Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-02-23

away down bouLns hneES upOA every bluS
is the din and preparation for one Of the
Rsrcest struggles this war has yet produced.
On Yesterday our boat steamed down 70
General Grants Head Quarters, and from
thence but short distance across, we
caught glimpse of the long-eoveied prize,
the city Of Vicksburgh, nesting in beauty
upon a hillside, in calm repose, seeming
" totally obliviOus of the fact that she is
surrounded by fierce warriors determined
to reclaim her from her secesh sentiments
or perish in the attempt. Soon viii the
thunder Of cannon awake her citizens to
the horrors Of a beleaguered eity-sOOn the
clash of arms will be heard on every side,
and death and destruction be dealt out TO
those whose misplaced ambition has
plunged the country into state of civil
war. That Vicksburgh will be taken, 1
have no doubt, but how much Of blood and
treasure, Of sickness and Of death, it viii
cost, Heaven only knows. Twice have
our brave troops been foiled; twice have
the army and the feet been repulsed; and
/ take it for granted that as the third time
is always the eharm,-that the prepara-
tions are now on scale commensurate
with the Importance Of the object, and Of
character that will not only command
success, but will deserve it.
The canal which General Grant had
dug to make Vieksburgh an inland city,
and which secured for its author a great
deal Of laughter from the "knowing
ones" is just now quite popular. Small
boats can run il, and soon the Mississippi,
it is thought, viii pour its greatest body of
water through 1t, and thus at a common
stage Of water leave the stronghold of
rebeldom high and dry, with the bed Of q
mighty river in 'front.' but no water to
work it. The canal is one and a quarter
miles in length, and connects the Missis-
sippi above with the Mississippi below the
town The distance around is seven miles,
with fall four inches TO the mile-by
canal the fall is twenty-eight inches to the
one and a fourth miles. Rapidly is the
water doing its work, by sweeping out the
clay sell, below which is a bed Of quick
sand, into which the water, in places, has
already penetrated, and is rapidly under
mining the clay pan. When this is done,
and the water gets q fair sweep at the
sand for few hours, the canal will be
finished concern, and then il matters but
little whether Vicksburgh be taken or not,
for she viii be no obstacle to navigation.
One Of the boldest feats of the war was
did" on Monday morning last, by the
steam ram, "Queen of the West.n Gener
al Grant wanted some information about
the location Of the rebel batteries. and
Commodore Elicit determined TO get it
for him. In broad daylight he headed his
other vulnerable parts protected by bales |
Of cotton, and proceeded on her way with
dispatches for Commodore Farragut. who |
command the Fleet frsm the Gulf destined |
TO stack Vicksburgh below, while Ad- |
miral Porter attacks from above.
As soon as the Queen was seen, and her
destination suspected, the batteries opened.
and the roar Of cannon seemed to shake |
the earth from center to circumference
One shot seemed so much to damage the |
vessel, that she was for a time surprised 10 /
be lost Queen, and her course was /
headed for the shore, when the firing
ceased under the supposition that her COM
mander was coming ashore to make ten
der Of her 10 the Southern Confedersov.
and the booming Of artillery which seemed
60 silaAv 'llv Sartn Win ITS noise, was but
Q circumstance to a still louder roar from
the hoarse throats of the secesh, in honor
Of this victory. The Queen ran into the
Shore, and gave q terrible butt against a
transport, and then, somewhat sheltered
from the shot, steamed rapidly down tbe
river. OF the l27 shot fired at the Queen
thirteen struck her fair and souare and
one, azl6-pound percussion-cap she'll fred
from ten-inch gun, struck her near the
stern, and passed forward, without exulod-
lug, was found buried in the blankets of
the bed Of the second mate. It's force LoS
been spent in passing through the vesssI
ana 1t required rest. Had = b,,rst IN
transit through the vessel. Il wonIJ bava
PloRn 1t to pieces. Like some NJ onr
eWn, that shell must have been made on
o,-l oyAlL1oe Dy men Rho had Quaker princi-
- p ~ mS., if not in honesty. It was a
~, -levement, and worthy the high
sAN-- and courage ever manifested BY our
gallant army.
A rise Of two feet in the river, and it is
still rising, will send our troops on board
the transports, for then the whole country
viii be submerged, and like the first dove
sent out by Commodore Noah, from his
good ship, the " Ark, they will have no
spot Of land Whereon to rest the sole of
their feet.
In looking at the feet Of transports and
Of gunboats now liningth the Mississippi and
Louisiana banks Of the Father of Waters.
one is surprised at the greatness of the
river commerce, and the wonder is where
all these steamers come from. Their name
is legion, and the "cry is still, they come. , .
On land, as on the water, the din Of prep-
aration is heard, yet no one believes the !
attack will take place until everything ia
ip complete readiness to bag the game, and
this is strengthened by the fact that Cen
eral George W. Morgan, commanding one
9f the corps Of the army, some five or six
lays since went home to Ohio TO recruit
his health. So great is the confidence Of
III who know the man in his courage. that
aone believe that he would absent him
'elf at time when so tremendous a strug-
gle, that will tell so much for veal or for ad
voc, iE at hand. He will be back TO lead @,
MS Cumberland Gap veterans, and will 40 :
us whole duty, and lead them into Viots- I
'urgh or fallfghting, withIahis back TO the i
'arth and his feet to the foe"
1 know not what army rules govern u
correspondents, but common sense teaches i2S
hat IN an army like this now beS On
ficksburg, nothing should be 50; lore !.
ny shape, form or name -Id that IN 0n 0n
ormstion to the ena--1 could give in fa
Tou, / would ~ -aiyS and in writing to X
nformaf' -ot, even if could, give such
- Ion, for do think that newsps-
- correspondents have done a vast deal
0f injury by the injudicious disclosures Of =
facts that accidentally came to their o.
knowledge. Some days since one Of these
writers for New York pa
Der went TO General McClernand and de- !
manded facts relative to army matters = =
Of course his polite request was refused,