Additional from the North.
We yesterday gave the most interesting news from our New York files of Monday.
We gather some further matters from them which will be found very readable:
The siege of Knoxville — Scenes of the investment — the final assault.
The correspondent of the New York
Tribune writes that paper an account of the siege of
Knoxville, ending with the 24th ult. We condense such portions of it as are interesting.
On the 14th it was ascertained that
Longstreet had crossed the river below
London, and on the 15th Burnside at picked him and was defeated:
‘
During the night the order was given to move to the rear at daylight.
Gen. White's division constantly skirmished with the enemy's advance until our column reached
London.
The roads were now rendered impassible by reason of the rains and the constant kneading of the heavy clay by the wheels of our long train and passing animals.
To continue to drag the wagons or artillery by means of the useful safety of horses was found impracticable.
The wagons or artillery must be left.
Gen. Burnside accordingly ordered the destruction of the transportation wagons of
General White's division, and the horses to be used for moving the artillery.
By these means the guns were moved with facility.
This wise measure, adopted only from absolute necessity, undoubtedly saved the artillery which was in danger of being sacrificed, or he would have had to fight the enemy upon unequal ground at great disadvantage.
’
At
Campbell's Station, on the 16th, they were again attacked by
Longstreet, who seems to have pressed them heavily on the whole retreat.
Here, according to the writer, thus lost 384 men, exclusive of the cavalry losses, which had not been reported.
On the night of the 17th
Burnside reached
Knoxville, and at 11 o'clock next morning Long street's forces were deployed on the
Kingston road and opened fire.
Desultory artillery firing continued until 3 o'clock in the day, when a brigade of Confederates advanced and drove the
Federal from Tape Hill.
It was here that
Gen. Sanders, the
Yankee commander, was killed.
The Yankee loss in that affair is put down at 200.
That whole night was spent by
Burnside in cutting down trees, erecting barricades, digging rifle pits, and throwing up breastworks, the city being but very slenderly fortified when
Longstreet appeared before it, and there only being a barricade of rails on the
London road.
He was not disturbed in his work.
Writing on the 19th, the correspondent says:
‘
The morning was smoky, so that little could be seen at daylight, but at sunrise a line of earth works was discovered across a plowed field to the left of the
Kingston road, within a thousand yards of our position.
The enemy's skirmishers had crept up to a wooded ravine running transversely across our western front, directly at the foot of the long slope, at the top of which stand our entrenchments.--They also got possession of a brick house, (
Mr. James Armstrong's,) from which they attacked our pickets, shooting one of our men from the scuttle of the roof.
Two or three well-directed shells ventilated the house and drove them out.
’
Within the last twenty-four hours an almost incredible amount of labor has been performed upon the defences of Knoxville Lines of rifle-pits crown the whole range of hills around, and to the right and left of the town.
The position itself is as strong almost as nature could have made it for sustaining an assault or maintaining a siege.
The entire front of the right line is protected by a
chevaue de frise of pikes, the shafts of which are strongly inserted in the parapet of an angle of forty-five degrees, and firmly secured by telegraph wire.
These pikes were found here when we took possession.
Among many other articles intended for the defence of the place from the
Union army, earthworks, with strong traverses, cover our batteries at every important place, with magazines well covered from the enemy's guns.
There was very little firing done by the
Confederates on the 19th, the day being spent in selecting positions for their artillery.
On the morning of the 20th the
Confederates advanced, burnt some houses near the town, and retired:
A few minutes before the conflagration the enemy opened a battery near the front of our centre, and fired four or five shots into the town.
They were apparently aimed at the cotton-bale battery on Gay street. The missiles, as they came whizzing into town, caused considerable panic, and for a few moments the impression prevailed among the citizens that the grand shelling had begun.--The Gay street battery, as well as two other to the right and left, replied rapidly, their reports shaking the town.
Spectators went scurrying for shelter to the neighboring buildings; teams skedaddled up Gay street, and citizens took to their cellars for protection.
