Bragg and Rosecrans — the expected fight.
The reports from East Tennessee are very vague. But one fact seems to be certain, and that is that Bragg has fallen back to Chattanooga, thus uncovering Middle Tennessee and North Alabama to the incursionists. His head quarters are at Bridgeport, and the Tennessee river is his line of defence. Rosecrans is supposed to have 56,000 men. The left wing of the Confederate army extends to within a short distance of Tullahoma. The Chattanooga Rebel, of Saturday, says:‘ Passengers report the evacuation of Tullahoma by our troops. If it be true, the movement is a good one, and will meet the sanction of the rank and file of the army, and of all who know anything about the nature of that region of country. Our first and last duty is to whip Rosecrans. That the mind of Gen. Bragg has this intent, no more, seems clear, and whether the thrashing comes at Tullahoma or some other point involving a better position, is a question to be determined by those Generals who compose the military family of the Commander in Chief.
’ Our mind is, and has always been, that Tullahoma is no place at all. It is low and marshy. It may be turned on either hand by half a dozen different routes. It is the funnel of no considerable tract of territory, nor the defence of any signal point. There are many points along the line of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad more available by far, and whatever induced the erection of fortifications there has always been a mystery to our mind. We looked upon the matter as a puzzle of science, and never troubled our brain about it.
We will not speculate upon what will happen next. The movements of the army and the plans of its directions are topics less for newspaper disquisition than, for close concealment. After the disclosure of events and the result of operations is the time for criticism. Our heart, meanwhile, beats high with sanguine hope, and we look to Gen. Bragg, his army and his officers, with earnestness, but with confidence. We are glad that General Bragg is resolved to take his time and select his own battle ground. That he means to fight, and to fight well, is a conclusion forced upon us by every circumstance of the last few days, and, indeed, by the indubitable evidences of months, so that the country at a distance can rest easy on that score.
Rumors were current on the streets during yesterday that thirty thousand Federals were moving down the old Nashville and Chattanooga and Pelham stage road. Parties immediately from the front state that it was reported that only six thousand Yankees were on that route, but it was believed they had been driven back by Forrest, who was watching them on the right. A well known officer of our army, who came through from that section yesterday, states that there is not a Yankee between Dechard and Manchester, and it was believed that Rosecrans, discovering that his flank movement had been anticipated, had fallen back.
Our cavalry were skirmishing with the enemy day before yesterday about four miles the other side of Allisonia. The enemy, though close enough to our lines to give battle at Tullahoma and at Dechard, for our men were in line of battle all day yesterday at the latter point, awaiting his approach, manifested no desire"to come to time."
