The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-10-15
GENERAL sHEamAN's POSITION

Prov, the Trf5Vrs.
The report which WAS circulated yestsrdav op
Rebel authority that Rome hai been csptured nv
Hood, seems to have caused O little oommotjop
among the gold gambler, in Wall street. b,t ia
moet unlikely to be tue. That town is fortified
and strongly garrisolcd, and not being on sber.
mans direct line of communications, yonId not
have been attacked for the purpose of lnterrunt.
Ing them, nor would is los, be important. Tho
story rested upon a reported advance Of tho main
body of Hoods army northward; aud il II had
any foundation would In fact be taken to indic,te
that such movement was In progress But We
do not deem that probable.
The Rebel Department which includes ueor-
Bla and Alabama, has been put under Bcalre
gard Just when Hood was superseded we do
not Know, but II is not likely tina. the new COM
maneer has found time TO undertake q new cam.
Baisn ON large scale. II not, then all the
Rebel operations in Northern Georgia and
alabama relate to the efforts of Wheeler and
Forrest to break up the CHATTANOOGA and Nlgb-
ville railtoad, and the cooperating attempts on
the Chattanooga anu atlanta road. Both these
efforts have been made and repulsed
Forrest has been driven back across the Ten
nesSee, ana the very serious attempt on Ala
tOona on the 9th instant, by largo force under
French, resulted in the total defeat of the RobeIs
Both those expeditions were undertaken AZ the
moment most favorable for their succoss yybile
General sherman was concentrated at Atlanta
huu DttOfe ne nhu uetaChed anv considerable
force for the protection of these railway iinss
When Forrest crossed the Tennessee, few troons
could DO gottOgether at first to oppose bis al
vance, yet It was less than fortnight before he
s,s Wa sent whlrlinS' back again. SO Of the
IL was arranged for Just in tlme. General sber.
man subsequently telegraphed :-"I had antci.
Paled ms attack, aud had ordered from Rome
Oehcrai COrse with reinforcemeuts." He him self
reached Kenesaw mountain SO az TO vyitness tba
repuses-the enemy losing 200 dead and lOO1
wounded and prisoners. So thorough wac tho
defeat that this Rebel force has not since been
heard from in any quarter. And in fact Forrest
was driven beyond the Tennessee river ON the
same day, October 6, that this Alatoona defeat
occurred, so that the two main columns Of tho
h91eI sdVsnce came simultaneously to grief.
- Forrest has been reported again this side the
tennessee, and we now have the story about
Rome. But against all rumors of mischief Is IN
DO set the sure fact that Sherman has had abun
. uns uLne 70 meet al such marauderS, to get his
posts In order, to dispose his forces, and though
II impossible to guard every single rail on line
oi three hundred miles, yet to defend efrsctuaIIv
the points OF importance that were exposed. He
himself assured us, in a despatch of the gth tb,t
Hood, observing our approach has movaS ANAL
Dack 10 ballas and Van Wirt, and am ga,chjn1
MIN IN case he tries TO reach Kingston or Rome
huana 10 perfectly secure TO u.s. and this army is
better of than In camp
We do not suppose Hood can, at that tirro nor |
since, have moved his main army 30 far north as |
Dallas which is about forty miles north west of |
hhautHi anu ten OF Twelve west Of the railroad |
IL seems pretty certain that the Rebel leader
tnough retreating first on Jonesboro drew gradu,
auy on towards the West Point road, and scat.
Tered his divisions on that line, In order % feed
them: His wagons are said to have been In good |
part lost at Atlanta, and he would therefore
lack the means for 4 movement to tho north II |
was further reported that the iron of the West
foint road was being removed for the constrnc
ton OF new road from Griffin on tho Macon |
iiRe, to West Point, which might facilitate a move
through Alabama, but not to Northwesiern |
georgia. And it Is an evidence how little Gene
raj sherman feared an attack on Rome. that he
summoned from that place the division which
marcded to the relief Of AlstOOna.
IL iS only necessary TO remark, further that
some sort or continuous operations in Sherman's
rear are to be expected as matters Of cour,e
doOd, or Beauregard, whichever commands in
The field, cannot afford to lie still and see their
armies mclt away by desertion while Sherman ia
preparing for new campaign. They must trv
something. They have tried and lost what was
heir Dest chance OF mischief, but it need not bo
'uppo sed they will give up. Attack upon Sher-
mans front is the one thing they are not crazy
'nough TO attempt, but every other ncans Of !
larassing him, however desperate, may be looked
or sherman lcoks for it, and has laid his plans |
accordingly. AT AlatoSna and Atlanta it was !
lis hrst business TO collect magazines of pro-
'iSions, and he Is supposed to be supplied for a !
month without another carload from the North |
He has all Central Georgia 70 forage iu. He !
las a numerous and victorious army, and he has
better head for war than Hood and BeaureRard |
nd Bragg and Davis, all together. Thess childish ! ,
pprehensions of disaster, which have no better |
Xcuse than Rebel lie, and which are fomented |
" gamblers and traitors in Wall street degprva ,
othi1g but rebuke and contempt.