The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-02-07

j BURLINGTON WI
Fort Hudson-ln strength ana Psasasn.
II cssrsspoldsncs ofths N. Z. Tsibsne.
q5q 81, OHAlLxs HoryI, NEW ORLEANs gs
|gai "a, ,s.,o .i.,.I, Jan, "a. 1853. .ey
This letter will reach you simultaneously With
| one written by me two days ago. at Baton Rouge
mo Northern mail having left this port since
the dispatch Of thelstter. Tomorrow morning
the Colnmbia departs for New York, via Havana.
! BY it propose TO post you fully as to what re-
| mains 70 be told about things up the river; aud
also toreeord such stray items pertinent 70 this
locality as may seem worthy of mention Nesrly
fortniRht,s rather barren sojourn at Louisiana's
capital has rendered me not unwilling to diver
sify both The icene fmy labors and the subject.
iIthbught, however. that was lin for goed
thing" reportorially, on the evening Of the S2d,
when ], Was privately informed that Gen. Banks
| meditated q voyage up the river AZ Tar % Port
HUDSON, on board the Richmond. That would
have been something. A sight Of the rebel
| stronghold which bars our progress northward.
the name, Of which 10 every day assuming i'm.
portance only second to, If not equsl TO, that Of
Vicksburg: the prospect Of guerrillas, submarfne
torpedoos, and artilley practice from the summit
of the high bluffs on which the enemy bids rs
defance-these were experiences not 70 De
missed on any account. Consequently, ira
versed, hastily and nocsurnally, the deserted
streets Of Baton Rouge, descended the muddy
declivity of the levee, and got rowed 10 the New
Brunswick, there to be informed BY General
Banks, With his usual courtesy, that the pro-
posed expedition would not come OF Il had
been spoken Of, and. be invited, be added, but
for the present the project was indefinitely post
poned, Il not abandoned. So returned 70 my
quarters, my disappointmeDt slightly relieved By
the knowledge that shouldn't have to rice be-
fore daylight gin order to 60 on board the, Rich.
mond. b3te,E iagaa la2a of sayiA -
In the absence of personal observation Of the
locality in question, the results Of . good deal
of inquiry Of those who should be familiar
with il, may prove Of interest. 81 tender them
accordingly. 3e3mrcsilaml 70 bsstsa .1as'
A glance at the map Of Louisiana will show
you Port Hudson on the left baak Of the Mis-
sissippi, 20 miles above Baton Rouge and lob
Fort Adams, 10 beyond that, Ellisso Cliffs; 80
Nstchez..9 vickskburg lies l25 miles above the
latter city, being just 400 from that which I
address you. Ali of these localities, including
245 miles of the river, a 9 in undisturbed pos
| session Of the rebels. '55I "'1 's ~ @sh a,...
Port Hudson stands on an almost perpsndic
ular cliff, full 200 feet in height, tho river be.
low making one of those sudden serpentine
curves which render the Mississippi the most
tortuous stream in the world, and abruptly
| narrowing its dimension to three quarters Of .
mile from twice that width above and below.
Thus contorted and contracted the current
|rushes southwark at its swiftest, irresistably
impelling anything afoat toward the bluff, di.
rectly in range Of the rebel batteries Upon
this fact the enemy relies for the destruction
or discontinue -four gunboats, should they
attack from below; while in the event of .
Simultaneous bombardment from either side,
our vessels would run considerable risk Of
Smelling each other.
Inland, too, the position is EN- nently favor.
able to the rebels, because difficult of access to
our troops. Unlike Vicksburg, the approaches
to which are as good ascould be desired for an
invading army consisting for the most part Of
hard well made roads, the country at the back
Of Port Hudson is generally swampy, inter-
sected with cotton-woods, trayines, and other
Typographical obstacles. The only roads are
of the poorest description; the railroad being
one horse, or one-mule line, ordinarily used
for the conveying of cotton from the interior,
for transportation down the river. The plsn-
tations in this vicinity are almost exclusively
devoted to this staple. the comparative GOODNESS
Of climate not admitting Of the profitable cul-
tivation Of sugar. h@f- r." 10 s'5ait Il
L. Port Hudson 10 uDquestionably heavily forth
fed, many siege guns of formidable caliber hav.
ing been conveyed from Vicksburg for that pur.
pose. The number Of it's de tenders is now con-
fdently estimated at 10000 men, principally
newly arrived troops from Western Texas, q To-
cality at present entirely cleared of them
They are however, but indifferently armed with
old muskets, fowling pieces duck guns, bowie
knives, etc. Their officers have but very re.
Gently been brigaded, and are working very
hard IN drilling and preparing 'dd
1t is known that both Van Dorm and Lowell
1 are in command at Port Hudson. They are re
ported neither to be in friendly relations with
Still, the majority of these-rough, hardy, ig-
norant fellows, familiar with the Wild life on the
Texas frontier, and fully persuaded that in ev-
cry battle between United States troops and
rebels the latter have achieved a glorious victo.
ry-will fight, and that desperately. vs. W. 9'
o. Previous to the battle of Murfreesboro the
enemy sent nearly all of its best regiments from
| Vicksburg thither, retaining only One or two,
with sone 1000 conscripts. Since that disas-
ter to the rebel arms, these regiments have re :
turned either to Vicksburg or Port Hudson
The defeat has probably induced a change of
plan, or rather, the resumption Of one well
known to be favorite JEFF. Davis-the CONTRACT
ton of his military lines and the makibg Of q
standpoint, on the Mississippi. That il vital to
him, and everything indicates Port Hudson as
the specific locality. Geographically it posses.
ses the greatest advantages for defense. and, I'M.
like Vicksburg, its capture involves the closing
Of the Red River and the cutting of al supplies
Of men and munitions from Texas vicksburg
taken, the rebels fall back upon Port Hudson,
there TO- play their last bloody stake against the
isolation Of the Southern Confederacy." Its
siege may yet become familiar in the mouths of
men as tat Of Richmond-1 hope with less
dreary associations. f"' 81 ?
YARD Arm TO YARD ARM During the war
Of the Revolution and OF 1912 the American
| L. isA;.. bni L. l. II