Submitted by James M. Burton

Supplement to The New-York Times.
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NEW-YORK, SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1864
IMPORTANT FROM KNOXVILLE
Details of Longstreet's Formidable Advance.
A Reconnaissance and Skirmish at Danbridge.
The Union Forces Retire to the Fortifications.
The Rebels Hold a Strong Position at Bull's Gap.
A GREAT BATTLE IMMINENT.
CINCINNATI, Friday, Jan. 29,

The Knoxville correspondent of the Gazette under date of Jan. 22, says:

Our entire force crossed the Holston at Strawberry Plains, and fell back to a new position.

Our loss of stores at Strawberry Plains was quite severe. Several caissons were blown up. About 200 stragglers were picked up by the rebels.

After crossing the Holston, our troops burnt the bridge, and everything else likely to fall into the hands of the enemy, including a considerable amount of new clothing.
On the 22d the rebels and our sharpshooters were skirmishing across the river, six miles above Knoxville.

The movements of the enemy are not clearly understood. It is supposed that Longstreet will besiege Knoxville. Men have been put to work on the fortifications, and new batteries put into position.

Longstreet has a strong and well-fortified position at Bull's Gap, whence he can throw forces into the valley on either side with great facility.
Matters will not remain long in their present condition.

CINCINNATI, Friday, Jan. 29,

The correspondent of the Gazette, writing from Knoxville on the Jan. 29th instant, says:

On Friday last our cavalry, under Gen. Sturges, advanced in the direction of Danbridge, forty miles from Knoxville, and on Saturday morning we drove the enemy's videttes out of that village.

A portion of our infantry, under Gen. Parke, also moved up, but learning that the enemy were in full force beyond Danbridge, they fell back to their former position.

On Sunday morning the enemy, seeing the we had drawn back our cavalry as far as possible, made a desperate attack on our lines with Hood's and Bushrod Johnson's Divisions, led by the Hampton Cavalry.

Observing the desperate determination of the enemy, Gen. Sturges ordered Col. McCook, commanding a division of Elliott's Cavalry, to charge the enemy. The charge turned the fortunes of the day, which up to this time had been decidedly against us. Our total loss is about 150.

On Sunday we fell back to Knoxville, and the same evening crossed the Holston River, with the view of intercepting the enemy at Sevierville.

Gen. Gordon Granger's troops were moving in the same direction on the 20th inst., where a battle is pending.

Great anxiety exists at Knoxville, with something of a panic.

Gen. Longstreet has been heavily reinforced.

Several of the prisoners taken were fresh from Richmond.

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NEWS OF THE DAY.
THE REBELLION.

A dispatch received late last evening brings advices from Knoxville down to the 22d. At that time our forces were reported to be retiring to the defences of the city, and the prospect of the inauguration of a second siege was imminent. Longstreet has a strongly fortified position at Bull's Gap, from which he can throw forces into the Tennessee valley, against Knoxville, with great facility.

The news from Knoxville is by mail to the 20th, and is so late as that by telegraph published yesterday. The correspondent of the Cincinnati Gazette, writing from Knoxville on the 20th, gives the details of Lonstreet's advance up to that date. The first conflict took place at Danbridge, forty miles northeast of Knoxville, where our cavalry, under Gen. Sturges, drove in the enemy's pickets. But learning the enemy were in full force beyond Danbridge, our troops fell back. On Sunday morning following, the enemy with one brigade of cavalry and two divisions of infantry, made a desperate attack. Gen. Sturges finally ordered a cavalry charge, which resulted favorably. Our loss was about 150. Subsequently Gen. Sturges fell back to Knoxville, and the same evening crossed the Holston River with the intention of intercepting rebels at Sevierville. Gen. Granger's troops were moving to the scene of operations on the 20th. Considerable excitement prevailed at Knoxville, but Gen. Foster was fully confident of his ability to hold the place. Gen. Longstreet had been heavily reinforced. Some of the prisoners taken were fresh from Richmond.

Longstreet before Knoxville - Military Prospects in East Tennessee

    The news today from East Tennessee brings swifter confirmation than we could wish of the interpretation put by us yesterday upon the rebel movements in that region. There now remains no room to doubt that the rebels are in the act of executing a determined movement for the capture of Knoxville and the repossession of East Tennessee. An encounter of some magnitude is reported to have taken place on the 15th between two heavy bodies of the two armies at Danbridge, forty miles East of Knoxville. On the Union side was the whole cavalry corps under Gen. Sturgis, with a portion of infantry under Gen. Parke: and on the side of the rebels were the divisions of Hood and Bushrod Johnson, with Hampton's cavalry. The fight is reported to have gone adversely for us, causing a loss of a hundred and fifty men, till a cavalry charge turned the fortunes of the day, and enabled our forces to fall back to Knoxville. On the 19th, the cavalry force, with the corps of Gen. Gordon Granger, moved out to intercept Longstreet as far as possible from Knoxville, and a battle was momentarily expected at a point which telegraph calls, Lewisville, but which we take to be Sevierville, twenty-five or thirty miles from Knoxville.

We trust there are troops enough to repel the present assault of Longstreet as successfully as his former attempt was baffled and brought to nought by Gen. Burnside. But the relative strength of the two forces, has, we fear, been seriously changed to our damage since then. Longstreet has been heavily reinforced both form the army of Joe Johnston and from the army of Lee, and he must now have a force of near fifty thousand men, while our own army has not, so far as we are aware, been materially augmented. We trust Gen. Foster has enough to hold his own, although it is not very comforting to be told that he is "pretty confident." If Longstreet is really executing the purpose here supposed, it is too late to obtain reinforcements from Gen. Grant.

If any serious disaster shall befall the Union fortunes in East Tennessee, if will difficult for the country to appreciate the merits of the military policy that permitted Longstreet to remains so long in that region, and there strengthen and prepare himself for a new attack. After he was beaten back by Gen. Burnside, we were excited with the intelligence that the whole force would surely be "bagged." After the prospect of bagging, however, had disappeared, the President issued a proclamation for a day of Thanksgiving to Heaven that the rebels had been driven out of East Tennessee, an act of gratulation which proved to be rather premature when it shortly afterward came out that Longsteet, instead of hurrying back to Lee, simply put Cumberland Gap between himself and any pursuing column that might move through it against him, and having reached Rogersville, faced about, fortified and stayed there ! No attempt has been made to deal a disastrous blow at this isolated rebel column, occupying a position militarily untecable against a serious assault. His railroad communications with Virginia were indeed cut by Averill, but those have long since been restored, and he has received supplies and reinforcements from that State. Longstreet, according to all military rules, should never have stayed where he was, no man could tell how it was possible for him there to subsist his army, and the only explanation of the reason why he has not long ago been driven away by Gen. Grant, is that his voluntary withdrawl has been regarded as a matter of necessity. But having stayed there against all military rule, and subsisted his army, no one can tell how, he is now attempting to take advantage of the valuable position he occupies to deal the Union cause a blow at a point where, if successful, it will be severely felt and fraught with disaster.