Newbern weekly progress., 1862-01-28


n,b,sn in the rear, outflanking that s1rons
hold. and opening the MISSISSIPPI, 50 II'.' wa
.,,,,boat flotilla can proceed to Memphis ana
New Orleans. ,-n po...ose
Cen. Bnrnside's Expedition lett fortress
Monroe on Sunday, the 18TH a soihc'el'
length of time has elapsed for IL 10 nave at
lived at one of it's points of destination, ana
have accomplished one of its ohJects. 1. may 'ot
therefore, be improper to bflenly Te'ie" So
of the many points which are suSgest,eu ot
Glance at the supposed portion OF the coast
which Will De Inc scehe Va '
tons. =,
Assuming Parnlico ard Albemarle SOUNDS
70 ha the scene of operations for the eXpedl-
ton we are furnished with an important point
on which to base or theory as to the ultimate
object of the movement
Pamlico Sound is still in possession Oh tue
ronfederates notwithstanding the Occupation
Of Hatteras inlet by the Federal forces For
want of vessels of sufii cently light araft, the
Federal commanders have been unable TO push
their EXPEDITION to a sufficient distance INTO
and up the Sound to make lasting lmpreSsons;
Roanoke Island is said to be strors sly foruneo
by the Confederates. 1t is position whlch
is valuable to U.s. commanding as 1t docs, the
Currtuck Sound which opens into Aibemarle
Cnrrituck is about fifty miles long, ten miles
wide and is navigable for vessels drawing ten
feet of water. Owing to the natural oreak"a-
ter which protects large portion OF tue coast
of North Carolina and Virginia, the water
is as placid as lake, and easily navlgatsd.
Albemarle Sound extends in a westerly di-
rection about sixty miles; it is from tour 10
fifteen miles in width, and though in many
parts quite shoaly, is sufficiently deep to
admit the passage Of vessels OF ten feet Oh
water.
The Pasouotank river, which has its rise in
the Dismal Swamp flows into this sound A
canal, called the Dismal Swamp camel con
meets this river with Brummond Lake in Dis
ma! Swamp This Lake is about thirty miles
in leug:h and from ten to twelve in breadth.-,
when full. the surface of the lake is twenty
one feet above water tide.
The Jericho camel connects this lake with
Suffolk, whilh is situated on the Nansemond
and on the Portsmouth and Roanoke Rail
Road It is S5 miles northeast of Richmond
and twenty miles from Hampton Roads.
! NausemoHd river enters Hampton ROADS;
and is navigahle for vessels Of 10 feet OF water
| from suffolk.
Should this route not be chosen, the expe
diti0n can enter Roanoke river, and proc ed
! to Weldon North Carolina, $50 mix from lis
mouth, which, in consequence OF the obstruc-
ton OF fall, is the limit to steamboat naVlga-
| ton.
Weldon is point Of considerable strategic
Importance Four railroads meet there, viz !:
The Wilmington and Weldon the Seaboard
and Roanoke, the CASTOR and Raleigh, and
the Petersburg road The first of the roads Is
one hundred and sixty two miles in length,
and runs southcasttrly to Wilmington, ter
secting Go]dsboro' on the Ncusc river. The
second is eighty miles long, and runs to Port
smouth, Virginia. The third is ninety
miles long and runs nor hwesteriy to the cap
ital of North Coroina The fourth is other
wise known as the Richmond Fredericksburg
and Potomac, Richmond and Petersburg rail
WAYS. BY this route Richmond is one hun
drcd and eighty SIX miles from Weldon; Pc
terSburg. NlrYlnla, some hundred and Sixty
foar miles distant
This writer is certainly nell posted on dis
tances, as we'll names.-EDs. ExF.
The Neuse riyer-pronOunced as II spelled
Nuss-is next to CAPE Fear, the largest navl-
gable stream IN North Carolina 1t is navisa-
ble for steamboats, from its mouth, which is at
the lowest part of Parnlico Sound, to Waynes-
borough Y. c., distance of more than one
hundred miles. Goldsbor.u ugh near Nayncs-
borough on the river, is point at which the
railroad from Wilmington on the Cape Fear,
and from Ncwbern, on the Neuse river con-
verge.
Suffolk, Va, is not sufficiently easy of ac-
cess to make it IL desirable base; further
more, if that were Of the points, it could
be far more readily reached from Hampton
Roads.
Weldon seems peculiarly situated for an at
tack 1t is easy Of access, and when gained,
can be as fortnidabiy entrenched as is Msnas-
sas. 1t is not far from Richmond, and fur
thermore, the seizure Of this point would Sc
riously incommodc the Confedcrates at Rich
tnond and Manassas.
Gol.j9boro' is another point, but Of some
what less importance than Weldon.
These movements require caution and STRAIT
egy. We believe fiat Gen. Burnside is al
ready approaching The heart OF North CrroIi-