The New York herald., 1862-12-30
TAs Danks ExpsAasssa-rAs ne
% the Mississippi.

Ths Daaks ExpsAltssn-FAs 1sspsuang
% the Mississippi.
On the 18th Of December, the very day ON
which General Banks, ct New Orleans. assumed
the command over the Department Of the Gulf,
he despatched Brigsdisr General Grover, with
detachment Of troops and supporting gun
boat or two, up the Mississippi to take posses
sion Of Baton Rouge, the State capital of Loui-
siana, which, since it, abandonment last summer
by General Butler had been reoccupied by the
rebels. The movement was complete success.
Baton Rouge ID reoccupied by the old flag. or
itself this is small affair; but as indicating the
future movements of General Banks 1t becomes
. matter of some considerable importance.
Some thirty or forty miles up the river from
Baton Rouge il tho new rebel stronghold Of
Port Hudson, and some fifty miles above this
place the Red river comes into the Mississippi
from tho west A hundred miles above this
confluence is Vicksburg The rebels, there
fore, now hold possession of the one hum
dred and fifty miles Of the Mississippi
between Port Hudson and Vicksburg, and
glance at the map will show the great value to
them of even this limited foothold upon the
"Father of Waters" Across from Vicksburg
it gives them the advantages Of railroad into
the heart of Western Louisiana, and within con-
venient wagon transportation Of the frontiers
6f Texas; but It gives them also the command
Of the Red river, down which and down the
Mississippi to Port Hudson, or mp the river to
vicksburg, immense supplies Of -four, corn,
horses, cattle, pork, mutton, wool, sugar, salt
and other essential articles are transported
from Western Louisiana and from Texas for
the use of the rebel armies east Of the Missis-
sippi. But by the simple process Of removing
this rebel blockade, and reopening the river to
burg, we not only cut off these important army
supplies of Western Louisiana and Texas from
the rebellion, but we entirely detach the rebels
In those States, and of all the others on
the west side of the river, from their con-
federates on the eastern side. In other
words, we cut off Arkansas, Louisiana
and the subsistence supplying State of Texas
from the main body Of the rebellion, as skilful
general, with the opportunity, would cut off =
wing of the opposing army in battle
We think, therefore, that we may safely as
sumo that the first great enterprise of the
Banks expedition will be the reopening of the
Mississippi from below, in conjunction with the
McClernand and Porter expedition and the
army column of General Grant from above
and that the next move of General Banks will
be western inland expedition for the reoccu
patton and remuneration of Texas to the Union.
Without some such enterprise in view, the send
ing out with General Banks of General A. J.
Hamilton ss Military Governor of Texas, with
q full civil and military staff, would be ridicu
lous farce. We dare say that General Hamil-
ton-an exile, who ought to know-has salts
fed the administration that large proportion
of the people Of Texas are still devoted to the
Union, and that their assistance may surely be
counted upon with any encouraging attempt on
the part Of the government for their deliver
ance.
In advance Of this enterprise, however, the
command Of the Red river is an important OBJ
ject to gain; and, as the rebel batteries at Port
Hudson lie in the way, we presume they will
first be attended to. We have no doubt that the
land forces and gunboats at the service of
General Banks are fully equal to this task, espe-
cially a. the critical situation of the rebel COM
mander at Vicksburg will render it impossible
on his part to send down reinforcements to his
confederates at Port Hudson. Thus the Banks
expedition changes at once the whole aspect Of
things in the Mississippi valley, and gives to
the Union side a preponderance in military
strength which will, We hope, in spite Of the
blundering at Washington, speedily enable
Rosecrans, as well as Grant, Sherman, McCler-
nand and Admiral Porter, to move success
fully upon the enemy's works from the north
in conjunction with the advance Of General
Banks from the south.
With the capture of Port Hudson and vichs-
burg, Admiral Porter, with his gunboats, will
keep the river open from Cairo to New Orleans
while General Banks is finishing up the rebellion
in Western Louisiana and Texas, and Rosecrans
Grant, Sherman and McClernand are cleaning
up the fragments Of tho rebel armies between
Nashville and Mobile. With the headquarters
of the Banks expedition established at New Or
leans, we may expect soon to hear the good
tidings Of some decisive Union operations in
the Southwest
A PRussIAs REBEi OFFICER ON THE PENN
sUIAR CAsPAIGS-The letter from Pruseian
officer in the rebel army to the Cologne Gosette,
which we translated from that journal and pub
lished in tho HERALD few days ago, seems to