, 1863-02-27

!. - ESS>S6ENNSNSN ..@& :
our OPERATIONS IN TIE SOUTH
WEST.
While our readers are waiting for the STIR
ring uews that must come whsn the actual
claeh Of arms begins between the great, eager
army Of General Grant and the rebels, Yicks-
burg being the prize that is commended for, It |
will be timely to explain some Of the opesa-
tons now in progress under our commanders,
in which spades arc playing the prominent
part, and the flow Of water may be made Of
such effect us to sare a fiow Of blood, in the
accomplishment Of the great purpose Of the
war.
We have all heard very much Of breaking |
tho backbone OF the rebellion. 1t has neycr |
been done. The spine Of the Southern Con- |
federacy is the line drawn east and northerly |
from Texas and the great Red River region Of
Louisiana, aud traversfng Northern MissIs-
slppi, Alabama, North Carolina, and by the |
railroad routes Of the Southern scaboard, all |
Terminating In what may be termed the brain |
Of the Confcderacy, the centre Of motion and
power, Richmond. We have found the skull
very hard 10 crack, but shall! zeach It yet. The
spine VIC have only tickled lightly in East
Tennessee and Northern Mississippi, but for
all purposes Of the rebels it has never been
seriously interrupted. From Texas and the
abundant richness Of the Red River region,
the rebels have derived army stores, the great
staples Of life, and surreptitious, but steady,
supplies Of contraband articles, denied to
ltry, hut - h1nntnds Init r11n fnfn nhennr1
gulf ports, by vessels Of light draught taking
cargocs from larger hulls at appointed ren-
devious. The opening Of the Mississippi
| means something to the Northwest, which
| claims again its highway to the ocean, but its
| first utility will only Indirectly subserve the
purposes Of commerce, for it will be to the
rebels the heaviest blow Of the war, since only
then will stthe backbone Of the rebellion"
be broken.
There are three several operations in pro-
gress, and often referred to in our dispatches,
readers. These are Yazoo Pass, the Lake
Providence Canal, and the Vicksburg Cutoff.
l. TIE TAzoo PASS.
| Tlis being oflesscr interest, is not shown in
our map, and may be briefly dismissed With
! the statement that it contemplates the widen
Ing Of bayou on the Mississippi side, twelve
| miles below HeIena, and opening it to The
Immediately adjacent headwaters Of the Tall
1ahatehic River, In the belief that It will allow
: our smaller gunhoats to penetrate deeply the
interior Of the ate in the rear Of Vicksbure
BY water, for q. last, let us whisper it ii
! your ear the enthusiasm and confidence d
our Generals in Southern military railfoae
t operations has tagged. Tie Yazoo Pass ha:
: this location and intent.
. 10 the two more important cana! enter
4 prises OFT comprehensive Nttze map will fur
: nish the key. The object being sinriy to &c
by Vicksburg aad open the WY into interio
c Louisiana and the whole country Of the Re
9 River, our engineers and whole reoimenf
Il W "''''s T'1 '''''A = ..ilade.men ure busted o
Is ,Ae
.s LAKE PROVIDENCE CUTOFF.
rs Look at our map. The lake is $50 mile
a, above New Orleans in Louisiana. At no :,
N mote period the present lake has been tt
!; bed Of the Mississippi River. At iis lower {,
d tremity, the wafer in the lake reaches t
Is within less than half mile Of the river. tt
n old bed Of tho river Is still deep hollow b
g. tween The two, through which the river is pr
Pc vented from flowing at high water by two ir
f. 1nensc leyees across Its mouth on the nv
n. bank. The surface Of the lake Is fifteen fe
below the present lcyel Of the river, 60 th
~ ly only cutting the lercc, boats Of nearly al
m capacity could run into the lake today.
It But, as NC sometimes used to say Of We
Point army officers, "look at the Southc
connections" The lake is connected with
clain Of bayous southward until the exp1ol
tion comes out on The Tensas River. The
led bayous are being connected with shosteaDa
as and when once Bayou Barter and Bayou n
~ u, con are thus joined and the Mississippi tul
"a. ed into Lake Providence, away he will 60 10
ion ing toward the Gulf. Let us follow him
en-, our map. Down the Tensas, deep, not wi
IT. river, and even now nayigablc for $50 mi
n a hv large steamboats,, We pass through
ate richest cotton region Of Louisiana At II
'Men M ;ty It unites with the Wash;ta, to form
M The Hack River, which flows into
I'm Red River thirty miles from
not mouth. The Nashlta River is NJ
uR, Il gable for large boats for 800 miles from
r. / mouth. The Red River is the southernm
of the great western tributaries Of the Mis-
! sippi, and with its tributaries has an en
lsri. length Of Z, 100 miles. 1t Is naS1gable
,sed steamers to Shreveport, 500 miles from
1cs- mouth, md traverscs throughout, "a reg
nan of pre.eminent fertility says Lippinc'
,,;es That is the Red River to which the L
I, OF Providence Cutoff Will open. But thit
scs. not all.
NJ. THE 4TCuAFALAYA PASS.
This our map shows, and It has TO do ?
Mn9: rast freaks Of the great watcr-con
On of the Southwest Atchafalaya me-
ame "Lost Water" and the water
&c to WAS lost to the region 1t trayel
I S,re % was missed when the Red River, false to
ions first love struck up marriage with the Fa
hout Of Waters aud gave up It's own indepent
channel to the Gulf. But once chal
= ~ always channel In the Southwest, and
2 Or neglected Lost Water set up for itself
bayou ESQ miles long, BY which the r
II steamers have been finding their way,
udlrs the Gulf through to Vicksburg, thus gi
New Orleans the go.by. All this the
4 TIE Providence Cutoff vii correct. Our ]
1cc to map will show how.
Hua Some Of the river men do not hesitat
,ps ~ prophecy that if the Mississippi once m
them, down through the Tcnsas, the Red ant
Atchafalaya, he will be go delighted Wit
'71' Cut off as to set up his future domain II
1 mt which will be vezy bad for Vicksburg,
either Hudson, and Now Orleans, and leave the
elan a still bayou, while the long muddy flnge
teT M ~ the great Delta will grasp fruitlessly Mt ,
onht. Ing. We are Strengthening ont'' j,
te re- things down South in these days, ani
d the Father Of Waters may be among them
tnen, shall sec what We shall sec.
I and We need not enlarge upon the manifeI
t and t.vantage the speedy occupation Of this
baby system Of water courses would secure
.H4 en- We should occupy the country, stop
y and supplies, head Of contraband shipmer
[uion. cotton south-easterly to Texas ports.
n1ning 4 every rebel transport ont OF sight. II
!, iii re could not say the backbone Of the
ne in lion ras broken, it wonld at least be a d
lgn;ion Of its spine that would seriously paral,
t aud lower members.
'ack, I THE v1cKsBun9 CUTOFF.
OF this little need be- said since the dl'
exp1ntns Ill. It will not exceed one n
'oTr. length, aud Ia out Of reach Of rebel bait
The distance around by the channel CAM
less than four miles. Our map shows
cation. 1t largely depends upon the l.
,HaMa, , Of the Father Of Watera to his old char