The New York herald., 1861-12-17
Tho Crushing Out OF tho Southern re-
boili0n.


van of General Buffers expedition, on the
steamer Constitution, tas reached and dis
embarked at Ship Island. This island com.
mands the Mississippi Sound, and Mobile New
Orleans and interior Mississippi are assaiIabls
from It with equal facility. Though for somo
time in the possession Of the Union naval forces
the landing OF this sexpedition and the procIam~.
tion immediately issued 10y General Phelps con,
stitute the first formal and practical occupation
ot the island
There is an old French story OF a prisoDes
confined 10 dungeon room which. by some
ingenious mechanical coa!riyance. gradually
contracted Itself nntil is croel walls crushed
Out the life Of the unhappy inmate. and became
ms collin and his tomb. Day after day tho
prisoner powerless 10 resist. unable 10 escape
saw death creeping slowly and surely upon
INN lis strained eyes could SEE no pcrceptbls
movement OF the iron walls; his hearing, pain
'uily acute could catch no jar or rustic Of the
exquisite necbansm; hs reason tried to con
| vince itself the dungeon was unchanged: ana
] yet each day the dungeon narrowed; each iyaY
the remorseless and uacoasing pressure weigh
ed upon his brain otiied his shortening breath
| and from all sides grew nearer bis enfeebled
| u,.,,, ....,,s
inch by inch, the aide walls disappeared, and
how, BY degrees inconceivabiy small--but ret
70 him how greai-the space Of floor and CELL
| Ing lessened. Three days ago the tight Of
heaven came 10 him by Two windows, and now
but one remained. Three days ago the ceiling
VA. uioh bovond his reach. and nav be could
touch i Win his uo,,iscd hand rhre,, % day,
AGO ha could pace TO aud fro il, his aoartment.
and now he found no room for exercise. and
scarcely cno,n for motion. So. steadily. a,,relv.
| rccnrsc,cssiy came deener darkncss oe.r.r
| death. The cnnfned air 100 ,,eovy to he
.hrea,hcd- insane strength IN vain ex
pended in desperate atiempts 10 nush back
| The approachins natts--his bcain cr,zad l,v
| Ehis maddc,,inp iovt,,rinu contractinn h;a
BODY now bending now st.onioe-.noy cronch-
ino no., crushed 10 !. shameless ii ces. ,,a,.
armies in kcutucky. Msso,u; and p.n,csaea
| tho Mi.s;ss;nu; a.ei III ou,b,a;. H.. I,o;oo
| force, aud Notifications at Cairo close in ts,e
| charmed circle which s,,rro.nd, ana th,ca,ar
soon "a crash oat he life or the Cou,e,,erat,
States. From every onartcr comes imminent
imoeadiny danger; from 10 anarier j. there suy
han. al safety or csn,uc
i. in vain mat rebellion att.nnts h. ca;.,e
itself into the belief that II !. free. Lake Tho
-n,soncy ID bis iron n,ll. Jeff Davis ;ps,ne,v
boos,s Of new States scan;rad and new reyri
los;e, coporer.a. - jf 10 force himself 10 dis.
bej;eye b;s senses and think himself un,e,Jered
...- .t.cn ,onis. of f,5ia a;snroyes sh;a sh,,l,u
ra.,o,,.;oo ...-s,E.l .>.1 - ~:
,;.sc;.s. ;, Nsw nr,.aos Ha.,,,,;u. .na o,nar
!, -. co,,,, ,n,a.. ,;.a ,..aa,,. !, -.
saans, imspna,ion's phan,ases Rel,enio.
cannot conceal from itself that not only is IL no
stronger than Ii was at the irst bat that every
day ;is weakness increases, and every day ils
extent and power are iessenad, ~ The Urion
walls eniold il more closely. II shrinks back
from the sea coast, back from ,he Potomac,
back from the Mississippi, and, like an adder
surrounded with circle Of flames, coils itsolS
desperately in the centre Of tine fatal ring Still
untiringly the Union forces will follow it even
there There has ,s vet been no pause in thu
Union mechanism: and when the plans now ma
lurine shall be carried into effect simultaneous
movements forward viii hc made from al points
uuon rebellion. When the expeditions of Rut
Ter, Burnside and Sherman sdvance at the
south. and from Pensacola to the mouths of tba
Mi.sissippi ihe Union troops press inland then
Mc(acllan's armies will move forward in the
north, The Mississippi expeditions will advance
uuon shc vest and our armies will attack nj
once Columbus and Bowling Green. Kentucky:
while. upon ;he east, troops from Fortress Mon
70. will attack Yorktown and Norfolk. troopn
from Romney will take Winchester. and troopx
and our gallant navy from Reanfort vii, nssai,
tort puiask; and savannah. Thus. upon all
-sa-- - kat.f :.e.-<aaE- r=z1.--I N.
'".'' ieDo'o" VIZ 20 a''ii'1s'As'eo'''y
Macbc;i,:--
There ss no lying hence, nor tarryins here.
This, IN general terms, is the plan of tho
Union campaign.-a = steady, irresistible stimuli
tancons advance from every point--incessant,
L IL. -, q.