Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-10-04

hE%TUtkY As AIIELD OF NILl-
TARH OPER NTIeNS.

That the reader may he able ID t.G2 IN
e.. glance the paturc 0i tlc various militia
~ movements already made, or likely soon
a. DE made in Kentucky, We propose t. take
:. short review f the rivers anI railroads 81
that S,d,c. Alter waiting lmi .ti,"tE Tor
months, cen Polk at ia-; violated au ages
ment. tore away the fmsy rlg OF neutrality
and TRAMP led state rights doctrine ia the
dust. by s.ziug aud certifying iI.aSm4n and
Columbus on tue Mississippi. he-e vi.-
lagos crown the only high hluHs oycrio' Sns
that river 90 the Eastern side bctwe Mem
ubis and the mouth Of the Ohio. Hiclmlu
b. situated about ten indies North 90 the
Tennessee State line. and Columbus twenty
mile. South of Cairo. y the great river Is
IN rebel hands below THAI POINT, ana direct
railroad connections have been established
with New Orleaus and Mobile, the insurgents
can readily throw any Gi>laslsle force into
that part of tde State.
General Grant Immediately seized Ptdu-
can as IN oG-et. THIS village Is situated AT
,he mouth % the Tennessee river, tcrty-
eight miles above Cairo, ami Is connected
with the Mobile and OHIO railroad Try "a
branch line Of h.y-sig miles, through
which an entrance can b, made into IcnueS-
see 5cor Polk 5 sjrou-huli-. Inc rc1 is
felt that by losing It they had hsen out--s7-
eraled, and hence the AaSty oh maze HT
General Polk 70 abandon Kentucky IL E.a-
eral Grant would do the same.
The Tennessee and Cumberland r.Y-I5,
both uavgahle at this season. entering the
Ohio only ID miles apart md flowing SIDE hy
( side through Western Kentucky, are IN u
but one streaM, since whoever commands
| the ono can shut up the other NoTA7 90
defence we learn, are being constructed on
| heights or miles back OF Paduclh, and
whole fleets of barges are unloading military
stores OF every kind, 80 that the lace prom
iscs to b. another Cairo at no distant day.
Western Kentucky, then, is penetrdble
/ bv our armies along three Ines-the Paducah
! Branch Railroad and the Cumberland and
! Tennessee Rivers. The lower Mississippi and
[ the Mobile and Ohio Railroad are IN the
/ enemv's possession, whom We can readily
reach only by assaIing his rear.
Tie next great base Of operations on cur
! part is the city of Louisville. Independent Of
| the Ohio River, IT has Railroad connections
/ to the East with Frankfort and Lexington.
/ on the Southwest with Memphis. The line
/ toward Tennessee is one of tlc greatest arte-
ries Of commerce in the West and both par
/ ties are striving for its possession with the
utmost avidty Gen. Buckncr, a traitCrJus
| officer Of the Kentucky State Guard, Is ad.
yanclng from the Sluth 10y wav Of Bowling
/ Green.
Bowling Green is situated on the Louis
vile and Nashville railroad, one hundred
and fourteen miles south by west % Louis
vile. Its PRINCIPAL importlnce arising from
it, position on Green river, and Che fact
that it Is the terminus of a railroad going
SOUTHWEST to Memphis, which was opened
throughout only a few weeks ago. The
rebels there have thus communications both
s5uthward and south ~ -stVaTd Two short
branches diyerge from the Louisville and
Nashville road, neither, however. possessing
any stra;cEIcal importance.
Ecdlv midway between Louisville and
Peducth, and a short distance below Evans
ylle. Indiana, the bdgehali ana kentucky
railroad terminates On the Ohio. Tins may
bl regarded as cur thru base. /. extends
South by E4st Loln Henderson, Kentucky,
10 Nashville, Tennessee, on' hundred and
fJrty-three miles. Neither PARTY has yet
made any great effort % ohtdIu possession oi
tbs line. probably heclusa rs North IN fer
minus Is u place OF L. cons, quence-
Oar fourth base gt operations is C5yinE-
ton, situated opposite . Cincinnati, and
connected By railroad with lexington and
the counties Immediately South and Last
Of thai city by unfinished roads. One OF
these extends IN the direction ol Ddnyllle,
tarletn miles, and ls t. cross the Kentucky
iiveT by a SUSPENSION bridge tlrt3 zee; longer
than that across Niagara. lie kentucky
river Is no" na1lg1b.e To- that point and Is
IA possession Ci tAt CnIoalet7' Cynthiaha,