Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-05-02
TEE SITUATION

~ Will not close devoid OF SUI turther I'M
portant events. The first tick Of the tele'
gragh on Monday morning announced the oc-
cupstion Of New Orleans by the Union army
Notwithstanding the boasts of the rebels that
no federal feet could ascend the Mississippi
river, Forts Jackson and St. Phillip were
"passed," say the rebel accounts, and the
crescent city is in our hand The "passing'
of the forts we may safely infer included
their reduction and capture, as there is re-
ported heavy loss on both sides Imme-
diately upon the appearance Of the federal
feet before the city, the rebel forces fed,
after destroying all the steamers for which
they had no use, and taking with them large
part of the military stores leaving our forces
in peaceable possession Of the city TheUnon
citizens of New Orleans are jubilant over
their freedom from rebel tyrany, and the
whole country reioices that the stars and
stripes once more wave over the city which is
the commercial emporium of the Mississippi
valley.
But the occupation of New Orleans, how
ever gratifying in itself, is of the greatest i'm
portance to the prosecution OF the campaign
in the southwest The mortar feet of Gem
Porter can now ascend the river to Memphis
anu cooperate with Com. Foot in tine reduc-
ton of the forts that form the rebel defcnces
along its banks, and with fire both in front
and rear there is little hope for their being
able to hold out much longer The Missis-
sippi river will soon be ours from the lakes
to the gulf
The rebels at Corinth are doubtless in close
quarters, where even the genius and energy
Of Beauregard can avail them little New
Orleans is no longer place Of safe retreat for
them, and, with the certainty Of our Gotlla
appearing at Memphis from both the North
and the South, there is little hope for their
safety in chat city. Gen Mitchell has pos
session Of the roads which would, in their
hands, afford them the means Of retreat to-
wards the East and Gulf coast, and is threat
ening their rear, Gen Haleck has fully re-
organized his army, and is pressing rapidly
on the rebels from the North The great bat
tie must soon begin, and should the expected
victory be gained by our arms, the contest in
the Southwest must be ended. The rebels
are cornered at Corntb and their only alter
native now is to fight; there is no chance for
their retreat, being surrounded on all sides by
Union forces, The rebels acknowledge that
the coming battle must be their last effort,
and if beaten now they are beaten final y We
have little doubt that in very few VS. we
shall hear good report from Gen. Halleck
While looking with interest at the opera
tons now going on in the Southwest, all
eyes and thousands of anxious hearts are
watching inteLtly for news from Yorktown,
where the people Of Vermont are more imme-
diately interested in the fate OF the brave men
we have sent into the field. The decisive
struggle cannot be much longer delayed
the struggle that is to decide the fate of Vir-
GINA if not Of the whole rebellion. We have
assurances that the preparations that have
been making will give US greatly the advan-
tage in the contest, and tina. the rebel army
in Virginia, now chiefly concentrated at and
around Yorktown, will not only be defeated
but will be captured and annihiated as an ar
my. What the preparations are, we are not
allowed to know, but that the movements to
the north of Richmond and in North Caroli-
ma have an intimate relation to the final at
tack at Yorktown, we verify believe and
when Gen Mcclellan commences the hard
blows in front, we shall expect to hear of
some hard kicks in the rear Of the rebels BY
the combined forces of the armies un-
der Generals Banks, Mcdowell and
Burnside Yorktown, Richmond and Nor
folk, all at one stroke, is not only a "big haul
for the Union, but desperately fatal blow n,