Weekly National Intelligencer

THE UNION RAID IN EAST TENNESSEE.

From the Richmond Examiner of January 2d.

A body of Yankee cavalry, numbering, it is reported, some four thousand men, made a raid on Monday upon the East Tennessee and Virginia railroad and destroyed two important bridges--one across the Holston and the other across the Watauga river. The bridge across the Holston, at Blountsville, was guarded by two hundred of our cavalry, who were completely surprised and made prisoners without any resistance. An account of the raid, which we find in yesterday's Lynchburg Republican, says:

"The enemy advanced within six miles of Bristol, the terminus of the Virginia and Tennessee railroad, but retired without coming to the place. They afterwards advanced towards Jonesboro and burnt the bridge across the Watauga. At this place a small scouting party of citizens, hastily gotten together, came up with them and a brisk skirmish occurred, in which one of the enemy was killed and two captured, who were brought into Bristol on Tuesday. They belong to a Pennsylvania regiment.

"The enemy first entered Virginia, between Cumberland Gap and Pound Gap, and passing through Estillville, in Scott county, to Blountsville, fulfilled their mission of bridge-burning, and made a demonstration as if it was their intention to visit Bristol. This, as before stated, they failed to do, fearing, doubtless, to venture so far. They continued in the direction of Jonesboro, but it is stated by our scouts, who came into Bristol on Tuesday night, that they were retreating over nearly the same route they had advanced.

"The distance from the point at which they entered the State line to Jonesboro is between ninety and one hundred miles, and the raid is certainly a most daring one, and argues an audacity in the enemy which they were not supposed to possess.

"The damage to the railroad is serious, as, beside burning the bridges named, the track is torn up in many places and the rails and iron burnt. The distance between the Watauga and Holston river is nine miles, and the burning of the bridges across these streams involves a loss of that distance in our railroad communications. It will take several weeks to repair the damages, and they come at a time when the road is taxed to its utmost capacity.

"But few of the citizens along their march were molested by the Yankees, nor have we heard of that destruction of private property usual in their raids."