The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1864-01-06
THE WAR NEWS.
FROM FRIDAYS PAPERS.

glDla mere nave peen neavy rains
and long thaws. The roads are
bad, and all movement is impossi
BILE. Every stream is fsII, and
lords are, in most cases. oblileraied
by the food Both armies are vir-
tually in winter quarters, although
the acknowledgment of the fact by
the authorities is very tardy. The
men are resting, and The animals
trying their best to recruit. Gen.
Lees force is estimated at fifty
Ihonsand /; General Mead's at sixty
thousand, though furlonghs granted
10 re-inlisting troops have caused a
serious depletion. General Lees
headquarters are at Orange Court
House on The RapidaH, and the
main force OF his army are encamp-
ed in that neigEborhood Nor!h of
this, pickeis extend on the right
hand 10 Cedar Mountain, six miles
south OF Culpepper, and on the leil
hand 10 some earth works a few
hundred yards across the Rapidau,
holding the northern approaches to
the fords with a strong iorce, and
preventing any access TO any part
ofthe river by the Federal troops.
Below the iorcs General Lee has
lines OF pickets extending to Fred
ericksburg, which place he holds,a
handful of Federal cavalry being
posted as a signal party at Fal-
mouth across the Rappahannock.--
General Mead's pickels closely
confront General Lees along the
hostile line. -Four miles south of
CulpeppeT at the base OF Cedar
Mountain is the outpost which is
supported by four thousand infantry
al Culpepper. In the rear OF CuI.
pepper is the main body of the ar
my, their encampments extending
along the line of The Orange Rail-
road back to the Rappahannock.-
On the right OF the railroad cavalry
patrols go hall dozen miles west
aud northwest, but seldom venture
farther On the lei; of the railroad
one army corps, eight to len thou
sand strong is al Slevensburg, as a
support TO cavalry pickets, which
60 southward toward the Conieder-
ale lines dear the Rapidan. Gen.
Lee, ii attacked is in his strong DO.
siiion and will fight there. General
Meade, il attacked, by retreat of
a few miles will reach his strong
position on the north bank of The
Rappahauo ock.
The position and strength OF TIE
opposing armies at Chattanooga is
not so well known. Gen Grant, at
Nashville directs military move-
ments in the entire West. General
Thomas holds tho town Chattanooga
and efectualIy protects his line of
communication with Nashville -
The Missioa Ridge runs between
the camp of ms main force and the
enemy, tut il is strongly garrisoned
and defended 10y heavy earthworks
Al lis southeastern base runs the
ChIckamanga, now swollen by
RAIN, aud 10 IT'S bank has pickels
extend. Gen. Johnston Couied-
efale outpost, is al Ringeold, and
MS scouts 90 northwest 10 the
Chick smauga, although the five
miles between Ringgoid and that
stream is more properly neulra,
ground. South of Ringgold the
main force OF Coniederales is en-
camped their ieats iuiug the rails
road as far as Dalton.
The Federal troops hold Cleve-
land and by the tennessee river
send -nPPlies from Chattanooga 10
Knoxville, where General Foster
commands. The railroad is not in
running order between these two
military posts and guerrlllas con-
sian!ly niesi II and pfeveat lis re-
pair. The Federal force does not
hold any ground east of Knoxville,
with Cumberland Gap, that place
(held by a slight garrison) having
ceased 10 be OF any importance as a
supply post. Gen Longsusel's
cavalry are al Rulledge, twenty
five miles east OF Knoxville aud
hold the roads to umberland Gap.
His main body is al Rogersville,
twenty miles further east. His
strength is NOT known. From Rog-
ersville to Bristol, eighty miles, he
has a wagon road, beyond that
railroad, communicating with Rich
mond
The Mississippi river is infested
with guerrillas, bu: a temporary
lull in their operations has marked
The close OF December In Texas,
the Federal troops make but slow
progress, and as yet have conquer
ed bul lltiIe ground. Their forces
lie al Brownsville and Matagorda
Bay aud do not seem 10 go IN
search of any enemy. The siege
OF Charleston progresses slowly,
but with no result, and the appre-
hension is becoming very general
that the siege is failure.
The news OF The day is very
meagre, aud is chiefly confined to
that received from southern sour
ces. The Confederales, by the re-
cent capture OF Cleveland, have
been deprived of their only copper
mills, and will suffer serious losses
By the want of material FOR precus-
sion caps.
General Averell, in his recent
narrow escape from the enemy, lost
his ambulance train, two hundred
prisoners-among them eight off,
GERS, one being Averel's Adjuiant
General, and forty or fifty negroes.
General Banks reports that there
are three hundred thousand bales
of cotton in Texas, which he thinks
be can bring 20 market.
There are three hundred cases of
small-pox among the Federal pris.