The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-01-13
AMERICAN AFFAIRS.

How the Rebels in Enginnd Reported
abe sherman and TSonsan yist"vics.
rom the London Index orgaL Of the rebels in Europe
Dee. 20
The last mail from America bore on the face 81 tho
telegram odht he heaviest ths Inns been received
from the ccnfedcrocy this YEAR HAPPILY We are IN
portion 70 assert with toerablc confidence I,t do
rfse and tho other half 70 highly colorcd deprive
il OF the painful importance al iilst attached The
two great If the the alleged capture of
Savannah and the reported dcfca, ~ Hood IL t.
strange that thew shond have 50 cas- Is deceived he
English public We VIZ take the S.,anras oanori
first II originated with paper pupl sncd ~
Baltimore, ON the strength Of report ilrushcd by
n naIuelcss individual NJ Fortress Monroe, from
transport which left Charleston bar tho isth inst
This hardly b. considered very satisfactory existence,
even il uncontpdicied But The Richmond papers b.
lh up 10 'ttcr date than any insclhgc.cc that
could been received at Charleston tue IL
and In thc columns not word IL said 10 the capt
of Savannah, or even ~ attack what facts the R'oa
mond papers 40 give decidedly negative tho assault and
cept1rc; for they report the sioring ana capture OF
Fort McAllistcr, sixteen inies 70 The southwest Of
Savannah, the OSccchec river the l4th
inst and IL Is absurd TO Gupposc that Shcr
man world have marched qoiia Ills ,caot ARM fifteen
m;cs away from Savannah the capture OF solitary
fort, and march fifteen miles Da and then capture ia
vannah after eight hours bghtinE, ~ the course If
twenty -fo'r ho.rs. savannah l. n strongly fortified
town, standing very easily dCssnsibie site. Its
COMMUNICATIONS with Charleston therefore with Vir
pina, intact It's garrison IS sgia 10 INSIST Of a
jorcc numerically equal 70 Mermdrs To strosc that
he would attack such town with his iodcd ronps
is to suppose him mad anu TO believe that in cisht
hours without siege artillery, he had compelled General
Hardee, with ten Thousand men, surrender, Is
TO display amolrt of belief hardly to lie cx
pectcd, even In this AGE OF eager cred lily All
TINT Ii certain IL that sherman has reached the
sea and opened communication with nahlsrcn's fleet
that he has obtained point 81 egress ard that what is n
of his army sge safety, and not cong cst was his
first object The former he las in all probability attained
by the capture Of Fort McAster the latter venture
to assert no will not be in position to achieve for some
The news from Nashville docs not rest on 70 debatabe
basis b., IL Is evidently exaggerated According to the
federal accounts General Thomas the 18th, made
attack upon the Confederate line, had captured vast
quantities Of material, sixteen guns and one tho sand
prs0ncrs and driven back the left wing OF Hood army
some eight miles with the loss OF FIVE hundred The
weight Of the attack appears to have been directed against
thai portion of the armv which bockadcd the Cumber
land river west Of Nashville, and here, doubt, the
federal gnnboats obtained success for General Thomas
army But II must be observed that mention " made
of general attack 80 that there reason 10 believe
that the position Of the centre and right u Hoods army
was In any way endangered. The whole aiar seems TO
have been rather successful sortc than great battle,
and II evident that II another engagement took place
on the subsequent day IL would come of under very
different conditions Tho federals would lose the aid OF
their gunboas and they would have assault and
earbworks defended by veteran soldiers Moreover few
hours would suffice recall Forrest with his cavalry and
give the Confcderates vast superiority that arm Gen
Thomas often had occasion 10 make independent
reports to hts government But VIC have I'M araby
noticed that when he does write despatch It Ia highly
inventive and quite expect that the drvirdl Of tue
Candrd steamer 'cU shor rery dJerent version 81 ne
matter IL cannot be denied, however that Hoods posi-
ton pas Wedk one He must have occupied line
some seven miles in extent. He had despatched one d.
vision and all his cavalry Murreesboro another dv
sion had gone northward into Kentucky The force with
which he had partially invested Nashville could not
consequently, have much exceeded the command OF
General Thomas; and we question the prudence or
holding such an extended line with his greatly
reduced strength. OF tho subseauent battle
of the 10th cannot speak with much certainty. Ac
cordng TO unofficial reports Thomas had gained great
victory had driven Hood from all his intrenched posi-
ons captured three thousand prisoners and thirty can
non-n fact routed the Confederate army The story Is
e Say Ss sss q n but 4 Hoo cas the n
fcderas dearly TO admit Of very active pursuit OF
Hoods army, and FORESTS superiority In cavalry Will
prevent any Disaster battle will have been lost and
| Nashville will have been saved but Northern Georgia
and Northern Alabama will not the less have been
! rescued from the invader As 10 General Candy q
! flourish OF trumpets about the severance Of Hood
communications with Mobile, II Is simply absurd. Hood
drew neither nor material from Mobile any more
than he did from Richmond, and General Warren might
with almost much reason have boasted Of cutting his
communications with Petersburg But Canby's despatch
Ia fair specimen Of Yankee brag. We not without
hope that Thomas victory OF the 10th will turn out Like
schoneds triumph o. Frank u. very duubugl ANAL