The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-05-07
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Tor such force, in few hnurs ,ht,nek
an entirely friendly country. fAr from sIl
possible interruption by the rebels. an
Knoxville, in the centre oG the Moua,aia
oistriel-the centre OF an inner circle 90.
enped by 100000 staunch southern
unionists, aud the centre elso OF the
outer horse shoe shaped country osea.
pied by the rebel shareholders. 81,
What then would be our position. and
what the position of the rsht slavehold-
ers IL u not obvious thai 200 600 men
IN ioll military possession of The Moan-
ain district woald he more than equal.
both IA tensive aud offensive war. 40
4OO OOO occupying the horseshoe anaDed
country belowY The central D. si,ion, the
compact FORM the jaggedness Ot the sur
Lace the btrrenness ut. the soil, anu the
position OF the railroads in the N puntain
dishict, are invaluable military advAnlA-
ges.
La defensive war, the inaecessibili,y
and he state Of dispersion at he moan-
'aiueers, would be formidable obstsclta
to Invasion. Except on lhe railroad linea
here il not single considerable town
IN The who'e Mountain district, and Wit
ages OF even few huud, ed inhabitants
are OF rare occurrence. The mountain
GERS are almost wholly small farmers and
grsz'ere, liyins in cottAg, g, scattered over
valleys and in hooks OF the mountains.
Their wealth consists, chiefly, Of grazing
lands aud forests, with hogs aud cattls
running wild in The woods. Such prom
erty presents no temptation even TO euer-
r'lla baods OF invaders aud the Conf de-
rates would be slow 10 resort 10 this
mode OF warfare against men scatlered
over wooded and mOunta ainous countrv.
familiar with its by. roads. and who
could retalIate with ienfold fleet bv
raids into the low country. The control
OF its srailrOads is all that would indnce
the Contederates TO attack the Mountain
district; snd glance at our map will
show how easily those roads could be
defended by 2j0O00 men against the
Invasion of all that would remain of a
Confederate army Of 400 0Jo, afer de-
quoting from II the detaChments necessa.
~ TO garrison scores Of forts, aud de.
tend score of cities, on their seaeoaat
and river frontier OF 1000 mi co, 10 watch
o,VOO OOOO slaves; aud TO guard the villa
ges and plantations along an inland
frontier OF more than 1900 mi es, the
line OF thi- inland frontier running fir
the whole distance at the base OF clus-
ter OF mountains, aud every whero cross
ing, at short intervals, the mouths Of VAL
leys opening from barren mountains into
fertile plains IL could not be difficult,
surely, with 200 900, or the half of 200
600 men, TO defend four or six railroad
inlets TO the Mountain districtaae ainst
all the force that the Confederafes could
spare from 100000 men for attack. after
making even the scantiest provision for
the dstense OF their outer aud inner
frontier OF more than 5000 milesI
But how would IL be with the noun.
taineers as invaders, and the Oonfederates
acting on the defensive Could 100000
men defend the horses hoe sh aped country
against general in the Mountain dls-
trict al the head Of 100000 men, whom
ne could divide into bands to suit his
purpose, aad send down 70 the low coun-
try, on the east, or the west, or the south
side Of the mountains, without aa bou,'A
warning, through any one or more OF
cores Of natural and artificial outlets
along frontier Of 1900 miies2
Al the present time, indeed, the Con-
lederaiea, controlling as they do the great
railroad aud all south OF IL 10 the Noun
tain disticL with 100000 men maintain
the struggle against our $40 0O0 and this,
tso, while our navy blockades every port
on their coast because our General in-
chief with bis immense force divided
INTO ten or twelve great fragments, is
attempting with eight Of taese rag
ments 10 enter the low country of the f,
OoniederacV by assGulfing at once as
many fortified lines aud places on lie
outer frontier, viz: the line OF the
Rappahannock in Virgi0is, the cities OF
Wilmington, Charleston aud savannah
on the Atlantic coast, Mobile on the Gulf
OF Mex,co. Port Hudson and VicksbufQ
IN the Mssippi river, and the line Of
Duck river Ia Middle tennessee. With
100000 men the CanfsdCrAtes can strongly
furtiiy all these lines aud places, render
ing them almost imp egnable, aud still
have a reserve force % large that, from
their central position, aud with their
railroad connections, they may over
whelm us a. any Of these places, al the
moment OF attack, with superior uum-
6ers, But let us once have iull Military
possession Of the Mountsia Dist ict with
only 100000 men, aud the woe case
would be reversed and more than re-
ver'ed; for, with 100000 men We could
not my forliiy aud ien6er impr guablo
against the rebels this four, or sig, as tho
case may be, great railroad inlets 10 tho
Mountain district from The low country,
bat, with more than 100000 men 10
spare, we could cut their horseshoe
shaped country INTO parts, and overrun
succe. siveiF svery part The moat skili-
fol ST. vi that ever lived could hot
place 400 600 men 30 as 70 protect tbs
country Of the rebel shareholders from
being overiun and pluudered a. pleasure
by 100000 men, afer they bad obtained
full military possession Of tbe Mountain
district.
Let then every threatened disaster be-
fall our arms let foreign PoEers raise
the blockade OF all the Southern ports
let New Orleans, Port Royal aud New
bern DO recaptured; let the amy OF the
Potouac be compelled 10 abandon the
line Of the kappahannOck, and again act
on The defensive bet0re Washington aud
Harper's Ferry let the rebels drive back
hostorans ill they occupy sgain what
hey lost year a ,o--tne line Of Mill
Spring, Bowling Green, Fort DonslsOn,
Fort Henry and Columbus; Or, worse
still, let al our forces 10 the West bo
compelled 10 act on the defensive before
Cincinnati lot The pine months' men aud
the ,wO years msn in QUO army refuse
10 re-eniist A. ehe expiration Of their
present terms OF service loi all these
disasters and more come upon us, aud
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