For some cause the rebel batteries ceased firing, probably from a fear of blurting somebody in the town — ours followed suit — and there was a great calm.
Meantime the heavens were illuminated by the lurid flames of the burning buildings, attracting a crowd of the more venturesome to
Summit Hill to witness the scene.
There was very little change in the programme until the morning of the 24th, when--
About 8 o'clock A. M.
Gen. Ferrero, acting under orders, sent forward the 20th Michigan to charge the enemy's rifle-pits and drive them out. The regiment was sustained by our batteries as long as it was safe to fire over the heads of the men. They went down the long slope, over the fallen trees, and through the
debris in front, upon the double quick, attacking, driving out the rebels from their pits, and occupying them for about half an hour, fighting hand to hand with the rebels over the impalement.
They met, however, a whole brigade, and, being overpowered, sent back for reinforcements.
Meantime
Adjutant Nable and
Lieut. Garpin were killed, and
Major Byington badly wounded, besides a large number of men. The
Major, probably seeing that the effort to hold the place was fruitless, ordered his men to retire.
He was immediately made a prisoner.
Our men then fell back, bringing a portion of the wounded off the field.
Only those who were badly hurt were made prisoners.
Only some thirty were brought to the hospital, leaving twice that number killed, wounded, or prisoners in the enemy's hands.
The affair is naturally discouraging to our men, and must be set down as the most unfortunate episode of the slege.
Our dead are still lying within sight of our breastworks, but cannot be recovered.
The final assault and repulse took place on the 30th,
Longstreet having been reinforced, according to the writer, by
Gens Jones,
Jackson, and
Williams.
The letter says:
‘
Skirmishing commenced on Sunday night at 10 o'clock, and continued sharply until near daylight of Monday, on our left front before
Fort Sanders, commanded by
Gen. Ferrero, and defended by the 79th New York,
Benjamin's 3d U. S. artillery, and
Buckley's Rhode Island battery.
Our pickets were driven in, and the enemy had possessed themselves of some rifle pits, but the
Massachusetts boys drove them back, when suddenly the rebel storming party, led by the 16th and 17th Georgia and 13th Mississippi, under cover of our own retreating men, came to the assault.
’
They approached to within one hundred yards of the fort unharmed.
Then commenced a series of desperate and daring attacks, stubborn resistance, death, carnage and horror scarcely equalled during the war. These men were the veterans of the
Potomac — the flower of
Longstreet's army — and, confident of promised victory, plunged into a boiling hell of lead.
Wires had been stretched from stump to stump in front of the works by
Capt. Poe.
Over these the advancing enemy fell in confused heaps, with the killed and wounded around them.
Our artillery men hurried shell by hand; forward over the impediments came the doomed rebels!
Hot and hotter became the battle, until the ground over which they passed was carpeted with the slain. --The ditch was piled with dead, wounded, and dying.
Not one on their side faltered — not a score of the gallant stormers escaped.
The sun, rising, looked down through the cold mist and chill frost of that November morning upon the remains of an army.
One thousand killed, wounded, and prisoners, was the cost of the assault of
Fort Sanders.
Nobly has it sustained the reputation of its namesake and revenged his fall.
Among the killed is
Col. Girarde, of the 13th Massachusetts.
Lieut-Col. O'Brien, the brother of
Mrs. Brownlow, is a prisoner.
Gen. Burnside offered them an armistice from 10 A. M. to 5 P. M., to remove their wounded and bury their dead.
It was accepted.
Our loss will not reach eight, all told.
Over fifty of these are the men of the 27th Kentucky, captured on the south of the river.
Besides 250 prisoners, we have three battle-flags.
One of them was planted on our works at one time.
The twelve days of
Longstreet before
Knoxville, threatening assault and siege, had caused a scarcity of forage, gave us considerable labor to fortify our position, and temporarily suspended our communications and destroyed much property, chiefly rebel.
