dressing troops. Bragg, he says, has one hundred and thirty pontoons already finished in Chickamauga Valley, and is building more to cross the Tennessee.

[C. A. DANA.]

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

[Secretary of War.]

CHATTANOOGA, October 12-9 p.m.

Would it not be possible for General Halleck to come here? What is needed to extricate this army is the highest administrative talent, and that without delay. Weather cloudy; rain threatened.

[C. A. DANA.]

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

[Secretary of War.]

CHATTANOOGA, October 13-10.30 a.m.

No demonstrations from the enemy. Granger, who rode the picket lines yesterday afternoon, is convinced that Bragg's main body is still here. We have, however, pretty good reason for believing that Ector's, McNair's, and Ormes' [?] brigades have gone to Mobile. We had heavy rain all night; still raining.

[C. A. DANA.]

Honorable E. M. STANTON,

[Secretary of War.]

CHATTANOOGA, October 14-12 m.

After thirty-six hours heavy rain there is now a prospect of clearing up. The river has risen 8 or 10 inches, and General Smith has ordered the trestle bridge to be taken up, leaving only the new pontoon bridge to connect us with the north side. The roads have been greatly injured by the storm, one of them, the Anderson road, used by the loaded wagons, having been rendered impracticable on the eastern side of the mountain.

In the Sequatchie and Tennessee bottoms all the roads must be nearly spoiled, but no reports from them have yet arrived. Some forage got in here yesterday, and we hear from Bridgeport that a train load of forage has got there from Nashville, but it is clearly impossible to haul, from Bridgeport here, both food for men and forage for animals. All the forage in the country near hear is exhausted and the chief quartermaster reports that there is none left in the Sequatchie Valley, the only region within convenient reach where it could be procured. A wagon train loaded with rations got here yesterday, and last night we had here 300,000 full rations. The troops now receive but three-quarter rations.

The necessity of opening the river being thus imperative, General Rosecrans has ordered Hooker to concentrate his troops preparatory to seizing the passes of Raccoon Mountain and occupying Shellmound, and, if possible, Lookout Valley. If this can be done we shall greatly shorten our lines of wagon transportation; if we could regain Lookout Mountain we could use water all the way. Deserters from the enemy report Jeff. Davis as still in Bragg's camp. Pemberton is there also, and some say Lee. Davis made a speech on