The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-01-12
III J C1


sTHU1isDAY, IAN. u.
80 1,Dssss 1fen xsnnsssss.
4 correspondent d ths Cinsisnsti
Citnnessial, writing from Coianhia, Tsn.I
nsapos, under date Of January ~, has |
NE Believing:
moons EscArH.
At last, q iast, tho greas Aesay = |
overl Hood 10 across The Teups1see -
Ala, ssas;t, fight, srspiti "as has gone
axsy, escaped, run %, broken fersh l''-
TIE vrstehsd, faroical. contra6islssy, az
appearing muddls Of the post week i
solved and clarified. Just - VI knew
it would turn out oil The ~hils." OF
course Il Va.
just here want 70 pat 10 strosg H.
timony il favor of that most c0pious fouo-
fain Of information. that well taown pub
lic individual, the intelligent contra
band
The readers Of the Commercial viii re-
member. perhaps, that tho issus of the
9Th uls contained telegran from this
point. giving the substance Of stasemepts
made BY escapsd negro soldiers relative
to the crossing Of Hoods army. In Il
was the statement that his advance reach
ed the river near Florence on the 4tst Of
December, aud was crossing without dis
turbance on the next day, and continued
SO to do till probably the greater portion
of the army was over. But straightWay
this statement of theirs was ovcrslaughed
BY official and other declarations, some Of
which emanated from no higher Authority
than Quartermaster's clerk, and il was
consigned TO forgetfulness. Their testi-
mouy had about it this feature, which
should have commended it to favor. II
was contrary. and they knew il. to what
they wished and hoped for, and therefore
not likely to recommend them to US, and
therefore, probably true. And it was
true.
Twas assured yesterday by IN officer
who has done the country good service,
and whose name, If might give it would
be the highest zeal Of authenticity that
could be desired. that the bulk of Hood e
army vas across the Tennessee, and had
been fer . week. Let the cJntraband
sand approved. Let this be sci down rs
another Of the numerous instances where
they have given our army valuable and
reliable information.
now AID WHERE.
1t Is difficult to give full and reliable
details Of the rebel movements in retreat
for reasons which may readily be conceiv
ed. have secured few outlines, and
for the present, these must suffice, thougt
they might be abundantly filed mp with
stories aud rumors and guesses Hood'l
orders we're that the sick and wounded
and the trains should be moved down tn.
Pulaski and Decatur Road, and crossed a
the latter point. This was because thai
road was the shortest to the river, and wal
in better condition than the others. Gen
Cheatham's ammunition train ollie wagon.
(this was probably not all of IT'D wa,
abandonded at Pulaski, but the pontoor
train left there on The ED. TWAS not til
the 25th that General Sleedman reached
Decatur, and last night he reported tina
he was at CORTLAND, town on the Mem
phis and Charleston Railroad, about TWEEN
ty miles west of Decatur and below th,
Tennessee. He had been i'd pursuit o
the pontoon train. and he had de,ach
ment of men yet after it. Thus it appear
that the rebels had had time 10 reach tb,
river, lay their bridge, aud escape with i
on the other side, though the number o
men aud quantity of material which they
were enabled to transfer on it does not ap
pear. Meantime the main army of thre,
corps passed by different roads, south
westerly. and effected crossing at twt
points-Lang's Ferry and Ches.ham'.
Ferry--chiefly at the former. THE is a
apoint five miles below Florence, just a
the head of an island, and opposite breal
in MuscletShoals. Theswater here run,
comparatively deep and quiet, and tn,
river is notabove three-fofuths Of mil,
in width. So prisoners anu deserters re
port who have crossed there.
Another body moved down an old mill
tary road, an ordinary dirt road, sbout ON
hundred feet vide, but in good repair
aud crossed at Cheatham's Ferry, belov
Florence. and the Shoals. Toward thi
place, also, they were marching our pris
oners when those who escaped from then
latest left them.
Forrest, with his entire cavalry force
and one brigade Of infantry to serve a
skirmishefs, remnined behind TO cover tn
retreat. Our escaped prisoners say tha
it was admitted by the rebels themselves
and rebel citizens, that they would prob
ably have to sacrifice this infantry ant
many OF the cavalry TO SECURE the safety
of the rest. The untiring activity of Gen
Wilson's cavslry and the 4th corps j,
pressing back This rear guard, and CLEAN
ing the woods for the swarnine deserter
snd straeglers. il was which contribuses
80 prominently to keep slivs the belle
that Hood was still here, and that We wer,
driving them to the wall.
MARROW sscArs.
There vas an incident connected will