Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1862-01-08
From tho Army Of the wost,
CINCINNATI, December 80, 1861.
IT, tie Editor aftbe Boston Joufaai:
A SECOND LOOK AT THE FIELD.


the numerous valleys, and discern the OutS
lines of the Cumberland Mountains. l did
not quite finish the scenery; besides, intolli-
gence received last night enables me to take
a better view to-day. Once more we will
imagine ourselves at the eye-piece Of Gen.
Nitchells powerful telescope, looking at
Bowling Green, n,where Johnston and dBuckner
are intrenched 10 strong position. There
are several kinds of strong positions, or
rather there are various things which make
strong positions. Fortress Monroe is strong
because it can be approached from land ward
only by narrow sand spit. Manassas is
strong because it is behind Bull Run, and all
the fOrds are commanded by batteries.
Bowling Green is strong because it is 10
a rough section of the country and there are
high hills which command the approaches
from the North. II is strong ia one dlrec-
tion, but it will be weak place provided is
is approached from the rear.
! stated yesterday that there was a bri
Psde OF troops at Morgantown, which, you
observe, is on Green River, in Butler
County, aud that Morgautown cau be
reached by boats. You observe, also, BY
looking on the map that directly south Of
MorgantOwn is Rdsselville, thirty miles dis
TAM, and that Russellville is 10 the rear, or,
perhaps, as military men would term it, on
the right flank of Bowling Green. iuad
vertentiy omitted to STATE that a railroad
runs from Bowling Green to Memphis,
through Russelvllle to Clarksville. This
lsst-named place is on the Cumberland
River, in Tennessee about ten miles from
the state line Now, turning the telescope
q degree or two toward the west, sweeping
from Russellvllle across Todd County TO
| Christian County, you see the town of Hop
Bintville, (tbere are a great many viiles out
bere,l the county seat of Christian County,
| which is one of KeDtucky's best towns, with
! paved streets, regularly laid out aud planted
with shade trees, with roads radiating 10
all directions like the threads of SPIDERS
| web, with seven or eight churches, a Court
house, a State Lunatic Arylum, a classical
Academy, end several schools for young la
dies, and other thugs which go to make, 10
Western, parlance, "a right smart chance of
q town" ...s -
A railroad is completed from this place to
Nashville, seventy miles distant, which
crosses, as you see, the Bowliog Green aud
Ne mphis road at the State line II you Look
SHARPLY you will see, somewh re between
HOpBiDsViile and Green River, brigade of
FEDERAL troops advancing by easy march es
toward HopkiDsvile. You can guess what
they intend to do. From Hopkinsville to
the junction at the STATE line is sixty miles
IL will take them some time to reach that
point-perhaps they are not going there; for
military commanders do not generally pub.
lish beforehand their intentions. The ques.
ton undoubtedly has arisen in your MUD as
TO the possibility of feeding brigade down
there. Before answering it let US take su.
other look. You see the Cumberland River
also the Tennessee, which run parallel across
the State, with narrow strip of land be.
tween. They are both navigable. Steam
boats run to Nashville, which you observe il
on the Cumberland. Clarksville is below it
$50 miles from its mouth.
1t is reported this morning that Fedora
guD-bo made its appearance at Clarksvill,
on Friday, and bad an engagement with {
rebel battery. do not credit the story; bu
this much is certain, that the rebels have nc
batteries on the Cumberland in Kentucky Y
T They have not possession of any portion o
the river in the State You observe, there
fore. that it would not be difficult to supply
an army by this artery, provided the Winte
is not severe. Suppose, therefore, an ARM
was moved in this direction, of what aYai
would be the stroug position OF BowliuI
Green to the rebels? None. They woull
have to evaouate. 1t is reported that Their
are three thousand rebels al Russellvile, aut
that ClaTksville is being strongly fortified
Either place, if in our possession, would com
pei a retreat from Bowling Green. do no
, give this view rs being feature of Genera
/ Bueis plan of advance: it is only look q
the field from my own stand point, showin
/ q possible plan of operations or rathe
! showing the geographical features of tn
country, which | think may be of some serv
ice, as events of importance are likely
a occur in that direction.
9 WESTERN KENTUCKY.
d All the territory In Kentucky west of th
Tennessee River is in General Halleck's d
= vision. Turning now our telescope to this
9 section we see peculiar configuraton. Tn
q | ha fha o
east, the Mississippi the west, making an o
u bow, with the opening toward the sOutl
n Measuring along the State line between til
& Tennessee and the Mississippi, we find ii
D distance not tar from seventy.fve miles. o
all sides but the south there is steamboi
navigation. The rebels have twenty milI
IS ON the Mississippi, and we have all the res
Q The Tennessee is naVigable for steamboats,
# the Muscle-shell Shoals, which are in Il
e State ofAlabama. The river is rarely frozt
h for any length of time. IL empties into d
y Ohio forty. eight miles above Cairo. At p
dueah, which stands at its mouth, we haV
l. seven thousand men. There is railrot
IT running to Union City, which you Obser,
It is Just over the Kentucky line. Union Ci
/ is on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, twent
N five miles from the rebel stronghold at O
re lumbus, and about forty miles from Paduca
lr The rebels have torn up o good deal of d
g. iron and burned the bridges on the line N
n. the army, but resident Secessionists W
swarm in the OK bow. Let US look close
n, at this section of the country, for it is des
able to get the rebels out of Columbus.
v us steam up the Tennessee River. There q
ts no batteries on its banks. About seven
II miles from Paducah you notice that we col
20 the railroad which extends from BoWli
DO Green to Memphis. We have already Sc
that this line can be reached by the Gu
lg | berland River; also that there are Fedel
1e troops not far from Hopkinsville, and M
Id we see that it can be directly reached by I
;s: Tennessee River Leaving the steambC
cd and taking the railroad toward Memph
r. which is one hundred and fifty-seven mi
Ils distant from the Tennessee River at h
% point, we find at the town of Humbol
n only seventy.fve miles distant, railrc
so leading from Memphis to Columbus. WI
lie if strong Federal force should get poss
n, sion of Humboldt The rebels would finG
T's difficult to hold Columbus True, they wo,
Mt have the Mississippi, but Commodore Foe
'el with his gun boats, may have some thing
en- say upon that part of the question. |
he not present this as having any refeTel
rs, whatever to any contemplated movement
the future, but merely to show that, slthOr
the rebels have strong positions at Bowl
he Green and Columbus, nature has given &
of graphical features-water-ways, admit
he Of transportation-by which both of th
lse positions can be turned. The only thing
of be feared is an ice blockade. Aside from
IA. rivers, we have rail communication. A
Ib- poleOnic genius would see no difficult