There has been some loss of men by the casualties of war, but no panic, retreat, starvation, or actual investment has occurred thus far. The siege is another rebel failure.
Meade's retreat across the Rapidan — his reasons.
The dispatches from
Washington will gratify the curiosity in the
Confederate States to know what were
Meade's reason for so suddenly getting back across the
Rapidan.
One telegram says:
‘
The Army of the Potomac crossed the
Rapidan in three columns on the 26th of November, and concentrated the following day on
Mine Run.
The enemy occupied the hills on the opposite side of the stream in full force.
The position of the enemy was naturally a very strong one, and he was found to be entrenched along his entire line, his works being a continuance of those on the
Rapid an, to turn which was the object of our army.--The enemy's position was too formidable to be carried by assault.
’
The great difficulty of keeping up the supplies of the troops at this season of the year at any distance from the railroad, as well as the impracticability of the country for offensive military operations, prevented a more extensive movement, and the army returned to the north side of the
Rapidan.
The falling back to our present position was accomplished without loss of men or property.
The entire casualties during the campaign will not exceed
one thousand in killed, wounded, and missing.
A few men who forded
Mine Run and lay on picket duty during Monday night, were frozen to death, and several bodies of rebel skirmishers were carried to the rear on stretchers the same morning.
With the exception of a few cavalry skirmishes, the enemy did not attempt to annoy our rear on our return.
Another telegram, after saying that
Meade's removal is talked of, says:
‘
It was evidently intended to attack the enemy's extended works Monday.
Cannonading was opened from our batteries between 8 and 9 o'clock, and the right wing skirmishers were advanced to
Mine Run, where it was found the enemy had built a succession of dams, which raised the stream to a depth of from four to five feet, with swampy margins.
On our extreme right it was found the enemy had formed an abattis several hundred yards in width in front of their works and directly under their guns.
’
On the left
Gen. Warren moved forward his line, and discovered the enemy in such numbers and so strongly entrenched as to make it more than hazardous to attack them in front.
He however drove them back from the advanced post behind their works, and awaited further instructions. --These and perhaps other considerations induced a postponement of the premeditated attack.
It is understood that
Gen. Meade visited the entire line, carefully noting the enemy's strong positions, formidable batteries and earthworks, and after consulting with his officers, deemed in advisable to withdraw to the north side of the
Rapidan, and orders were accordingly issued to that effect.
Gen. Meade abandoned the campaign when it became evident that the enemy had anticipated his advance and rendered an approach to
Gordonsville and
Orange Court-House an impossibility.
The rebels made a show of crossing the
Rapidan on Saturday, sending a small force over at each ford, but did not make any demonstration in force.
They took possession of
Gen. Meade's old signal stations and have a fine view of all our movements.
The Northern papers generally do not boast much over the
Lookout Mountain fight.
They look upon the resistance made by the
Confederates as too feeble to command any respect, or to boast of having overcome.
The Yankee loss is estimated at 4,500 during all the fighting.
The
Chattanooga correspondent of the New York
Tribune says:
‘
Those who to-day visited
Missionary Ridge were astounded.
Had 5,000 lives been the forfeit it would have been considered cheap, to say nothing of the other advantages won. While the during of our men in making the assault will stand without a parallel, I think there is an element in that splendid achievement to be attributed to the fact that the rebels had no heart to make the defence they might have made.
I can attribute our small loss and the precipitate flight of the enemy to nothing else.
’
Without anybody to annoy their flanks
Grant and
Thomas will now be free to turn their attention to making this the depot for future operations, which will be postponed not a day longer than is practicable to resume them.
Tennessee is now permanently free from the rebels, for what force there may have been opposed to
Burnside will make good their exit soon or not at all.
Among the immediate consequences of this great achievement will be practically a large increase of
Grant's force.
I presume
Burnside will soon effect a junction, while the large force heretofore protecting our right flank, having been in a great measure relieved, no small part of it will probably be added to the main body.
This concentration is not among the least considerable results of the victory.
