, 1864-10-30
From our Special Correspondent

From our Special Correspondent
NASHVILLE, Oct 2G, 1891.
4 gentleman CONNECTED with the army has
arrived here, direct from Sherman's army,
which he LIFT on Saturday morning, making
his way With 3 courier to Chattanooga. He
gives an inspiring account of the situation,
and asserts that he never saw troops IN
better condition than are those with Sher,
man. They are all confident that they will
Boou oEe1take and utterly rout Hood, whose
rear guard Is often in sight Of cur advance.
The men are we'll supplied with provisions,
and forage for animals is abundant. When
he left Sherman, our forces we're In the r.
cinaty Of GalesVille, = few miles to the north
Of the Cooza, where they had eucamped, on
Friday uight-Hood being q short distance
on the Gadeden read
The soldiers In Hoods army are iudulgtug.
even more than their wont, In struggling,
and somehow these st1agglers continue to
reach our lines. They amount to several
hundred day, and are nearly all without
shoes That this is no exaggeratiou, I have
occular proof; 1,20 Of them arrived in this
city this morning, and walked along the
ftreete, through the cold ra1u, amid deep
s1ueh, more than half OF them barefooted,
and but lew with blankets.
several Of them-that before reachIpg our
lines, they had nothing but parched c5Tn to
eat, but OF this they had plenty, foraging to
their bearts' content.
The men here represented all three Of
Hoou's corps, 60 that no doubt can exist Of
the tact that he has his whole army with
him, which, numbers some 1900 men, in
Gliding cavalry.
Whe1 Hood reaches Gadsden, be has but
two courses in which be can march; he must
either move to the Tennessee River, at Gun
theresa, or southward to jackson eille, the
terminns OF the Montgomery and Talladeya
Railroad. Although It will be an act Of des-
pe1ation on his part to move north, there
are many reasons to believe he will do 1t
jeff Davis told The Georgians that he would
strike our communications far from the
point Sherman expected an assault, and he
also promised Cheatham's men that they
should soon tread Tennessee soil, and In one
Of bis speeches he declared that be expected
$1,000 recruits from Tennessee. A retreat
fouthWard Wouldscertainly arouse the people
Of Georgia, Who are now demanding peace;
therefore he must move north, or run the
risk of seeing the Empire State OF the South
detach ttsed frtm the Southern Confed.
eracy.
Beside, desperate diseases require despe-
rate remedies and, while Hood has shown
himself no General, SO far as Judgment fs
concerned, he has never exhibited auy Tear
Of the consequences By any m0Vem ent, how
ever reckless but he has played war until
be has lost half bis army; and 1t is hardly
supposed that he has become cautious at
This late date.
There are Indications Of an intention, on
his part. to move North besides the general
ones already indicated. The MontComery Mil
of the 10th, said that all malls and baegspa
for the Tennessee army had been ordered to
point in North Alabama, near the river;
ard Forrest is known to be recounoltering
1ora crossing place at the Muscle Shoals,
while Dick Taylor is enthering all bis forces
In the vicinity of Meri5ian. A complete
junction Of all these scattered fragmeutr will
make an army OF 5000 infantry, 10000 caT-
airy and 1uu supply OF artillery; but if
that force gets North of the Tennessee, it
will never get back again I know
that Sherman Is extremely anxious that Hood
eball undertake this movement. The Tennes-
see River is very high, aud the rise is not
eden one, like those which io1low summer
rains; II, is plenty up, for six months, and
our gunboats can patrol it. from Chltta-
nooea to the mouth, except at the shoals,
which are 70 miles long, and 1t is here that
think they will find little Resistance, in
tht1r northern movements, till they get across
the river; but getting south viii not be so
easy,
Atlanta is perfectly safe, as there are no
rebels in arms, In Georgfa, outside OF Hoods
Rrmy, ard even II there we're. the place could
not be taken by *, COO men fn three months;
and moi in that time, except by cutting our
The first train over the road from Chatta-
nooga to Atlanta will leave to morrow morn
Ing, the brake made by Hood being no Y fully
repaired. Thus has departed another staff
upon which the rebels leaned.
That It is necessary for Hood to do Come
thing, is apparent from the tone nf the