CHATTANOOGA, October 10-5 p.m.

Rebels are holding reviews to-day, and troops hitherto posted near Lookout Mountain have been moved east to Missionary Ridge for this purpose. Possibly Jefferson Davis is with them.

[C. A. DANA.]

[Honorable E. M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.]

CHATTANOOGA, October 11-9 a.m.

The dispatch disclosed was the first one of September 20. General R. S. Granger explains that, being very anxious for news, he went with General Gillem to the telegraph office as my dispatch was passing through, some portions of which were guessed at by the operator. The person who guessed out the dispatch was Mr. Smith, who informed us at the time "it was mere surmise, as he had no key to the cipher." It is rather curious, however, that the agent of the Associated Press at Louisville, in a private printed circular, quoted me as authority for reporting the battle as a total defeat, while Horace Maynard repeated in Cincinnati the entire second sentence of the dispatch. If practicable, send me a cipher whose meaning no operator can guess out.

[C. A. DANA.]

Major ECKERT.

CHATTANOOGA, October 12-8 a.m.

Reports arrived last night from up the river to the effect that the rebels are concentrating a force on the Hiwassee at a point about 12 miles from its mouth. These reports lack confirmation, but they are very probable, and agree with the apparent disappearance of Longstreet from our front.

If a serious attempt should be made by Bragg to march into Kentucky, this army will find itself in a very helpless and dangerous position. Owing to the destruction of our wagon train by Wheeler, on the 2nd instant, with all the forage on board which had been brought to Stevenson, and the subsequent occupation of the railroad transporting Hooker's troops, with its interruption by Wheeler and by guerrillas, our animals have had no regular supply of forage for ten days. Corn enough has been hauled from the Sequatchie Valley, from the Tennessee bottoms below Bridgeport, and from places up the river 30 and 40 miles distant, to furnish the mass of the animals with about quarter rations, while all that could be sent away have been taken to Stevenson to be fed as best they might. The result is that a large number, say 250, have died of starvation, in addition to the usual mortality, and those which remain are already so debilitated as to render impracticable any efficient attack or pursuit of the enemy marching through East Tennessee toward Kentucky.

Nor is this all. We have now on hand here but two days' rations for the troops, with bad mountain roads from hence to the west base of Walden's Ridge, while from thence to Bridgeport the roads pass through the bottoms of the Sequatchie and the Tennessee, which a little rain will render impracticable.

In addition to all this the road used for empty trains from here to Walden's Ridge was yesterday rendered impassable by a few rebel