American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1863-02-06

- even anticipated. They are widening an
deepening the canal on the opposite side o
the river, with every prospect of succeeding
;. in their design of turning Il sufficient VOLUME
of water through it to float their gunboat.
and transports Having accomplished thi!
object-having opened the navigation o
the Mississippi for the passage of their wal
and supply vessels,-what do they care fol
/, yicksburg or the formidable character of oul
Publications at that point? They will have
accomplished by enterprise, untiring energy
and logged determnation,-by digging and
ditching what their shrewdness and ready
comprehension taught them they could not
accomplish BY bravery and daring-by charg-
ing bombarding and Smelling.
The question now forces itself upon the
mind of every one-Why was this canal not
filed up, or so completely DISTRACTED as to
render its reepening almost endless task
if not an utter impossibility? 1t is no use
to say it could not have been done. If the
Yankees could dig and haul off, in so short
a time, so much of southern soil for the pur-
pose of southern suhjugaton, we could GER
tainly have hauled back and thrown in the
same quantity ofloose dirt, in order to thwart
them in their deyilish designs upon us, which
it is to be feared they will yet accomplish,
unless our authorities and people display
greater forecast, skill, energy, industry and
/ patriotism, than they have yet done
The Yankee. left Vicksburg in July last.
abandoning their position and their work on
the famous 'cut of'-not because they
regarded the one as untenable or the other
as impracticable, but simply because the wa
| ter was getting so low as to be unnaviga bic
/ for their vessels, and the sickness among
them was growing alarmingly greater every
/ day they remained. The promptncss with
which they returned upon the high waters
and with the winter season, shows they never
/ for moment reliuquishcd the idea of reduc-
/ ing the proud and naughty :. Hill City" to
their sway and the aiacrity with which they
commenced work again the canal-after
their unsuccessful land sttack-shows that
they never had abandoned, as impracticable.
the plan of changing the course of a suti-
cient quantity of water to float through their
boats of heaviest draught
Our authorities and people should by this
time at least, have understood the Yankee
character fully. They should have known
that what they lack in bravery and daring.
they make up in shrewdness and cunning:
what they cannot accomplish by fair means
they will by foul that if they cannot sue
coed by working openly and above ground
like the mole, they will work underground
Knowing these traits of the Yankee charac-
ter, and knowing their malice and vindictive-
ness towards US, it should be well understood
that they will leave no stone unturned, no
hill unleveled, no ditch undug, no Geyilsh
device unresorted to, to compass our ruin
and ensure destruction. We should,
therefore, have forsseen that, having erpend-
ed so much labor last summer in excavating
this esral, they would resume operations !
upon it on their return in the winter, and
It should, by all means, and by any means /
have been filed up and obStructed 1t may |
be said, by way of extenuation for the want
of foresight and the neglect of duty, that we
had not the laborers TO do it, But we could
have had them. The Yankees dug the canal
with the slaves of which they robbed the
planters of Louisiana and Mississippi, below
ficksburg; and it could have been filed up
again by the slave labor of these two states. Il
Il impressment of slaves had been necessary
or this purpose-as no doubt it would have
,een--the authorities should not have hest
ated a moment TO resort to that measure.
MI white men between the ages of 10 and A.
re impressed into the Confederate service
nd all between Is and so into the State SER
Ice, at pay fixed by law; and there is not a
ingte reason why slaves should not also be
AIKEN for the public service, their owners be-
ng paid fair price for their labor. The ,
ruth is, this war is being prosecuted princi- !;
ally for the benefit of Shareholders, while i
hey, as class, have not come up to the full :
ieasure of their duty. The burdens and v
ardships of the wsr have been borne mostly Il
the poor The poor man with four or FIVE :
ons, and no negro, sends them all into the =
rmy, and perhaps goes into the militia him. !.
Elf while his rich neighbor with big plan 9
'tion and fifty or hundred negroes. has but z
ne son subject to conscription, and for him Il
manages to buy an Office and title. so c
tat he may not be so much exposed, or hires "
i'm substite, that he may not be exposed =.
ttf
*ns so many negroes. But we digres.. g
The fear now is, in the minds of MANY. that c
le enemy will succeed in passing his feet of u
lnboats and transports through the cutoff =
ley are digging, unite with Farragut's feet :.
Glow, and attack and reduce Port Hudson. :
icksburg would then be assailed both bv N
ie combined fleet under Porter and Farraeut c.
. the water, and by the combined forces of ii
herman and Banks by land. If she resisted N
'ccessfnlly such assailment as this from a.
'ery point, it would be an heroic achieve :,
ent unparalleled in the history of this war. No
I'D unsurpassed by any achievement of arms h.
nown TO ancient or modern times. and will 81
title vicksburg and her noble defenders to 8,
1mortal honor and renown. Will they be al
BE TO do it7 Ahi.there is the rub We =
bate not one jot of faith or hope, but await -
limly and confidently the mighty ISSUE m