Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-11-04
The Seat Of war in HfIssouri-A Topograph
icaI nescriptIOu.


ical Description, ,
The rapid movements OF the contending
forces in Missouri make it desirable to know
something more of the topography Of that
State than the meager information furnished
by maps and gazetteers. The st. Louis Re
publican gives this typographical description
Of the region which has become the theater
Of exciting events;
The breadth of the State averages about
three hundred miles. The principal towns
and cities are st. Louis, Jefferson City, Boone
vile, Lexington, Independence, Kansas City
and Cape Girardeau. Besides these, import
ant military points are Pilot Knob, Rolla,
Warrensburg, Warsaw, Osceola, Bolivar,
Springfield and Neosho, the two first named,
Pilot Knob and Rolla, being occupied by
United States troops, and the other places in
the south west being in the possession of the
rebels. Birds Point, just below Cairo, on
the Missouri side, is strongly fortified by the
Federal forces, while Charleston and Bel.
mont, Immediately south, are possessed by
the enemy.
The face of the country south of the Mis-
souri, River is uuduating, rising into high,
rocky hills as it approaches the lead and
iron regions on the Usage range. The SOUTH
east is low and swampy, and full of lakes,
extending back a considerable distance, and
reaching from the Great Swamp, a few miles
south Of Cape Girardeau, beyond ST. Francis
Lake, far into Arkansas The swamps aud
lagoons are rendered almost impenetrable by
a dense growth of cypress and other trees.
This region extends west to the st Francis
River, and as far up as Greenville. The
boundary of the swampy tract is marked by
a line of fertile highlands beyond which the
country rises north, north east, east and
south east. The highlands along the Missis-
sippi River extend from q little above the
head of the Great Swamp, with occasional
depressions, to the Missouri River the most
elevated part being between st. Genevieve
and Sulphur Springs, or the valley of the
MaTamec, where the limestone banks climb
up, in some places, to over three hundred
and fifty feet above the water. From the
Mississippi, at point below Cape Girardeau
to the mouth of the Missouri, this undulating
country spreads west to the Usage and its
branches, where the rugged character OF the
surface disappears. Between the Gasconade
and the Usage a range of elevated land ap-
proaches the Missouri River, which is the
Eorthernmost offset of the Ozark Mou tlins.
To the west of this region the country is
more open, and is characterized by rolling
prairies, diversified along the streams with
strips of stupted timber. Naturally this part
of the State is abundantly prolific, out in the
last few years succession of floods aud
Operation S, especially near the Kansas border,
that many of the inhabitants have been
diven off from fear of famine. The subsist-
eDee Of large army has so drained that por-
ton of the country recently as to have laid it
almost bare.
The rivers of the State, besides the Missis-
sippi and the Missouri, ace numerous. The
Mafsmec, which emptIes into the Mssissi ppi
twenty miles below this CITY, has course of
/ l,,, -Cl ,r,l Er-a h..
White and St. Francis, which drain large
sections in the south part of the State, are
! properly rivers of Arkansas. The most coa-
siderable affluebts of the Missouri within the
! State are the Usage and Gasc1nsde. The
| Usage is about four hundred miles long ris-
| ing in the plains between the Kansas and
Arkansas Rivers, and joining the Missouri a
few miles below Jefferson City. The FORKS
of the Gssconade take their source in the
mountainous region about Springfield. Nu-
merous creeks and small streams traverse all
sections of the State, being generally well
timbered, and furnishing those essential items
to camp hfe-wood and water.
The RAILROADS of Missouri are the Pacific,
(main and Southwest Brancb), the Hannib Al
and st. Joseph, the North Missouri, the Iron
Mountain and the Cairo and Fulton. The
main line of the Pacific is completed to Seda-
liza, q distance of one hundred aud eighty
nine miles, and the Southwest Branch to
Rolla, one hundred and thirteen miles. The
Hannibal and st. Joseph extends across the
State two hundred and six miles. The North
Missouri connects with the Hannibal and St
Joseph at Hudson, one hundred aud sixty
eight miles from ST. Louis The Iron Noun,
tain Railroad has a length of eighty seven
miles. The Cairo and Fulton road has been
completed to Charleston, twenty one miles
from Caro-, but has been rendered useless for
transportation.
Below we give as accurate table Of dis
tapces between the several points of interest
in this State as we have heen able to prepare
The variations from positive correctness will
we think, be found to be few;
| TABLE OF DIsTA ECEs.