The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-01-14
LETTER FROM rHE QUIZ sHOgE.
P'esysss Bsslev and Mobils The Defen Sin. coua;.
ss0n Of the Ctfy-TAe Ltssd Forces-Yhs go,. a.
Feyss and Batstiss IA. Iississipps Cor. .,
DC
~ . Bic Jag 7. lss9

" 8 sIiEr Jar 7, 1892.
VS. eau SSH boast, rs whes eitixe as OF Ia,
Did Union, we are q great ceuatry," and
re realize that We stiii urs. and thas We are
wagiug great war for our great &c ountry,
Vhen the mind MAKES tour OF the poinss 3 81
mill tary in terest. Starting from tine C. mp
dotted borders of Virginia in the Northea-t,
1t travsraes n from tier OF q Thousand miles
westward, or around three thousand mics OF
coast to the mouth OF the Rio Grende; ana
Mobile is but little more .bsn midway ts-
tween ktehmond aad Fort B-ovp ana ys;
either seems remote aud Is rs4tIY distant
Such II tse maga:f.csnr sweep of rtre fssr fa@
hsrstaaer os the >scuthr0N and his snlb sttte*
lines III rs def9uce are usgni,isentty IL ssc}t-
Ing, being SONS fo1r skouaaa1 miles IL
length.
Along these lines new 5retns OF sreefa, in
te1est are constantly kpsi8siag Iato no&i1e
.s ms ffetfui enterprise OF The eaer,r at
tempts here AMI there ID break through tbe
cordon OF our defsnces. PicayuGe Batter
made Hatteras InIet of Notorious interest,
Sherman made Hilton Head Island q noint
OF note, and now again the " hero of Hate
res' is said to be about to confer celebrity
upon Mobile, as he and his " ancient Phelps,
the muddieheaded AboHionist Brigadier,
have done for Ship Island. Said Ship Island
il not 80 far from Mobile as some nervous
citzsns would wish.
When Plcayune gets his big guns mounted
IN his newly christenAd Fort Euassachu-
setts'' on Ship island, Southw west wind will
bear the reverbsrations of their hostile
voices even to our ears; crow wnuid fly bu,
about sixty miles or so from It's battlements
to perch OF our church spires P,cayune has
arrived ut his base o. operations wi tn a good
portion II his invincibie Yankee army, and
is supposed to be meditatipg grand coup n
some direction on the adjoining mainland
A detachment OF his command has already
landed withou. opposition AT the pleasant
seacoast town Of Biloxi, Nlississippi, opposite
the Island and some eleven miles distant,
and carried eft two Unattended cannon
doubtless to be forwarded at once BY DIS
patcn steamer and paraded as trophies from
the soil ofJef Davis's own State, the spoil
from captured "city," aud Bennett's Herald
will at once congratulate its readers on q
crushing blow being struck at rebellIon."
Ii Butler attempts movement on Mobile
from the rear he will desire to make a land
ing at some point on the coast of Mississippi
Sound from twenty to forty miles distant
from the city. With his launches he may
effect n landing almost anywhere on that
W,l ierness shore-and then his troubles will
BEGIN. His army would encounter natural
difficulties OF approach which would puzzle
an enterprising coOu raised in the country.
All the obstacles which can be int, rpos,d
by biyOus. rivers, swamps, and tangled hick-
cts would De his TO encOunter-not TO men,
ton the ciTcum stance that a brave and nu-
merous army holds this difficult road al every
advantage and has bsel impatiently wait
ing the opportunity OF greeting him tor
many weeks.
Little IL ore qra pc Bragg is Major Gene
raj of this department, and under him, III
command of the army which occupies the
bove position, are Generals Leroy p
Walker and Jones NJ. Withsrs l will men-
ton that one item of their command is six
companies OF fisld artillery. No trifie, this
item, when it is considered that every ba :
terry may be " masked' in the most siaugh
tering position at every mile of the distance
from coast to city. Would a million Yam kees
be valorous enough 20 attempt to run such a
gauntlet of en- asked batteries?' The lear
is that Picayune will not give u chance at
his forty thousand stout cord wainers spin
ners and ws,vers, who, though the "irade
Of the south is not worth having find sol
diering for rations the most profitable busi-
ness now Left to them.
But then Picay une may essay 10 repeat
his bomb riding operation at Hltteras, TT
the mouth of the harDor, SO as o make &
water approach to the ely. He viii find this
Just as agreeable an experience Us an Id
vance by land There are two fuli-g gIoWr
forts Of the most powerful desc g -,oa--
Forts Morgan ard G ines-besldg> suadry
b lt.eres of the bes: description, VIII ose heavy
armaments b ar directiy on every loot of ne
channel, and would drill an approaching K
ship with ten -incn Columbi'.d holes, aua
shatter her with our m proved sixty eigh
pound shell from Tiflad ColumUii,ds -
These forts and batteries are manned by ne
,ween four or five thousand OF tie best drilled
troops in the Confederacy, two OF the r. ri
ments beirg citizen soldiers from NJ bile,
who are regularly III the Confode rtls.
service for to,st defence, and have beeu M
months on duty So when | wcHe you new
of fish ting at Mobile, l will write to tpI! yen
thai the Battle Flag of thn Contederacy waves
victorious IN the Uuif breezis Make non
on t, for fu'uTe reference in proof hh: am
a better prophet THAI Sewerd ;he Il ,ven, The
's Medicine Man. of fanoIitiundom
IL is 70 be regretted that he operation ui
he enemy along the M ssissippi cDtst are to
checked, and Lhe some hi.f..iuZ.n lieas.l =
watering place towns Ell fro III deVas "a ii y.
Their occupation is of no materiai IN jinenI
aud dOub less the invaders will not he o,
posed. 1t is unfortunate that tne VI SIS sSipp,
coast has not been made a military depart
ment, for it is more thal Gen. cIanshed
Lowell can do to look after tnis extended
field, and the vast coast of Louisiana; also,
it would be better if Gen Bragg super
vision Included it and yet it would De almost
too much for him, 81 lmpl lrtant re his q u IL :
here ard at Pensacola The Alabama por-
tion of the coast OF Mi. sissippi Sound is
included in Braggs department., which ter
min ttes at the Pascagoala river. Mobile,
within his department is in effect mena cs d
by the operation OF the enemy in Nj iSs issippi
beyond the Pascagouia, though they would
have TO march far inland to get across tn 4
river. Therefore, the Mississippi coast
should pertain to his department rather
than Loveii's, for operations from .he so und
coast scarcely mens oe New Orleans in q re-
mote degree, separated as 1t Is by the ire
passable width of Lake POnchartrain- Some
Thing active should b. done on the Mississip
pi coast. for the people h We all fieo, leaving
much OF their negro property, etc, expos. d
to the marauders. Our forces should pic ket
down very close to the shore and not renal Ii
too far inland-and the same vigilance gen
orally be observed as is oa the coast this de
of the Pascagovia by Bragg's forces.
CHocrAw