NASHVILLE, October 26, 1863-8.10 p. m.

Lieutenant-Colonel GODDARD,

Assistant Adjutant-General:

Dispatch of 22nd just received. Answered yesterday. In answer to dispatch of 24th, effective force Seventh Kentucky, 342; Third East Tennessee, 189. Every available man now out after Hawkins, with orders to follow as long as a trace of him can be found.

R. S. GRANGER,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

CHATTANOOGA, October 26, 1863-2 p. m.

(Received 27th.)

General BURNSIDE:

Have you indications of a force coming from Lee's army by way of Abingdon toward you? Do you hear of any of Bragg's troops threatening you from the southwest? Thomas' command is in bad condition to move, for want of animals of sufficient strength to move his artillery, and for want of subsistence. If you are threatened with a force beyond what you can compete with, efforts must be made to assist you. Answer.

U. S. GRANT,

Major-General, Commanding.

LOUDON, October 26, 1863.

General A. E. BURNSIDE,

Commanding Army of the Ohio, Loudon, Tennessee:

GENERAL: The command, owing to broken-down horses and sick men, will not be as large as I expected. The Second Brigade can only start about 450, and report that it is every effective man. This brigade has about 1,300 men for duty, but has a line of pickets down the river and also couriers. I think, therefore, it will not be advisable to divide the command to send a large party to the rear.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. P. SANDERS,

Brigadier-General of Volunteers, Commanding Cavalry.

JONESBOROUGH, October 26, 1863.

Major-General BURNSIDE:

My advance and scouts on the river report all quiet during the night.

I give you below the statement of a discharged soldier, who was arrested by rebels in their retreat, and taken to Abingdon and released, and captured by our forces. He says he left Abingdon on the 16th instant, the day we were engaged in destroying the road above Bristol; that re-enforcements from the Tenth and Eleventh Corps had reached Abingdon; that the force at Abingdon on that day was 16,000; that they had sixty-odd pieces of artillery; that these re-enforcements were to have come down to Bull's Gap, but that we whipped the enemy back before they could get farther than