The weekly sun. (New York [N.Y.]) 1851-1869, 1864-11-26
Friday, Nov. IL.
The War Westward.
pOeltiOu Of the Hostile Armies.

Tie military situation In TonncRscc aud Georgia
,s oi he u,most Importance IN reference 10 the
position in Virginia Intimate s,rssctic rel aons
exist te,~ec thc operations Of our different ar
mics, although the connection 10 not as yet appa-
rent in all eases. Thc situation In Tennessee and
Gcorsl, At the clos 4 tho last week was su, stan
tally NJ follows General Hood occupied both
banks Of the Tennessee river from Florence as far
as TuscunbiA A rebel army corps, under Gen Ste
phcn Lee, held the northern terminus VI the Mobile
AMI Ohio Railroad ~ Jackson, drawing supplies
from the most fertile region In the 6outh-lnhabt'
cd. however, by secession sympathiscrs. Another
rebel corps under Stewart, was at Corlnth and
tho adjoining towns, also upon the line OF the No.
bile AMI Ohio Railroad and within supporting dis.
,ancc u Lees corv,. The whole, including Gene
rul Dick Tayor's Texan army and Whcelor's cav
slry, does not exeesl thirty -dve thousand men.
This force was held at bay by General Thomas
army the disposition of whose forces cannol 10
di.'oSei for Obvious rcaous.
o. General Sherman Il is known that he lsit A.
i.nt. lAa week on . sixty days' march. with .
force vsrous'y estimated 81 from thirty to seventy
thousand men. rhs probability IL thsa he has
about hdy thousand men. Prom inform nation cob
lated Gom Northern anil southern accounts. II ap-
pears thnl Sherman moved towards hs Atlantic
ssaboari In the dirocson NJ Charleston and Ssvan-
nah. This limo would naturally take him on the
line Of the A,gustH railroad. The distance from
Atlanta 70 Augusta Va . hundrci snd hfty milcs,
through an oIen country, with no dehlos or noun
tain ranges, and presenting no srcsa obstacles u
the advance Of nm invading army. Augusta 10 .
place of great Importance u housands Of slsvs have
becn taken there by thsw mss.srA end over half .
million halcs of cotton store In the pisca worth
a. the present prices. mHe than hundred million
dollars. The Argsss powder msgasines in Amer
Ice also there containing 'he chief supplies for
.hs Confcderary. Bn. the ,sr.sssicsl position Of
Augusta conss sntss ~ chief valus Il 10 sisusted
within str,kin' distance of Savannah, Charleston.
and Wilmington. and 10 located Oh the sOutheaseS~
spi, d ,hs Rlus Ridge MountainA which strssrh
from tho co,son into NE sree States. The posses-
sion Of this position would ie n higher Strategic
or Savannah, or 10th, for which, how
ever, sherman Ia NOT hkeiy " divide his
forces. The following dispatch from II. Louis
tn ows considerable Light on 6hcrman's strength.
and, ,nferentAlly. upon his dsstinAuoni
St. Louie Eos ia gentleman nom sh@-
mans headquarters ~ Kingston. Ga, says thst
Gen. shsrman Ia bv this tirnc Some distance the
war path. His army CONSISTS Il ths iA.h OorpA
Gen. Jed. q. Davis; io,h Corps Gen; osssrhAas ;
lyth Corps, Gen blair; 9Osh Corps Gen. socum.
The~, with $1,000 cavalry, under kilPasrieh, and
. brigade Of srnery. make total force Of sbou,
5000 men. aplendidly squipped and supplied with
every spphsnoe Of war. An the public buiidinsA
deposs rnsnufsctoriea Actin Atlanta. rendered
worthless and shs railroads north and south q thS
city, and ell surrounding delsnsve work destroy
I'd There Ia 10 bs suruiug beck, aud noships
lei, behind Of value 70 ~ enemy.
That uis large army IA destined N secure higher
strategicsl results than tbe capture of tho re-
,el cts on the Atlantic caass v spyarent froIn q
sufficient 70 capture Chai ieaton or Bavsnnsl by q
land attack in conns,tion will our hevs. lie may
or NAV not detach portion II his forcoa for this
purpose but the probability Ia tbs, the ns.n body
will operate On the eastern sido oi tho Blue Ridge,
No as IN cooperate with the campaign against
Richmond. No other movement offers larger OF
| more decisive advantages, or woukl ootnpensate
for the iniInnese risk u the undertaking. The I'D
vance of snEEhAs's army northward upon this
line, would probably open the Shenandoah Valley
70 General Sheridan, by compelling ths withdraw n
II General EArly's forces " cover Lees rear 81
Lynchburg aud Petersburg. Richmond ~ four
hundred miles from Augusta, and Lynchburg
three hundred and fifty miles from the same city
and shertnsn's = men snimsted by burning en.hu-
siasm by their victories and inspired with al up
faterinp devotion to their gress leader could, and
probably will, accomplish this great move
! inent AMI render q shrfous success.
/ |, may bo expecting TOO much Of G,neral sherman
10 anticipate that he will sweep Northward and
counect with General Grants arIny st Petersburg
hit he can at losat operate upon ,he enemy's n'e.
| nor hncB aud cut oil tie seAtpzrd eatiss. 1hese
| objects alone would he ~ortl.y Vie ambition even
Of Generi sheriaAl sad would exercise the most
| decisive influence upon the Nirginis campaign,
! e,-n II General Sherman should not approach
wiIhin Two hundred miles oi he Vifginis line.