The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-01-14


bune at Nashville, Tenn, gives full and
apparently correct statement of the rebel
forces. in Kentucky, as also an account of
their fortifcations. He says that in Sep
TENDER last the rebels had not a man over
forty-ive thousand men in Tennessee and |
Southern kentucky, and now they have not |
over seyenty-fYe thousand all told, and of
this number hardly two-thirds are worth
anything, He feels satisfied that this nun.
Der is too large, and that Gen. Johnston in
reality has not more than 10000 men at |
his disposal, of which Polk was about 25,-
900, Hardee $4,000, ZolIicofer 1000 or s.
600, and the remaining 900 Or 5000 are
in East Tennessee. = We might add in this
connection that it has been reliably ascer-
tanned that Folks command has been
weakened by sending several Thousand
men to Hardee's assistance. ~
In addition to this statement as to the
number of the rebel forces, we copy the
following in regard to the rebel fortifca-
tons as of no ordinary interest to our read !
ers.a this juncture, when we are hourly
anticipating news from an expedition de-
signed to attack some of them:a aas
OF such, their most extensive and impor-
tant works are those constructed during the
last three months at Columbus Having
never visited that point, | am able to give
only the opinion OF professional observers
usually rather untrustwortby authority
upon like subject According to the
| statements made to me, there are now near
! ly completed sc that point (C0lumbus) two
regular Fashioned forts mounting respect
lively eighteen and sixteen guns Ell barbette
mostly AZ, 30, and 34-pounders, with a
sprinkfng Of eight and nine-iuch colum-
biads and covering the approaches to the
town by land. Ia addition TO the two forts
there are seven batteries of heavy siege guns.
including some 84-pO9nders, erected at short
distances from one another along the bank
of the river, so as to sweep the b0at-chanuel
for nearly two miles. The batteries are
said to mount from two to eight guns each,
AMI c0ntain an aggregate of 20 5o1tches q
fen Columbus is well enough fortified to
render it probable, ii its1capture is conteIn-
plated by the Union Generals, that the place
will only be taken at a heavy sacrifice of
life. The secession newspaper bfaggadocio
about its impregnabiiity, however, IS ab-
surd. The term .flInpregnable" is hardly
any longer recognized Ia modern military
language. Again, no position of the char
acter of Columbus can be made sufficiently
strong ia three months to defy a regular
siege. The works of that point may enable
the rebels to repel an open attack, bat that
is all. The trath is. they are only auxiliar-
les to and not main dependencies of s. sue
cessfal defense
e.. III {..,irf hive r,rrfGcoe;ov,- 4I,o-a
are on the Mississippi river:
/. A ba.F Hickman, KY, said to
moant ~ - 4ae. .42-RoQnders.
2. a tors, rstesy approaching compile
ton, near the Stateline. Five hundred ne
groes are said to be constructing it, under
the superintendenee of an engineer officer.
3. Fort Pillow, short distance below /;
described as a strong earthWork, with walls,
bitches, and bastions; capable of mounting
Ga guns en- barbette, Of which only about
one-third are reported to be in position.
4. Fort Randolph, near Memphis
strong battery, said to mount l s guns.
I The rebel army al Columbus, as we'll as
fortidcaiions at and between that point and
Memphis, are simply intended for the pre-
tectrpn of the Mississippi river The geo
graphical position ofUolur1bus is sueh, an d
the forces under Polk comparatively so
!
tend the operations of the latter beyond the
above and to the defense Of the Tennessee
and Cumberland Valleys For this purpose
Forts Henry and Donels0ns all Rded to- IN a
former part of this letter, were erected TIE
former is located on the east bank of the
Tennessee, a few miles south of the State
line, at the point of an angle formed by the
river, only one side OF which it commands 3.
Its position islow, and entirely eonat1aul-
ed by the bluffs on the west bank. Ii is
armed with is guns of light eaiiber only
30, Il, and 6-pOunders. Some colanbials
! are, however, now said to be on the way
there, and the opposite hills are also to be
fortified, according to report Fort Donel-
son, near Dover, and the Cumberland only
about twelve miles from Fort Henrg4-is
situated on the west bank of the river Il
is q simple esrthwork, mounting only
twelve "a and 32-ponnders. Both forts, or
rather batteries, are intended onlysIfor the
control of the navigation of the river, land
areinadequate for defense against an attack
by land. Wv ga
I Forts Henry and ,Doneisdn were con.
structed during the summer, but only prop
erly manned aud armed since the occupa-
tion of Southern Kentucky by the Confed-
: crates. Fer some weeks, works of an ex-
tensiye character have been constructing
at CiarksvIlie for the protection of the i'm
portant railroad crossing. Should the rail-
road bridge at tIis. point be destroyed, the
comm unication with Memphis would be
lost to- the -5reoel ermy at Bowling Green
and the possibility of a retreat in that difee-
ton and Junction with Folks forces cut off.
To prevent this fatality, a very large force
of whites and negroes are now engaged
} throwing updefensiFe works with all posi-
bic dispatch Some thirty-odd guns were
: lately reported TO have arrived at Clarks-
silie,. and some of these are probably
mouRIed ere this. The GAINESVILLE work
will in d measure render Fort Bonelson
useless. t-&.A
. Beside the Qualifications, the sinking Of
stone-laden canal boats ia the respective
channels close TO the State line has also
been resorted to. by the rebels 10 obstruct
the appearances Of Union gun-boats il the
Upper Tennessee and Cumberland Valley.