The Confederate forces in the fight at
Telford's, near
Jonesboro', Tenn., Tuesday, were commanded by
Gen. Jackson.
While our infantry engaged the enemy in front, a cavalry force was, by a skillful manœuvre, thrown in their rear, and thus the whole party were captured or killed.
We learn that about 350 prisoners were taken, the remainder being killed or wounded.
Our loss is stated at three killed and sixteen wounded. No bridges have been destroyed, and the road is open and in our possession to
Jonesboro'. The enemy are in considerable force at
Knoxville.
They have never been further East than within a miles or two of
Carter's depot, 12 miles this side of
Jonesboro', which place they demanded the surrender of, but the demand not having been complied with they failed to attempt its enforcement.
Cumberland Gap is still held by our forces.
The Lynchburg
Republican says:
‘
As we have before announced, the
Yankees captured at
Knoxville a freight train of fourteen cars.
Three days afterwards they came up to the neighborhood of Watanga bridge with the train loaded with soldiers, supposed to be between 600 and 1,000 men in number, and demanded a surrender of the bridge and the force at that place.
Gen. Jackson, who commanded the bridge, refused to surrender, and determined to resist any attempt to capture the bridge.
The
Yankees attempted to fall back with their train to
Jonesboro', but some one had removed some of the rails of the track, and the train ran off. We have heard of no casualties, except we understand that the
President of the
East Tennessee and Virginia railroad,
Mr. Branner, was on the train, and was thrown out of the cars and had his face considerably bruised and cut.--On their way up from
Knoxville to Watauga bridge the
Yankees captured two trains at
Morristown, which is about half way between
Knoxville and
Jonesboro'. The capture of these trains to us was very unfortunate.
It enabled the
Yankees to come up to
Jonesboro' two days after they captured
Knoxville, whereas without the trains they could not have made preparations to move there under two or three weeks by the ordinary roads, and they would no doubt have been assailed on their march by the loyal Southern men and some of their wagon trains out off. They now have command of the
East Tennessee and Virginia railroad from
Jonesboro' to
Knoxville, a distance of a hundred miles, and of the
East Tennessee and Georgia railroad from
Knoxville to
Loudoun, a distance of thirty miles, and have three trains to give them facilities for moving troops and supplies.
’
Mr. Branner, the
President of the
East Tennesse and Virginia Railroad, has been much, censured for suffering three of his trains to be captured by the enemy, and some even suspect him or his conductors or engineers of disloyalty.
We hope such is not the fact; but some one has been guilty of such gross blundering as to amount almost to a crime.
We understand that a squad of tories at
Jonesboro' took a young man by the name of
Harris out of his bed at that place, and shot him in the presence of his family.
We also learn that another squad hung a man at
Morristown by the name of
Drury Morris.
We learn that neither
Harris nor
Morris were particularly obnoxious to the tories.--The former was a private in the
Confederate service, and the latter was no way connected with the
Government, except as a pork packer last winter.
If the tories continue this diabolical spirit of revenge, the scenes that will occur in
East Tennessee will exceed anything recorded in history, and will be a sad commentary upon the great leniency with which they have been treated by the commanders of the military department of East Tennessee, for they have been most sedulously protected both in their persons and property.
From information which the Atlanta
Intelligencer, of Saturday evening last, deems reliable, it would appear that the enemy are crossing the
Tennessee river below
Bridgeport, in large force, and it is anticipated that the battle, which cannot be delayed many days longer, will take place in
Northwestern Georgia.
This movement of the enemy is for the purpose of flanking
Chattanooga, and compelling
Gen. Bragg to abandon that almost impregnable position.
Whether he will succeed or not, cannot yet be determined.
The movements of the enemy in
East Tennessee were evidently a mere feint, of which the
intelligencer has reason to believe that
Gen. Bragg was aware, and has acted according to this idea.
The advance of the enemy towards
Georgia is a desperate move of theirs.
Rosecrans is playing a game that must either be successful in every respect or he will have his army entirely destroyed.
