The New York herald., 1865-01-02
THE SITUATION.

I
TO t'ascni tic worIdr and which has been mystic
rously alluded to in recent Richmond papers, is de-
gned consist of grard combination in Virginia of
ncariy all the reboi military forces and marh thence
into tte Northern satcs whore they propose TO conquer
g peace dsc in The attempt -st
Fortress Monroe adyccs tina, Admiral Porter has
renewed the bonbardlncnt Of Fort Fisher, but do not
name the day on which the renewal took place. Nearly
all the army portion of the expedition to Cape Fear river
had returned to Fortress Mcnroe on Friday last.
The visit to the military lines on the James river of
the elder Francis r. Blair and his Montgomery ex-
Postmaster General has given rise to rumor in Wash
ngton that they have gone for the purpose of meeting
representatives Of the rebel to negotiate for
peace. H3
During the siege Of Nashville by Hood cut or
nom news from the important post Of Murfrecsboro,
where the rebels under Forrest and Bate have been
besIcgng General Rousseau. This morning we give an
interesting letter from correspondent with General
aousscaus column at Fortress Rosecrans in which he
describes the important operations Of tho siege On
December General Mroy relieved the beseged garrison
at Overas creek, and the 7th, with two small bri-
gades attacked Batc's entire rebel division and after
sharply contested engagement Of nearly hours dura-
fion carried his breastwors and captured pieces OF
his artillery and nearly hundred prisoners At the
time General Rousseau at the head of hundred
cavalry surprised and routed Bufords division Of Tor
rests cavalry driving them from the town OF Murfrces
boro and compelling the rebels 70 raise the siege The
principal part Of the fighting the old battle field
Of Stone river
The new rebel pirate Sea King, which lef an English
posome time ago. where II understood tha. she
be considered the Of the sunken Alabama,
and was TO DO commanded by Captain semmes is now,
under the Of the Shenandoah actively at work In
destroying American shipping the Atlantic. We
have the Of the capture by her of the ship Kate
Prince; the barks Elena and 4. q. Godfrey, and
the brig Susan and schooner Charter Oak, Of San
francisco. The facts furnished us by Captain
Hanson, Of the brig Susan, which taken and
sunk by the Shenandoah on the dth Of November,
north latitude 80, west longitude 20 40. All the
other vessels named also destroyed by the pirate,
af,er they had been rled Of such yaluables as could
be conveniently carried, with the exception OF the
ship Kate Prince which was bonded, and conveyed
some OF the captnred officers and to Bahia, Brazil
whence they arrived here yesterday The Shenandoah
Is now commanded by Marylander named wardell who
Gays he was educated at the Annapolis Naval Academy
and formerly commanded the United States sloop ofwar
saratoga The Shenandoah, or Sea King, was built at
Glasgow, Scotland in 1853, and Is full ship rigged
steamer, capable Of running eleven knots hour She
carries four sixty FOUNDER smooth bore guns two
thirty two pounder rifles and two FOUNDER smooth
bcres
The steamship cahawba which arrived hero yesterday
from New Orleans and Key West, brought US further
important news regarding the progress OF the exped
son under General Gordon Granger, which left East
pcnsacola Florida, on the 18th uit On the leth
OF December General Granger was at Franklin
creek, Jackson county, Mississippi only thirty miles
from Mobile having met with but little opposition.
The rebels In Mobile are busy day and night in endeavors
10 blockade the water front Of that city sinking large
ecows HlIod with old iron and bricks Tho rebel ram
BIcnvle from Selma, expected 70 come down tho
Alabama river 10 Mobile shortly.
There was heavy artillery firing in tho vicinity OF Fort
re In front Of the Eulh corps Army OF tho Potomac,
IN Thursday and Friday last but IL appears not TO have
been productive Of any nporan, results Beyond this
there s little in the way OF military operations from the
James river armies 10 notice. There great suffering IN
Richmond for want OF the neccssares Of life, and do
ssrtlons TO the Union lines increasing in numbera
Our dispatches from tho headquarters Of General sher
dams army furnish confirmation Of the report ha, the
sebe General Early has withdrawn the main portion Of
his forces far up the Shenandoah valley lie has fallen
back with bis infantry to waynesboro, on Tho South
eiyer His cavalry. however, under Rosser and Lomsx