The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-03-14
vICKsBURG.

vICKsBURG.
The success Of the operations for the reduce
ton OF Vicksburg and tbeopening of the Mis-
sissippi seems to be chiefly dependent on the
result of the engineering Efforts now in pro
gress.s These comprise three separate plans,
which may easily be comprehended by refer
ence to any good map of heiMississippi Valley.
i The first that was undertaken, and probably
now the least important, was the cut-off or
canal near Vicksburg itself. Its object and
plan are familiar, and need not be again de.
scribed. A bed Of clay is said to underle the
upper soil, so difficult of removal that the com.
pleton of the canal will be delayed longer than
military necessities can wait. Hence two other
! plans, far more extensive, and promising very
extraordinary results. They may be referred
to fer convenience as the Yazoo Pass and Lake
Providence plans.
| Yazoo Pass is channel twenty miles long,
East from the Mississippi to Coldwater River,
through which light draft boats used to pass
when the water was up, but which was closed
by levee in 1856 in order to protec: the lands
OF Northern Mississippi from its annual inun-
dations. This levee has already been cut by
our troops, and through it the waters Of the
Mississippi pour into the Coldwater, which
flows into the Talahatchie. hundred and
fifty miles below this junction, the Yallabushs
unites with the Tallahatchie, and the two form
the Yazoo River, which flows two hundred and
twenty miles and empties into the Mississippi
just above vicksburg Through these chan
nels which are of diffcn1t navigation In places,
it is proposed to approach the rear Of Vicks-
burg The obstacles are partly natural, part.
ly artificial If the Coldwater is practicable
for steamers of any size. they will have to en-
counter Rebel fortifcations at the junction Of
the Tallahatchie and Ya!labusha Rivers, at
Yazoo City, which is hundred miles above
the month Of the river, and at Haines's Bluff.
The Notifications Of the latter point are part
of the system Of the defenses of Vicksburg,
and their reduction is considered essential to
. successful attack on the city itself. If they
can be carried the Lake Providence plan may
not need to be accomplished. The two plans,
however, are attempted simultaneously. The
whole distance over which it is sought in this
way to approach the rear of Vicksburg is near
ly 500 miles.
Lake Providence was once the bed of the
Mississippi River, and is now fifteen feet below
it. 1t is proposed to return the river to its
old channel. The point at which the river is
to be diverted is nearly q hundred miles above
Vicksburg. Between the river and the lake
lies the old bed, from which the water is now
restrained by immense levees. canal, not
more than half q mile in length, will unite the
two. From the lake chain of bayous extends
southwark to Tensas River, and these bayous
require only to be connected by short canalsin
order to make a continuous and navigable
channel. The Tensas is deep stream, unit.
ing at Trinity with the Wachita, to form the
Black River, which empties into the Red River,
thirty miles from its mouth. Red River flows
into the Mississippi below Vicksburg and above
l Dz-A t.
the success of the Lake Providence scheme
the Mississippi between Vicksburg and Port
Hudson, and that the defenses of either may
be attacked on their weakest side.
An advantage scarcely less important is the
control of the navigation Of the Red River and
its tributaries, which drain q region Of extra
ordinary productiveness, and have transport ed
the Rebel forces immense supplies. The
Washita is nav,gable for large steamers three
hundred miles and the Red River four hundred
miles from its mouth.
In addition to these important results third
may be accomplished. The great Atchafalsys
Bayou, or pass, or river, as it is variously
called, which is supposed to have been the
original channel to the Gulf of either the Mis-
sissippi or the Red River, still affords prscti-
cable route for steamers. The connection of
the Mississippi and Lake Providence and the
increased flow of waters thence into the Red
River, may make it possible to turn again the
curren: Of the latter into the Atchafalaya, and
the result of this gigantic engineering may
even be that the Mississippi shall send no small
part of its volume of waters through its old
channel to the Gulf 1t is at least probable
that means of communication from the Gulf to
the Upper Mississippi sufficient for all military
purposes, may be established by route that
avoids both Vicksburg and Port Hudson, and
| which, while it renders them comparatively un-
important will insure the reduction of both
THE INSOLENCE OF TREASON.
4 Suppose that, in the course of any of the wars
in which Cream Britain has engaged during the
last hundred years, meeting bad been held in
London for the ayowed purpose of denouncing
the Government; suppose that the speakers at
such meeting had declared that the Government
in prosecuting the war, was violating every prin'
ciple of Justice, liberty and constitutional right,
! had commended the enemies of the country and
Justified their action from the outset, and had
stimulated the meeting to treason to the Govern.
ment in the shape of overtures to its foes; sup
pose that the audience had loudly applauded the
uttersnces, had Kissed, howled and cursed when.
; ever the name Of the Queen or the King vas
; mentioned, and applauded and cheered vociferc
, ousy every complimentary allusion to the pub
lie enemy; how long would they have been a.
!, lowed to 60 on with impunity! We imagine
just so long time a. q battalion of bayonets
would be occupied in clearing the room e
. On Tuesday evening the New York Democrat
ic Association held precisely such q meeting,
and John McKeon and James Brooks made pre-
J cisely such speeches. McKeon defended the
extreme Southern doctrine of States Rights ar
e gued that secessioDism was sound political
E principle, eulogized south Carolina for boldly
: maintaining her independence, and attacked the
!. Government with unmeasured severity for daring
a to enforce the authority of the Union. The
. crowd that heard and spplauded him, received
the name of the President of the United States
with bisses and blaspbemy, and wsxed frantic
. with delight when the Palmetto State was gIori
fed This asseEblage, on the most crowded
tboroughfsre in the city, was unmolested, VA