It renders available another army of no mean proportions with which to deal the next blow.
Bragg having been beaten and put to flight, I presume the country, in case he is not caught or his army utterly demolished, and more especially if this is done, will expect
Grant to push on till he finds another army to fight.
Few know what such an idea contemplates — how much such an expectation requires of a General
Napoleon fell because he went to
Moscow.
The further Granted vanes the further will he be from his base, which for the present must be
Louisville, or some point not much nearer.
Had
Chattanooga, which must be his depot, a six months supply, the case would be different.
Here we come back to the cause of the wretched generalship immediately succeeding the
battle of Chickamauga.
There are physical impossibilities, and some of the things that will be expected of
Gen. Grant will doubtless be found to be among them.
The General who has done so much will do all he can. This is worth bearing in mind.
The
Yankees claim that in the repulse near
Ringgold, by
Cleburne, they lost only 800, but give a list of seventy-four commissioned officers killed and wounded, one of the killed being
Acting Brig. Gen. Creighton.
Washington politics — the caucus for Speaker of the House — Emerson Etheridge Obstreperous.
The
Yankees are having the usual excitement in the
Congress at
Washington over the election of Speaker.
It seems that
Etheridge, the traitor, don't pull in the right direction, and that he has nearly sided with the Copperheads.
From some
Washington telegrams, dated Sunday, and published in the
Tribune, we get some idea of the boiling of this kettle of fifth in the
Yankee Capitol:
‘
Over ninety Republican Union members of the House of Representatives, including two from
Kentucky,
Messrs. Smith and
Anderson; three from
Maryland,
Messrs. Winter Davis,
Creswell, and
Thomas--all three from
West Virginia, and one from
Virginia,
Joseph Segar, met in caucus last night.
The Hon. Justin P. Morrill presided, and
Messrs. Rollins, of
New Hampshire, and Soyd, of
Missouri, acted as
Secretaries.
The Hon. G. S. Orth, of
Indiana, nominated
the Hon. Schuyler Colfax, of the
State, for Speaker.
The Hon. H
M. Dawes, of
Mass., nominated
the Hon. Elihu.
B. Washburne, of
Illinois.
Mr. Washburne declined the nomination, saying that the present situation of the country, when the
Government was engaged in a gigantic struggle to crush out the red-handed and cruel rebellion, the wishes, and the interests, and desires of all loyal men should be subordinated to the common good of a great country, and to the support of the
Government and of our
President, a man whose patriotism and statesmanship, and unchallenged honesty, receives the admiration and the gratitude of all loyal hearts.
[Applause.] Harmonious and united action in the present circumstances immeasurably transcend in importance the success, or the want of success, of any individual.
’
Schuyler Cotfax was then nominated by acclimation, The
Cajuns separated in the best of feeling after some discussion with regard to the threatened action of
Mr. Etheridge, and the appointment of a committee, of which
H. Winter Davis is chairman, to confer with him on the subject.
The fact that
Emerson Etheridge had formed a plan to secure the organization of the
House to the Copperheads, by exchanging, on technical grounds, the names of a sufficient number of Union members from his list, first leaked out through a Democratic member, who declared that he would not be a party to such a fraud, and that he believed that a good number of others on his side of the
House would, with him, go for fair play.
The States which
Mr. Etheridge last night declared in writing his determination to disfranchise, on the ground that their credentials do not follow the phraseology of this law of the last session, in that they read that so and so were "duty elected," instead of "elected in accordance with the laws of the
State," are
Vermont Maryland,
Western Virginia,
Virginia,
Oregon,
Missouri, and
California.
The members from the last-named States have, however, their credentials in form.
Those of the
Vermont members came in corrected this morning.
Two of the
Democratic members from
Missouri are said to have theirs in the required form.
The names of the
Illinois members, whose credentials are in the same words as the rejected ones, but whose politics, as a whole, are different, are upon the list.
