, 1864-04-13

l
n; rs impossible t1lat there should mt h
uncasIncss in regard to the state of the wa
IN Kentucky. The rebel General Forrest. a,
active and courageous partisan leader, set
out with small force from the sou.hcr1
line Of Tennessee, trarcrses the breadth
that State, and with q force accommodating a.
q ball Of damp snow by rolling, turns up IL
western Kentucky, where he sits; himself
DO" In the midst of an army yarlously esti
mated st7fom 5000 to Is, 900. He has now
spent about three weeks in that region, do
ing all his pleasure, with tho exception Of
capturing faducah. His repu1se from thai
place may have changed his plans, though II
fs pretty evident that he did not suffer any.
thing like the loss which was At first reported
He is now said to be rctreatlng with his
booty, and considering his long stay, and the
fact that he was aided by an abundance OF
friends Indigenous to the region, and that
the country, not having suffered Of late by the
ravages of war, and having had . pretty free
trade with The North, must have been well
filed with materials such az the rebellion ia
in especial need N-considering ali this, he
must be rctreating full Of the wealth OF war.
such as lorscs, mules, cattle and goods.
Now is he TO get OF safely with al of this,
1t would seem so. From the tenor of the
dispatches, VIC do not get the slightest en-
coursgement to believe he Is to be seriously
intcrfcred with. Gricrson Ia said to be
changing upon his tanks, but With two
email a force to effect anything" Are there
not ten or fifteen Thousand trosps capable of
being concentrated upon Forrest In period
Of three weckss OF course We are not inside
The strategic counse1s, bubwe have tolera-
bly, clear idea Of things when We see the
rebel raid getting clear with I'LL Its plum
der. There may have been trap Of prodls.
ious size md power set for him somewhere,
which, Aad he once got into, would have
held him tight; but somehow he docs not 20
into it. onthe other hand; The keeps loose Of It
IN remarkable way. Grierson md all the rest
Of our forces would seem to be as powcsless as
regiment Of mice against q host Of tortoise.
shell cats. He seems 10 have a chance to
mike Tor himself glorious reputation; and
since his wretched rcpnlse with Smith, In his
attempt to join Sherman, he sadly needs it ;
for notwithstanding the way in which that
matter was covered up, 1t Was bad affair.
We desire to think well Of Grierson. BE Is
an 1llihoisan-lnade grand ride through the
Slate Of Mississippi when such feat was as
good as victory; and If he will sho1 that
he can fight as well as he can ride, the coun-
rywin not fail to do him honor. But good
many are watching him just now.
This whole Kentucky business is unsatis-
factory. There seems TO be more going on
there th,n the public know Of; and what il
seen is not at all of n good kind. Taking to-
gcther the course Of Governor Bramlctte-
tleiutteranees Of Woolford, and these raids
Of Forrest performed, and of others rumored,
/ and which seems to have sort of councc-
tio4, there is q public nervousness in rela-
tion to tlat whole matter.
The telegraph tells us too just now, that
Forrest disbanded some four or five reri-
mcnts, and discharged them from the war,
while ut Mayhcld OF Union City. What does
this meana Nobody is verdant enough to
suppose the Confederate Government to BE-
now dischsrging its troops, whether they be-
long to Kentucky or elsewhere; unless some
-ulte1ior scheme is concealed in the act. The
rebellion conscripts, but does not muster ont.
It has no generosity to spare in any such
way as that. 1t looks as If these men were
turned loose to be upon the ground when
ever Sufficient rebel force shall appear in
the state-so rs to be ready to come together
for any mischief possible for them to- effect,
They viii need close watching 1T indeed
fherc is anybody there to watch them.
There will be good deal more doing in
Kentucky before long, or good deal less;
sao.s, unless more vigorous treatment Is re-
sorted to than Forrest has encountered, to
prevent 1t. We hope the powers that be