them into an unclad and m
- army. The great want Is more food
U clotl.in.-a want which cannot be supp
~ ~ by multiplying mouths, backs and leeta1
coyefing. The first duty Of Goyernmen
Of to provide these supplies; and t they can
n; nK, be provided except By weakening the ar
10y the alternative must be adopted Of reslsl
Fnr. With smaller armies, using the tactics OF
LILLE bius and the strategy Of defense.
snd FEARS FOR THE SAFETY or RICHMOND.
~" rFrnu the Ricbmo1d Examiner, Jan. 16.]
o. Ecwsua, cr columns are not precisely
ptT- best media for conveying lntosmauon
Gcncrul's plans or purposes. FLAMING {
i taIe and notes of exclamation are better Il
1'- for onnouncipr the contemplated movtm