Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-03-17
THE WAR TIE WEST.

Position Of tqe EHemy-Ths ErdcHdtiOH Of
Island No 10 ard NsD Madrid Prsdictsd-Rsbsl
StdHd 20 be Made at Randolph.
A Cairo correspondent Of the Chicago Tribune
thus inteligentiy writes, under date of March 10,
Of the movements now In progress down the
Mississippi:
But now, shifting the picture, what Of The war!
There Is a iull in the elements-ths CalaI fore
running the storm. To-day the cheering intel
ligenee comes from official sources that the ebel
batteries upon the Potomac have been evacuated.
Couple With this the evacuation Of their strong
hold at Columbus, and the declaration Of JET
Davis that hereafter their forces must be concen-
trated into one or more grand armies and strike a
decisive blow is dimly Swallowed forth.
This is necessarily the dsrnisr resort Of the
rebels One decisive battle at the East and one at
the West are the next movements upon the rebel
board. II they are victorious the North must rise
with renewed strength and determination. II
defeated the rebellion s ~ an end aud the insir.
gents at the mercy OF the Federal arms The
western battle, 1t seems 10 me, will be fought AZ
Randolph. There is little danger on the Ten
neSsee.
Two OF our gunboats now on that river viii
prevent the erection of batteries. At COFinth,
the junction Of the Mobile and Ohio and Memphis
ard Charleston railroads undoubtedly a stand
Will he nade, but the issue there cannot he
doubtful. The descent of the Mississippi is, with
most reason, feared By the rebels; and 10 prevent
this move by Commodore Foot's feet, they will
bend all their energies and concentrate all their
resources at some commanding point Island
No. 10 is a bug bear, and 10 probably evacuated
The rebels cannot make any fight there. They
Will not make stand at New Madrid or Hick-
man, as there natural advantages for fortified
tons there ] be highest point Of land between
New Madrid and Sikertown, by actual survey is
only twenty-siX feet above the water mark At
Randolph there Is high bluff, and nature has
In other TesNsCs admirably qualified the site for
purposes of fertilization.
II Is well asCertaIned that the heavy siege guns
at Columbus were removed there, and that the
rebels are rapidly foTtifving. Hundreds Of ne
gtoes are at work, night and day, casemating.
III they succeed In their efforts they will have
rendered their works well nigh imprepnable, at
least to an attack from the gun boats II IL doubt
fui, however, even with caSemates, whether they
could long stand the ire OF the mOriaFs, twenty
Of which at least could De made available cbere
raining athower OF bombs day and night at the
rate Of one minute.
The taking Of Forts Henry ard Donelson, and
the admirable results Of the guuboats there. do
not necessarily involve a similar result at Ram
dolPh, In the FORMER instances our boats foug ht
against open bGtter0S. Neither should people I'M
agine that because Columbus has been evacuated
the approach 10 Memphis will be und sputed A
desperate battle must occur necessarily, and the
locality. combining all the information receive
viii be at Randolph. lis locality and its relation
10 Memphis any Of your readers can trace upon
the war maps
hat this fact Is appreciated by Com FOOte Is
evidenced by mis- refusal 20 90 into action again
until the boats are thoroughly repaired, the NOR
taIs mounted, and everything in complete readi-
ness. This 10 now nearly accomplished The
pilot houses of all The boats have been strength.
ened by an additional eight inches of wood All
defects as revealed by former actions have been
remedied as far rs practical, and a very few DAYS
Will see the whole feet as coed as new and ready
foI another encounter with the Rebel batteries.