The credentials of
Kansas and
Missouri are not yet field according to
Mr. Etheridge.
Mr. Etheridge has also acknowledged that although he received some credentials in a defective form a month ago, he neglected to apprise those interested of the fact until last Friday (day before yesterday). He promised yesterday, in the presence of several members to abide by the decision of the
Attorney General on the validity of the disputed question.
As to what will be the upshot of the matter, difference of opinion exists.
Some think that
Mr. Etheridge's better nature will prevail when he meets the house face to face; others that he is determined at all hazards to defeat the
Union nominees if he can. The friends of
Mr. Etheridge, on the other hand, say that he only means to carry our the law of Congress.
This evening,
Messrs. Dawes and
Pike, a sub-committee of the caucus committee, had a protracted interview with
Mr. Etheridge, if he pursues the course which he pledged himself to pursue in case certain contingencies should arise, the
House will be organized without trouble.
If he fails to do so, measures will be taken to overcome all obstacle.
The exchange question — letter from General Hitchcock.
Gen. Hitchcock has written a long letter to the New York
Times about the hitch in the
Exchange.
He commences on the negro exchange question.--He says the
United States is bound to protect its negro soldiers, and that the
South does not recognize them as soldiers.
He "knows" of two
Mas- sachusetts negro soldiers who have been sold into slavery in
Texas, and one negro chaplain who is still in jail at
Columbia, S. C. It appears that be has applied for men who he does not know to be in the
United States service:
Within the past few days, upon a formal application made by
Gen. Meredith, at my instance, to learn the history of two men who
reported in be and are
believed to be, officers of the
Federal army, said to be in the hands of the enemy.
Mr. Ould furnishes to
General Meredith what purported to be the proceedings of a civil court in the
State of Virginia, the testimony in the cases not being furnished, by which it appeared that the two men had been sentenced to a Penitentiary for a term of years, on a charge of negro stealing; and the
Governor of
Virginia, or of that part of it in rebellion, endorsed on the application of
General Meredith a declaration that the two men in question should remain in the Penitentiary while he remained Governor of
Virginia.
In these instances there can hardly be a doubt but that these two men are undergoing humiliation and suffering because of their connection with the
Federal Government, on the pretence of being subjected to a penalty for negro stealing.
He alleges that he has offered, through
Gen. Meredith, to send 12,000 or more Confederate prisoners South in exchange for the same number, which the
Confederate Commissioner refused, but said he would agree to a general exchange, the effect of which undoubtedly would be to cancel the excess of prisoners in our hands by a delivery of about 40,000 for about 13,000; to leave to the rebel authorities the entire disposition of such colored troops and their white officers as they might capture; to expose
Captains Sawyer and
Flyun to their fate under orders in
Richmond, which have never been countermanded; to turn loose again certain notorious guerilla leaders to renew their ravages in
Kentucky and
Missouri, (neither of which States have ever united with the so called Southers Confederacy to put into the field a fresh army of rebels, to be recaptured; and, in short, we should deliberately neutralize or throw away a chief part of the power of the
Government at this time, through which there may be some hope, by measures yet to be decided upon, of controlling the action of the authorities in
Richmond in their treatment of prisoners of war, and compelling them to respect the laws of war if they are deaf to those of humanity.
We consider that, at this time the rebel authorities owe us upon the exchange list more than all of the prisoners of war they now hold, as equivalent for the prisoners paroled by
Gens. Grant and
Banks; and even already the question has come up from
Gen. Grant's glorious battle field at
Chattanooga, as to what shall be done with a body of the enemy who, having been paroled as prisoners of war at
Vicksburg, have been recaptured in arms at
Chattanooga, without having been properly exchanged.
I ought to state here that the
Government of the
United States would not
haggle about a few men, more or less, if it were hundreds, or even thousands, if the question was the relief, and that alone, of our suffering prisoners in
Richmond; but whoever considers the above statement of facts cannot fall to see that other questions and points are involved, which it is not safe, if it were honorable, for this Government to overlook.
