The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-02-06
War News OF the Week,

The dispatches Of the week scarcely
name the army of the Potomac, which
remains wholly inactive. Gen. Meade is
still at Philadelphia sick.
The recent attempted raid of the rebel
Gen. Early down the valley Of the Shen-
andoah resulted disastrously. Of 5000
cavalry sent into the valley only some
500 have returned, many having been
frozen to death. Earlys forces are now
near Mt Crawford.
A sizailar raid, during the past week, by
resel force of some 500 men under Col
Rosser, upon the Baltimore d Ohio Il. r.,
met with but little better success. The
first intimatioa Gen. Kelly had Of it was by
an attack upon supply train on the way
to Petersburg, which was captured. The
rebels then opened with cannon on Peters
burg, but our ferces had evacuated the
place. The rebels we're next mei by de-
tachmeut OF Col MullIgans force and
driven frem Burlington and Moorteld
Junction. Proceeding eastward, they
destroyed the North Branch and Patter-
son Creek bridges, when they were over
taken by the federals and driven towards
Romney. At the latter place, on Tues
day, they were met by a force sent out by
Gen. Kelley and again defeated. They
are now trying their best to get back to
Gen Early, where they came from.
The siege of Charleston is virtually
abandoned, many of the land forces hav>
apparently gone to some other point, while
Gen. Gilmore has come north. The iron
clads continue the blockade, and the
Smelling of Sumter is slowly kept up.
The recent exciting reports from the
vicinity Of Knoxville, when sifted down,
show the whole affair 10 have been little
better than huge scare. About the 22d
ult. reports reached our forces that heavy
rebel force was advancing upon cambridge,
some 70 miles east of Knoxville. Our
cavalry under Gen. Sturgis went out to
meet them, when, on the 23d, a pretty
heavy skirnaisi took place at cambridge,
in which the rebels were repulsed with Il
loss Of 80 men to SO ON our side Gen.
Foster then got the idea that the enemy
was making flank movement from the
outh-east on Knoxville, and sent the cav
airy under S,urgis to Sevierville, about 10
miles beyond which place, on the 9th.
the rebels were again encountered and de-
feated with loss of 100 men and two
guns. simultaneously with these, as main
movements, the enemy also attacked posts
On the railroad east of Knoxville, being
repulssd in every instance. After the
affair beyoad Seviervllle, they withdrew
Instead Of q movement on Knoxville, it is
now apparent the whole object was to get
possession of the valley around SeviervIlle
where the forage continues plenty and
excellent
Considerable mystery hangs about the
recent movements Of the rebel army IN
front of Chattanooga. 1t is rendered GER
tain that the rebel army has fallen back
from Dalton, and gone--no one knows ex
actly whittier. The reason most generally
given by those who are guessing at the
riddle, is, that Johnston has reinforced
Longstreet with a view to oyerwhelm
Knoxville and open the route into East
Tennessee and Kentucky, and also to force
Grant to fail back from Chattanooga, by
menacing his line of communication with
Nashville and Louisville. Other reasons
are also given, among which is, that j ohm
taIlpn To VI
which Is threatened or already attacked
by the Federals. Still another reason may
be found is the advance of heavy Fede-
raj column from Vicksburg along .hc line
of the Vicksburg and Atlanta Railroad,
whose progress threatened the rear of the
rebel army at Dalton.
The late attempts Of Forrest ard Roddy
to make raid northvard between the
Chattanooga r. r., have come to nought,
and both have returned south.
1t Is no longer a secret, although the
movement has been in progress for several
weeks, that a heavy expedition under Gen.
Sherman has been organized at Vicksburg
to proceed thence to the interior 1t was
to form this expedition that Corirth and
other points east of Memphis were aban-
doned, and the troops sent down the river.
The same occurred at Columbus, Ky,
where all the troops from dependent sta
tions were concentrated, and from thence
sent down the river.
The exact object of this expedition IS
still matter of guessworll. Late rebel re-
ports say it has passed up the Yazoo river
to Martinsburg THIS mystifes the mat
ter more than ever. The general supro>
sitipI was, that the intention was either to
al the attack on Mobile, Or threaten
Johnston's rear IN Georgia.
1t seems settled that movement by land
and water is now in progress against Mo-
bile, large forces having been sent from
New Orleans across the lake in that direc-
ton. The report of a late severe battle
there, however, grew out OF revolt of the
rebel garrison IN Fort Morgan, who were
only subdued after a severe fight with the
rebel gunbeats and other rebel forces at
that point.
The same authority which brings THIS
report, (Which is confirmed by rebel des>
patches says that the rebel army IN and
around Mobile have organized secret socie
ties, determined to fight no longer 1t is
said that the movement, started among
the soldiers. is daily growing stronger and
many officers are compromised in the
movement.
Attacks upon Port Hudson and Baton
Rouge are still apprehended, and the reb-