The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1862-02-24
From ,he.st, Louis Republican 2ls,.
opDNINC THE MISSISSIPPI.

he, indeed stop short of Memphis. To got
out Of reach Of the huge anaconda now win
ding It's stupendous coils 10 strangle the re-
bellion in the Mississippi Valley, he will have
10 20 at least that far for present safety
Even this would not save him long, If the
prophetic signs Of events are verified We
assume, however, that efforts will still be made
by the Confederate authorities to impede the
navigation Of the Mississippi river into the
cotton.growing region, and as Randolph is the
best available spot above Memphis not flank
cd by the union army on the Tennessee and
Cumberland, it is not unreasonable TO suppose
that some resistance will be offered there, by
concentrating force % obstruct the passage
Of our gun boats 10 the commercial metro.
polls of Tennessee.
The keen prospective eye OF ten. Halleck
is doubtless now upon Memphis, the key 10
the Gulf Of Mexico. When Memphis falls,
then goodbye to New Orleans and interme.
datc landings, "a- the steamboat bills say
That city, by far the most important between
St. Louis and the mouth of the Mississippi,
is tho entrepot Of four railroads traversing
north south, east and west. The shipments
of cotton alone, in the year ending September
LIST, 1860, amounted to 400, 900 bales, and ITS
general business, in ordinary times, is i'm,
mense. With a population Of $4,000 souls,
we may well believe that if the inhabitants
are sincerely and streuuously opposed to tho
union, (which they are not the approach Of
the union forces is q matter Of profound con
Germ But though there are thousands Of 10y.
al people in Memphis. and though las the
papers Of that city tell u.s. the recent sue.
cesses Of our generals were received by many
there with undisguised satisfaction it must
DC said that redhot, bowling secessionists
are by no means scarce. The place has been
strongly fortified, and the position Of it will
be very reluctantly given up. Nature has
done much for it in the way Of dcfcnses.-
The city is situated Immediately below the
mouth Of the Wolf river on the fourth Chick
asaw bluff, from thirty to forty feet above
high water mark. Extending in front is Il
beautiful terrace or esplanade, nearly u
thousand feet wide, forming glacis Of sufh
cent compass to accommodate large army
facing the landing Heavy cannon have been
mounted upon the most eligible sites above
the city, and the exposed portions greatly
strengthened by skillful engineers. But the
same military necessity which compelled the
evacuation of Bowling Green, and which com.
pel- the evacuation Of Columbus, will in due
time make itself apparent at Memphis
When everything rs in readiness, it will fall
into the hands OF the federal troops, and most
likely without any prolonged conflict
Between Columbus and Memphis the rebels
! have erected no less that five somewhat form.
! liable Qualifications. a strong water battery,
mounting twelve 80 and II Founders at HEX
man, was erected to protect the Nashville and
Northwestern railroad, connecting at Union
City with the Mobile and Ohio, and at Nc.
Kenzie, fifty-fve miles southeast, with the
Memphis and Ohio railroads, but a. commu
ncaton is now already cut off between Col
umbus and Nashville, the possession Of Kick
man is no longer Of any use to either army
The same remark holds good in relation to an
! extensive work near the state line separating
Kentucky from Tennessee, upon which five
hundred negroes under the superintendent
of an able engineer officer are said to have
been set to work IN September. Fort Pillow,
IL short distance below, strong earthwork
! with bastions, walls and trenches, mounting
thirty guns en- barbette, and the rcdoubts
and embankments raised by jeff Thompson
at New Madrid must likewise be abandoned
as Of no further service in the present position
! of Gen. Grants force.
below Columbus, we next come to Fort Ran
1olph, sixty miles above Memphis, and about
three hundred and fifty miles from st. Louis
This is anything but a weak position. 1t il
built upon the third Chickasaw bluffs, more
than one hundred feet above the river, and
Immediately south of island No. 80, the low
err part Of which commands the three mouth.
of the llatche river, n stream (navigable al
good stages that empties into the Mississippi
just above the town of Randol phi, at the up
per edge of the bluffs. These bluffs form
natural parapets for batteries, and command
a view of the Mississippi river for six miles
each way. BY silenclug whatever guns may
be placed on the island, iron clad boats, in
the present condition of the lower Msslssip
pi. might enter the northern mouth OF the
llatchie, out of tho reach of Fort Randolph
The town OF Randolph, near which the for
stands, consists Of half a dozen or SO dlap
dated frame houses, and sapproached in tn
rear by several good roads, but the countr.
behind it being full of ravines and gorges
capable OF being fortified to an almost indef
mite extent. The position, however, is of II
manner of use or benefit, except to disput
the uavi CATION Of the river. 1t has no raj
road communications, and as any army sta
toned there would have to depend on tn
river exclusively for the transportation c
! supplies, it would not require long to starry
4 it out. So Gen, Polk may take his choice
If he concentrates at Randolph, the captur
:, of Memphis will be so much the easier.
he tails back on Memphis, that much NOR
: territory is reclaimed to the federal author
; Ity.
The late trip OF the gunboats up the Ten
nessee river demonstrated that the stream
was unobstructed as far rs the Muscle Shoal
in Alabama. An army could be landed nea
the southern boundary line of Tennessee, a
a point nearest Corinth, where the Mobile an,
Ohio railroad crosses the Memphis an,
Charleston road the seizure Of which woul,
be an immense advantage in bringing Mem
phis to terms. From Corinth to Memphis tn,
distance by railroad is about ninety miles
and as reintorccments would be measurabl,
cut off, the work Of reducing the latter cit,
could be prosecuted at leisure. That is tC
say no attack would be required to be made
until the result, by the concentration of mer
and arms be rendered certain. The resourc
es and yigor of Gen. IIalleck give assurance
that the country will not have long to wait,
tor the times and places of new conflicts and
new victories have already been determined
on. With the rebel blockade of the Missis.
sippi raised, and commercial intercourse be-
tween the loyal people OF the north and south
resumed as of old, upon what can the rebel
| lion maintain itself? The fertile valley,
stretching from the great northwest to the
Gulf of Mexico, once more in possession of
the union, to which by every right it belongs,
and ever shall belong, the instruction must
die for want of sustenance. To US Of this
section the navigation of the Mississippi, I'M
obstructed by SECESSION cannon and unham.