The position of Bragg's Army.
A correspondent of the
Atlanta, Ga.,
Intelligencer, writing from
Chattanooga on the 3d inst., says that by a masterly strategical retrograde movement
Gen. Bragg has out-witted
Rosecrans, forcing him to follow our army across the mountains, and leaving his base of supplies over 75 miles in the rear, greatly exposed to our cavalry.
Our army has fallen back to
Bridgeport, with a force at
Stevenson, at the junction of the
Memphis and
Charleston road, thus protecting
Huntsville, and preventing our army being nked --a chain of hills being in our from, and the river at
Bridgeport only 11 miles distant, in our rear.
Rosecrans's has been joined by
Burnside's forces, and all the troops garrisoning the posts from
Louisville to
Nashville.
Our retreat for the last two days has been conducted with great skill, the enemy following us up, and skirmishing; having been continuous.
The enemy holds
Decherd, which gives them
Winchester and
Fayetteville.
It cannot be denied that
Bridgeport, in a military sense, is one of the best if not the best, position for defence in the
Confederacy.
If
Bragg had only fallen back to that position months ago, half his present army would have been adequate to hold the enemy in check, and the balance might have been sent to
Gen. Joe Johnston, and so render the campaign of that commander in
Mississippi a certain success.
As it is, I am forced to the conclusion that
General Bragg could not establish a better line of defence, and in a more impregnable position than at
Bridgeport.
The Tennessee is no creek.
It is no
Rappahannock, nor even a Potomac, but a mighty stream, deep and wide, and across which the passage of an army by bridge, or pontoon, of ferry, would be perilous in the extreme, with a vigilant opponent watching from the opposite shore.
If it had been chosen as our line at first, or at least as soon as the movements of
Grant it the rear of
Vicksburg rendered it urgent that assistance should be sent to that garrison, the army of Tennessee would then have been in a position to reinforce
Joe Johnston heavily.
A telegram from
Atlanta, dated the 4th, says:
‘
We have news by passengers from
Bragg's army, which we deem reliable, that the most important movements are going on, and a fight is considered imminent.
We are confident that
Morgan has done a grand work in
Rosecrans's rear — destroying his trains of supplies, cutting off detachments, &c. We have reason to fear that the
Yankee cavalry are making demonstrations, and perhaps attempting a raid through
North Alabama upon
Northeast Georgia.
It was reported last evening that
Rosecrans is falling back, and
Bragg sending heavy forces back to
Tullahoma.
There has been no raid on the
East Tennessee roads since
Sam. Carter's raid on
Knoxville.
The bridges over
Mossy Creek and
Flat Creek, on the
East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad, have been completed, and trains now meet at the
Holston river, at Strawberry Plams.
The bridge at that place will also be completed in a short time.
’
