The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-12-23
General She mantle Probable CAP
tUFe OF Savannah.

There IS hardly room to doubt that
Gen. Sherman Is now in possession Of
Savannah Indeed, the capture Of that
city on the 10Th has been positively an
nounced; and though there is no prob
ability in IL, the announcement is still
very likely premature General How
ards command, as we know by persons
directly from it, was within ten miles
Of Savannah on the 9th inst, and was
thus within five miles of the enemys
outer detences General Foster reports
that heavy firing was heard in the III
rectiOn Of Savannah on the 10th inst.
and he supposes that on that day an
assault was made on the outer defences
But the capture of those defences was
but preliminary operation; and il
Savannah had been really fought for
and taken on that day positive intelli
gence 10 that effect could have started
for the feet the same night, and as
there would then have been no obstacle
70 communication, that intelligence
must have reached Hilton Head before
the 18th, which is the date of our des
patches from that point. But il is
worthy of notice that some important
and very agreeable news had certainly
reached Hilton Head after the depar
ture of abe steamer which left there on
the 18th, for while the feet was still in
sight, bat out Of telegrapbing distance,
II was observed that the ships were be-
ing decorated with colors and were
firing salute
There is probably no exaggeration in
the statement that the most intense
CONSERVATION prevails in both the cities
of Savannah and Charleston. Both OF
those cities have good reason to dread
the presence Of Northern soldiers, and
TO fear that if our army will be mode
rate anywhere, it will certainly not be
in those hotbeds of rebellion which
have ever been the most extreme in
their declarations of brutal hatred for
the Yankees, aud In their use against
Northern men of all abusive epithets.
There is no reason to believe that Sher.
man viii meet with any very consider,
able resistance IN an assault on the city.
Twenty thousand is the highest mum
Der at which the rebel forces there have
been stated, and that number is made
up largely of militia and Of the de-
crepid and small boys Of the city All
these are under command of the great
Beauregard Sherman will not strike
until be has his whole force in hand.
and then he will show the Southern
chlvalry how veteran army can make
- grand assault, u necessary, and use
less will be any quantity of militia 70
resist it.
The news from General Howard veri-
ies the facts insisted upon by US the
other day, thai Sherman army is fresh
ana IN good condition, and well sup
plled-despite all the wild stories TO the
contrary that have teemed In The rebel
papers. Sherman skill as q strategist
Is made more clear by the fact now
known thst Savannah was, from the
FIRST, MS objective point; but he SO
drew attention TO other points that the
Southern papers came 70 the conclusion
that he did not know exactly where to
%, and 'drited' to Savannah. He
has also corrected the rebel error in
relation 10 his progress He has not
moved slowly, since be has gotten 10
his destination ten days sooner than he
expected 10. He did not think IL would
take him ten days longer to march the
distance, but ne thought that IL would
take longer to destroy the railroads
de Thought that the confederacy was
stronger than he has found it, and that
1t might put some trouble Ia bis way
IL dId not however, and his only
delay has been merely the time nec>
essary for completely cripphng so
many rosds.-Noe York HeralG