Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-11-18
Icorrespondence OF the Sew YORK News
WhsHINeTox. NoYember l:

WASHINGTON November l..
The authorities here are in possession Of in
telligence Of the highest Importance regarding |
military movements now in progress in Tennes
see, Georgia and North Alabama. but for certain |
reasons they decline to communicate it 70 the
public At present. The chief reason FOR with |
holding il i. that its publication az this time
would be advantageous TO the enemy; out it i
difficult 10 understand how the Confederates
would reap advantages from the disclosure Of in
teligence which is already well known 10 them
Nothing is positively known outside OF official
circles regarding the operations in Gen. Sher
mans department. or the precise object OF the
movement in which the principal part OF his
my is engaged; but II Is shrewdly suspected that
the recent report of an advance toward Charles
ton was intended as a blind to mislead the Con
iederates while sherman was moving 10 another
direction.
have heard from officers connected with the
departments in this city, that Sherman has really
cut loose from Atlanta. and is NOW on Hood
commune i;ipns; but they prudentIy decline to
designate where Sherman is or where he intends
go At present il is impossible to obtain definite
information on the subject. the sources from
which such informa tion is usually derived are
sealed and vigilantly guarded. IL may be con
hdently said. however, that the most important
movement of the war Is now 10 progress. that il
States service. and that the authorities in this
city expect successful and highly advantageous
result
One OF the evening papers. speaking apparently
by authority, intlmateS that sherman design Is
to march rapidly on Montgomery and Selma, AL
ALBANIA. and thereby force Hood abandon the
contemplated campeign in Tennessee. General
Thomas is positively in Hoods front with force
OF at least twenty five thousand. while Sherman
i. a, q. e =
with between fifty and sixty thousand. If this
intimatioD OF Sherman's purpose is correct il
confirms the opinion advanced in the Daily News
OF the llth instant The occupation of Mont
gOmery by Sherman would certainly expose him
to considerable danger and its permanent reten-
ton would be utterly impossible snless he could
open communication with Pensacola, and draw
supplies from that place Even that plan would
be very hazardous, for before he could avail him
self of the facilities offered by Pensacola it
would be necessary to open and guard upward OF
$50 miles Of railroad
Sherman cannot subsist bis army on the coun-
try: nor, if he still holds Atlanta. he rely
that place to furnish him with supplies Again,
should he design a series of operations, radiating
from Montgomery. he must risk being isolated at
any moment, for. with the Georgia militia be
tween him and Atlanta, aud Hood falling on the
railroad in his rear, that is. on the railroad
ming from Montgomery TO Pensacola. his con-
muDicatiOps would not be safe one day Ii is
impossible TO take any favorable view of the
movement he has undertaken. unless his object
il to reach the seaboard, and even in that case il
will be attended with extreme hazard.
The confederate authorities are fully of
Sherman's purpose, and keenly alive 10 the i'm
portance of harrassng his march and b. fling his
plans That they will do all in their power to
insure his discontinue is beyond doubt. and
that his danger is great i Eel; by the military
authorities here. General Hoods army, when
last heard from, was in the vicinity of Corinlh,
Miss and the railroad from that place to Mobile
being at his command. he can quickly transfer
his army TO Meridian. Miss, and shence TO Sci
ma. Alabama. arriving there before Sherman.
| In that event Sherman would find himself con
| fronted by Hooc's main army. interposng be-
| tween him and the seaboard while at the same
! time he would be too far removed from Atlanta
| to draw any substance from that place. 1t the
report that SheriJan has burned Atlanta and de-
stroyed the railroad between that place ahd
| Chattanooga ia true-snd il is generally credited
herein that event he must push to the SEA-
board and establish base at Charleston. Savan-
nah Mobile, for il is well known that he can
not possibly subsist his army in the interior
/ Whatever the object OF his movement may be.
I he will be continually beset oy dangers and
difficulties and il is not too much to say that he
risks disaster of the most serious character.
Ii NAV not be amiss to allude TO the report of
the affair AT the mouth OF the Blue alter Creek.
The account which appeared in the Southern
papers differed materially from that which sp
peared in the semi official organ here The for
mer stated that Hood army attempted To cross
the Tennessee AZ that point. and WAS reprlsed
BY Sherman That which appeared in the Chron
icle did not contain any allusiop 10 either Hood
or Sherman. but merely stated that BODY OF the
enemy attempted to cross at the above place
and were driven back. II may be inferred from
this that the authorities here possessed correct
information on the subject, aud that the report
was corrected in this CITY before it appeared in
the Chronicle Another legitimate inference il
that Shermans main army was not there at the
time mentioned, for Immediately afterward dis
patch arrived which stated that intelligence
would soon be received which would interest the
country, plainly indicating ths, ShermsnS bold
movement then on foot.
The COnfederates do not appear 70 possess
correct information about the present strength
OF Gen. Sherman army or. If they do possess it.
they choose for some reason TO withhold il IL
is reported that Hoods army has been assured
that Sherman's force does not exceed so 600
/ Without disclosing his real strength msy say
! Oh this statement falls far short of the truth
When he began his campaign he had about
hundred thousand men ia his command. and in
his report he informed the country that this mum
Der N ed duri the campaign by acceS-
siOns from various sources ', hatever may be
| shermsn's faults he Is a truthful man. and his
statements worthy of credence. His present
force is not much inferior TO that mentioned in
/ bis report SEYMOUR
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