Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-09-19
Western Virginia Geography.

1he northern papers, and many oi our o" Il, have very much coniounded the moVeiHV'l'' 1T o' our troops in Northwestern Flrglhla' w naYo two columns operating in that section oi the ct,ta ar considerable distances apart, over q most mountainous and impossible conntry.- One colnmn. under Generals Lee and Lorlng, are operating against Rosencranz, m the coun- ty of Randolph and on the Cheat Mountain, Ill inc direction of Grafton. The other column unier Generals Floyd and Wise, IS operating aoainst Cox. in the direction of the kanawha valley, in the county oi Fayette, on the NG" river. which becomes the Kanawha below me month of inc Gauley river Atthe mouth ot the Gauley the enemy are posted in force. ne Hawks Nest is on the right bank ol New rlEer, above the confluence of the Gauley.
 When. therefore the enemy $ dispatches from Cincinnati mix up General Wise Ill the move ,nents oc Generals Lee and Loring, that very fact proves that their authors are ignorant: oI inc real locality of General Wise. The column with which he is operating IS III the central west of the State whereas that of General Lee is in the northwest proper. You cross Sewells s Mountain and pass the Hawks Nest, where Generals Floyd and Wise are, on the road from Lewisburg to the Kanawah Salnes and to Guy andotte: you cross Cheat Mountain, where Gen reals Lee and Lorng are, on the Staun1on and Parkersburg turnpike road. Braddocks army crossed Cheat Mountain and Cheat rver, on It's march to Pittsburg then Fort Duquesne. But you cross Sewel's Mountain in going from the Greenbrier White Sul phur springs to Cincinnati and to Kentucky on the route pursued by Lewis and his army in l774 on their way to fight the Indians at Point Pleasant where Logan was killed. In short. your course from Staunton to the mouth of Gauley, near which Generals Floyd and Wise are operating, is due west; whereas the course from Staunton to Beverly and Cheat Mountain. where Gens. Lee and LOT ing are operating is almost due north. From the mouth ofGauley to Beverly, from the Hawk s Nest 10 Rich Mountain, Is a very long distance, more than hundred miles, the way obstructed by the most stupendous mountains m the State and marked by no direct road: ltproiessor Lowe could take the Yankee news writers up Ill hlS bal loon and show them the distance and the charac- ter ofcountry intervening between the counties ot Randolph and of Fayette those writers never would again contound the movements ot our armies on the Sewell and the Cheat mountalrs
 The importance of the movement ot Gen Lee consists, besides driving the enemy out ot our State, ill getting possession of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and thus cutting off the most d. rect communication between CIncmnatl and St. Louis with Washington City.
 inc importance Ol the movements ol Nei0i als Floyd and Wise, besides the same object ot driving the enemy beyond our borders, consists in reclamng the kanawha Salines, and the rich and wealthy Kanawha Valley, and at the same time afiording a support to the southern senti- lnent in Eastern Kentucky; an object now be- come doubIy important from the cricis which affairs are reaching in that State.
 We have said enough to show that we have two colums operating in two widely separated fields, for two widely distinct objects. The one column looks to bringing back Northwestern Virginia to its allegiance and commanding the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. The other looks to holding middle Western Virginia to it's true and natural teaty, securing the control of the Salines and supporting the confederatesin in East ern Kentucky. We confidently expect the sue. cess ofboth expeditions; but not without good deal of hard fighting -Richmoad Dispatch.