bread and meat, but forage scarcer. I want to destroy all the road below Chattanooga, including Atlanta, and make for the sea-coast. We cannot defend this long line of road. Replace all the guards on the road down as far as Chattanooga, and have a reserve force for the defense of Tennessee, and bring back your DIVISIONS of Newton and Morgan. We can have the road repaired in a week, and have plenty of grub in the mean time, but I expect Hood will make a break at Kingston, Rome, or some other point soon. Sorry that Forrest escaped. I doubt the necessity of repairing the road about Elk River and Athens, and suggest that you wait before giving orders for repairs.

W. T. SHERMAN,

Major-General, Commanding.

NASHVILLE, October 9, 1864 - 9 p. m.

Major-General SHERMAN:

I have learned within a day or two from rebel prisoners belonging to Forrest's command, confirmed by some of our men who have escaped, that the railroad from Montgomery to Tuscumbia has been repaired, and is now being operated by the enemy. Do you approve of my adding from four to six of the new regiments to General Granger's command, and direct him to seize and hold the Tennessee River as far down as Eastport? Rousseau reports that Forrest has escaped across the river, with the exception of 400 or 500 men, who are badly scattered. I have directed him to scout the country thoroughly, and destroy or capture all remaining this side of the river. Within the past twenty-four hours there have been forwarded to the front eighty-one car-loads of forage, forty car-loads of subsistence stores, and a fair proportion of quartermaster and other stores. These shipments will be continued daily, and as soon as the road to the front is repaired they can be at once forwarded from Chattanooga. No other news this evening.

GEO. H. THOMAS,

Major-General.

NASHVILLE, TENN., October 9, 1864.

JAMES GUTHRIE, Esq.,

Prest's Louisville and Nashville Railroad, Louisville, Ky.:

Your dispatch of this a. m. is received. I am directed by the major-general commanding to say in reply that as soon as it is possible in the distribution of troops to do so he will a force on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad at the points of danger, so as to protect the road in future against rebel guerrillas.

ROBT. H. RAMSEY,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. SECOND DIVISION, FOURTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Florence, Ala., October 9, 1864.

Captain WOODMAN,

Actg. Asst. Adjt. General, Major-General Rousseau's Staff:

In my last dispatch to General Thomas, dated at Shoal Creek on the 7th instant, I stated that I should commence my return march on the following morning. Have you advised the general of your subsequent