success throughout the battle. Will it not then be practicable to publish an order at Washington, complimenting the steadiness and gallantry of the two corps, and putting the consolidation on the ground of the great reduction in their numbers, and especially on necessity of rendering our brigades numerically more equal to those of the enemy against which they are sent to fight?

[C. A. DANA.]

[Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.]

CHATTANOOGA, October 9-11 a.m.

Deserters yesterday reported Bragg making hard bread and constructing pontoons at La Fayette. Last evening our pickets reported his troops to be felling trees in front as if to obstruct roads. Pickets this morning, however, seem to have noticed nothing of the sort during the night, nor is any special symptom reported. Bragg's force is now said by some deserters to be 80,000, by others 125,000.

Chattanooga Rebel of 6th, published at Marietta, contains Polk's farewell to his soldiers on being relieved. He says he retires from the army. Cheatham succeeds to the command of corps. Same paper says these are reports. Jeff. Davis on his way to the seat of war in Tennessee. It also publishes a letter from Davis to Confederate Society, of Enterprise, Miss., formed to keep currency at par with gold. He says:

The passion for speculation has seduced citizens of all classes from a determined prosecution of the war to a sordid effort to amass money.

And also-

I am burdened by the complaining and despondent letters of many who have stood all the day idle, and now blame anybody but themselves for reverses which have come and dangers which threaten.

[C. A. DANA.]

[Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.]

[OCTOBER 9]-12.30 p.m.

An intelligent Union citizen who has just got in from beyond rebel lines reports Bragg's main body retreating to Dalton. Forage very scare with rebels as with us. We are now losing some twenty animals daily of starvation, in addition to the usual mortality.

Work on interior fortifications actively begun. When finished, with garrison of 10,000 men, Chattanooga will be absolutely impregnable.

I desire to call your attention to the fact that there are too few telegraph operators between Chattanooga and Nashville, and that many of those we have are drunken, worthless fellows, who should be dismissed immediately.

[C. A. DANA.]

[Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.]