From the army of Tennessee.
--A correspondent of the Montgomery
Advertiser writes from
Chattanooga, August 31, as follows:
‘
The dull monotony of expectation has been broken within the last two days by some skirmishing at long range across the
Tennessee, between the sharpshooters.--There the advance pickets face each other, covered by precipices, rocks, and forests, seemingly impenetrable to the messengers of destruction.
Yet a chance shot occasionally finds its victim through heedlessness, daring, or curiosity, on the part of the unfortunate one.
This morning about daylight there was quite a spirited exchange of missiles, which startled the sleeper from his dreams of home and reminded him that he was in the midst of an active contest between two armies, manœuvering for every advantage before the deadly conflict shall decide the fate of each.
’
Apparently reliable rumors say that the enemy has crossed in some force at
Shell Mound, and is making his way down
Wills Valley.
Our
commanding General must have some confidence in the report, as the fine brigade of
Brig.-Gen. Preston Smith, commanded by a soldier of tried metal and merit, was last night dispatched across
Lookout Mountain to watch the movements of this force.
It is only feared by our most sagacious officers that these rumors are not correct, or at least that
Rosecrans is too wily a leader to risk his army or any large portion of it in a position where his destruction will be speedy and certain.
Let him once cross the
Tennessee west of this point and become entangled in the fastnesses and passes of that region, if he has lost his proverbial cunning and has become giddy with questionable success.
He will rue the day that he exchanged his feline cunning and caution for the lion's audacity!
The men of the Army of Tennessee wish him to fall into no securer trap than this!
Opinions are divided as to whether he will form a junction with
Burnside in
East Tennessee, or leave the latter to fight it out with
Buckner, while he endeavors to move in the direction of
Dalton.
An eminent general officer of this army believes that he is moving his whole force to effect a junction with
Buckner; that
Crittenden's headquarters are now at
Dunlop, at the foot of the mountain; that he has left large garrisons at
Bridgeport,
Stevenson, and
Murfreesboro', and has 45,000 left with which to reinforce
Burnside.
If the view and information of this officer be correct, he is then compelled to fight a desperate battle; for if he fails his whole army will fall an easy prey to
Bragg, whose communications with the rear will be left undisturbed, while those of
Rosecrans will extend over two difficult mountain ridges, sparsely settled, badly watered, and easy of ambush.
Bragg can also concentrate his entire force upon his foe — a force now grown enthusiastically confident, desperate, and determined to win victory or fall in the struggle.
No one in the army doubts the result.
I would rather believe, with all the difficulties which environ it, that is the design of the
Federal General, than to think he will duplicate the error of
Hooker at
Chancellorsville, by separating his forces on our two wings, and thus giving us the opportunity to mass the whole army of Tennessee upon either of the opposing forces that we may deem the most vulnerable.