It should be stated, also, that an offer was made to the rebel agent some days ago to receive all of the prisoners from
Richmond under a sujemnpledge that they should not be allowed to take arms unless duly exchanged with the consent of the rebel authorities, without reference to existing difficulties on the subject of exchange; and that this Government would pledge itself to both feed and clothe all rebel prisoners in our hands.
This proposition was also rejected, and the
Secretary of War was thus greatly restricted in his means of affording immediate relief to our prisoners in
Richmond; but they have not been over looked God forbid.
The
Secretary of War has ordered both clothing and provisions to be sent through the rebel lines to sustain them, although those supplies, from the necessity of the case, have been entrusted to the honor and humanity of the enemy, whose agents may or may not permit the supplies to be delivered.
Miscellaneous.
Lincoln was still sick with the varioloid; and his message would not be sent to Congress until Wednesday.
Frands to the amount of over a million of dollars have been discovered in the furnishing of supplies to the Army of the Potomac.
On Friday night
Capt. William Stoddard,
Quartermaster of
Alexandria, was arrested by order of the
Secretary of War, and lodged in the Old Capitol prison.
On Saturday night
Capt. C. B. Ferguson, of the regular army, Cluel Quartermaster of
Alexandria, was also arrested and sent to the Old Capitol.--These frauds have all been unearthed since
Gen. Meigs went to
Tennessee.
An order has been issued by
Gen. Butler permitting trade with
Norfolk, but requiring of all persons who obtain a permit to take to or from that city and department any goods or merchandize to pay a duty of one per cent, upon the value of the invoice, and for every passport issued a charge of one dollar will be made.
Any vessel permitted to enter and trade in the department will be required to pay three dollars.
Owing to the numerous guerilla attacks on steamers,
Adj't
Gen. Thomas has issued orders to furnish all boats in Government employ plying on the
Mississippi river with arms and ammunition for self-protection.
Sixty coal rioters were brought to
Philadelphia on Saturday and sent to Fort Mifflin.
They are the ringleaders, and the worst of the lot. About forty more are in custody at Reading.
All are charged with conspiring against the
Government, murder, arson, and rioting.
The Newburyport
Herald has received information that there are at least 40,000 men in the
British Provinces who have deserted from the U. S. army on leaves of absence.
Near the month of the
Red river, on the
Mississippi, there would seem to be a firmly- established guerilla post.
Almost every boat arriving above the
Louisiana lines is fired into in that vicinity.--
Gen. Dick Taylor has possession of a high, strong position called
Hog Point, and has a force of 8,000 men.
A report prevailed in
Memphis last week that the rebel
Gen. Forest was encamped at
Rocky Fork, fifteen miles from
Holly Springs, on Thursday, with seventeen regiments, numbering eight or ten thousand men.
Illinois has over 75 regiments under the immediate command of
Gen Grant.
Lt. Baker, of the 2d Rhode Island cavalry, has been convicted of forcing from
Joseph A. Frerer, a planter in
Louisiana, all his diamonds, watches, and other jewelry, and sentenced to one year's imprisonment at
Ship Island, and to wear a ball and chain.
J. R. Hood,
Postmaster of
Chattanooga, passed through
Cincinnati on the 3d inst, on his way to the scene of his official duties.
Hood was formerly a citizen of
Chattanooga, and edited a Union paper there until that part of the country became too hot.
The New York
Times has an editorial virtually declaring the capture of
Charleston impossible.
Brig.--Gen. Lockwood has been made
Commander of the Department at
Baltimore.
Andrew Johnson, Jr., nephew of
Gov. Johnson, of
Tenn., captured some time ago, arrived in
Washington Sunday, from
Richmond.
He was exchanged for
Col. Chandler, of
Baltimore.
John M. Cannaday, Dem., has been elected delegate in Congress from the new
Territory of Idaho.
The navigation of the
Mississippi above Quiney, Ill., was closed by the late freeze.
