Natchitoches union. [volume] ([Natchitoches, La.]) 1859-1864, 1862-03-13
The Crisis of the Hour

a., -. sh W BIC IOI tHe POSSESSION
It inc mississippi river is close ct han,
II The Federals are concentrating the
or ornaments for that special object fro,
various quarters, threatening to assault
ss at once above, on the tanks, and q
tlle mouth. 1t is great stake, and the
|, are playing for It boldly and witt
mighty efforts. Ii lis of more value f.
them by fur than tho over.running AN
d occupying of border States with thei
6, armies. There they must hold whatcve
Il they gain by parmanent garrisons, an,
can only advance by slow degrees. T,
move all army of 100000 men, or O
10000 men, through an unfriendly conn
try, leaving the basis for supplies farth
er behind atevery days march is,. un-
, der the most favorable circumstances
a difficult and costly undertaking. II
tlcre be armed resistance, even by
: scattered bands of men, in guerilla
D warfare, the largest bodies must move
with the utmost caution, and the mere
Items OF transportation and provision
TO be constantly renewed, create i'm
mensc physical impediments To con-
quer and hold the immense area of
which some Of our States are composed
IN the face of the people not absolutely
craven, and SO demonstrativc to be.
ny their owl cowardicc, is one Of the
most hopeless, costly undertakings to
which any Government, not in its form
a consolidated military deBpotisn,, ever
committed itself. The FederaIs are des
pcratc and malcvolcnt enough to make
even that costly and fruitlcss expert
ment, but that the West promises an
easier field and vastly more valuable
results. The Mississippi is a prize for
which they can afford to spend thou
sands OF lives and millions of money.
With the command of the river they
will have n free road through seven Of |
the Confederate States, unlimited trans |
portation to every point, and uncontrol-
led facility to advance or retreat as
they please. 1t is an advantage for
which they are prepared Ia make n
mighty excrtion. Ii they succeed.
the consequences may not be fatal to
the Southern cause, for tho oycrrun-
ming, and occupying, and holding of
the Atlantic States, and the interior
fastn asscs, and swamps and mountains
Of tho West, will remain for tho impos-
slblc labors of a generation of invadcrs:
but 1T will be an extremely unfavorablc
event for the fortune of the Confedcra-
cy and heavy Encouragement to
those who dwell within the Valley of
the Mississippi. The people of those :
States will see in it the opening Of d ,
great food of calamities, to pour down t
upon them; and seeing what must fol- h
ow, they have to brace themselves for =
he struggle against il, as ono for life /
tsclf BY defeat and the loss of the 1
the cause of the Confedera- T
y, and all it involves of liberty and n
lights, and honor, will receive dis :
blow, from which it may a
'ot recover but after long and terrible q
rails, and every individual, moreover, ii
WHO possesses any thing which he de- W
Tres to keep, or has home to love, feels b,
bat with the triumph. of the Fcderals III
uin may fall swiftly on them all, and
hamc and outrage follow BY victory,
e SECURE personal safety; we battle
ne great design of the enemy to sep m,
rate the Atlantic from the Western II
tates, We turn him back from the =, an
reat waters channel, and compel him n0 1a
} manmuvre his troops on land, in an W oe
,emy,s country, and frontcd by oppos- p:a
& hosts and harassed by a hostile h's :
,pulation. We drive him again to the ~ l,''
'sperate needs of new debts and new o'e
ans, in the face of resistance which ne
all expectations ofspeedy Sg,,'
ace by conquest, and puts off the .e o.e
pcs OF ultimate triumph to some ,nu i'n
lefinite period. Tt will lift the bur- ll'a
n off unnumbercd breasts, which in wa
uthern households are praying for 10
, rescue of an endangered country
IN the pollution of the cnemy's pre- gre
ice; and it will send throughout the era
ole land the glad signal of that rally aoo
|, of the forces Of freedom, which will Gee
n the tide of battle where it ragged ays
dcst and lift up the banner of our tam
lntry, never to be turned back again WIZ
ore on enemv' vict
such are the grand issues of the ing
'ggle to which,s the preparatory SEN
es come to us from Columbus. Such OF 8
the great interests at stake. Such N
certainly be the immediate effects "ni'
allure. Such may be the glorious mlll l
ards of victory. The people Of the e whl1
ley have been summoned to the ,rea,
;>. They cannot tnrn away if they ia', =
llt. They must meet 1t soon-at, ". ", :. -
e-now The tramp of the coming Cnln
Is OF the enemy is already heard in OF,
distance, and the buglc-note for gong
Y to fight him, is fillirfa fhe land men.
he chivalrous sons 5f louisiana youn
be there, and in the coming shock day,
help to strengthen the arm of their lmpe
l great leader in the crash of the has
dty conflict; and We fervently pray and
add-another leaf to his chaplet Of It no
lortal renown; the winner of great lIong'
orles for freedom and our homes. lorce
ton
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