The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1862-02-12
The Mississippi FIOtiIla.


coresp spondent OF the Missouri Repub-
lcad writing from Cairo, under date of Jan.
9th says:
While affIirs are so still on landa the
navy is more than a,oning for il by increas
ed activity. Steamers are moving from one
point 10 another. transferring necessary loads
some for Immediate physical comfort, 9TH
ers for future offensive operations, while a
score of little tugs dart along the water, puff
ing officially with :he mighty responsibility
OF errand delivery. They may be seen al
any moment dragging away load four
times the size of themselves, or lowing
those unshapely monsters the floating bat
teries These have not YET received their
armament of moriars and are consequently
not ready for service. They can b. made
so in d few days. The gunboa,s are nearly
completed the last fisshIng touches being
all now necessary. The Benton, which will
be the flag ship, has had lis boiler placed
lower ia The hull, and floats upon the water
the most formidable river craft probably
ever made. From trial, the Jar caused by
firing on the different boats is so slight as
hardly TO be percepIibe, while the craft can
be moved in position easier than was an
ticipated. They will soon be numbering
their broaGsides before Columbus and on
iheir effect viii; hang Ihe fate of the rebel
stronghold. While the Federal gunners,
under cover OF the iron sides, will be work
ing more safely than in casemaie>, their op-
ponents, within open earth works, will be
fully exposed 10 the falling storm OF shot aud
shell. The Advantage possessed by the as
salants in such a case was fully shown at
Port Royal, and, with the immense moriars
and splendid guns of The present feet in
iull play, ColGmbus cannot be- held. The
country for mile surrounding there can in
less than day be made wholly unIeEable,
perfect rain OF shell falling among its de-
Tenders while not one shot IN two hundred
fred at the boats will prove effective, unless
setting al nanghi all calculations OF science.
Although Understanding the struggle
necessary 10 take Columbus would be
worse than folly, the opposite view can be
rendered still more injurious by embracing
the extreme, and placing before Union sol
dieis the ghosts OF impossible and barely
Imaginable lerrors. Every clump of bush-
es around Columbus is not a masked battery
and their flying artillery are not 1913 pound
ers, like the Lady Polk,' of Belmont lame.
which burst, some tine since, il will be re-
membered, killing so many, and nearly
breaking The leg OF Sir Bishop, after whose
lady il was named
To show the difficulty of hitting vessels
on the river, the case of he Lexington
aud 'Conestoga,' which occurred when
first came TO Cairo, some months since will
demonstrate. These boats were engaged
for over three hours with several batteries,
in ali twenty guns; just above Columbus,
and although The cannoEading was kept up
vigorously by the Coufederales not single
shot took effect. A gun-boat, when IN ac.
lion, lies with the bow up stream, in which
position il is more moiionIess, and does not
sway with the currents action, only the
sern's breadth affords object tor It's op-
ponent's aim, and at mile and hall, or
even less, this appears small.
Al peaceful practice il would be hard 10
Gil similar target, and in The heat OF battle
ii is much more difficult. So, with all The
Dragging and lauals of another Manassas,
The most prudent military men stoutly affirm
that Columbus can and will be taken. The
Confederate army now there numbers about
thirty thousand, and a deseHer who came
Into the lines Eight before last states hat
six hundred torpedoes are sunk in the riv-
er belwaen Columbus and Memphis -
This last story serves 10 show how credu-
ho NH
place any reliance upon The men who con-
siantly arrive, proclaiming themselves from
the Secession army and telling marvellous
tales of hair breadth escapes"