Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1863-08-14
From the Mobile Register.
Our Defences.

General Johnston returned to Mississip
lpi "Wednesday night. after several days
diligently employed in inspecting the de-
fences and lnquiring into the resources oil
Mobile. Of the results Of his visit we have
learned some thugs which. OF themselves,
there is nd harm in telling, and others
which it might hot be- prpber to ven,ilase
freely, but PERHAPS if We silahld speak open
~ on some points our silence Upon others
would be its own Interpreter to those who,
| it suits those at the head Of aft. irs to b,
| lieve, never know any thing not lawful to
e.known about the affairs of the Confeaer-
acy. until they read it in Southern papeFa,
All then, that we can say, is in general
terms. that the strong and the. weak points
of sir defences have been closely, scanned
by the intelligannt5ege q, the commanding
General, and provisions made for promptly
strengthening such parts as require it.
When we speak Of weak points, we wou d
be understood comparatively. In so extern
sive system of works It's difficult to bring
every portion up at once to the same STAN
dard of strength During the last fifteen
months immense labor has been bestowed
upon the permanent and temporary FORTH
cations of our city, and, as common sense
would dictate, attention was first beloved
Upon the points which could FIRST be capa-
bic Of strong resistance, or which were most
exposed to attack The next thing to be
done was to connect these points, and the
next to increase the capacity Of defence Of
every part to the greatest possible extent.
The second part Of the work was long since
effected, and the third is now in steady pro-
gress, nor do we expect that it will be sus-
pended 50 long as the enemy defer their at
tack, whether the delay be one month o.
| two years.
# thsaehemy we're 10 assault US to-mor-
roW-thopgh it is idle to suppose. an impos
sibility-if in fortnight, be would find
strong natural Obstacles features Of the
position, with which our own familiarity has
bred contempt, rendered more formidable
by the best engineering that has anywhere
been put il requisitioa during the war; be-
hind them a we'll organized, well armed
and determined body of citizen soldiers,
uany Of whom would not then for the first
tiulC ioe ~ Wdi IL Nc idCe anu III sllOHt d
sufficient force Of the veterans of four or
FIVE armies to render nugatory any opera
ton unless in greater strength than he can
bring to bear at this juncture In the rear
would be no Mississippi swarming With the
enemy's feet, and its farther bank liaed
with bis batteries; but river in our own
secure possession. by which supplies of ev-
cry kind would be brought to US In abun-
dance, not to speak Of the State troops who
by that route would socn begin to pour in
to render our defence more secure and his
defeat more signal and disastrous. And
one month later he would have to encount-
er still more formidable obstacles.
Such is the present posture and the state
Of progress of our affairs. In thus review
ing them it has not been our purpose to
raise the spirits of our people. They do
not need IT. It matters not that there are
croakers and towards among US, or if it
does it is an argument Of our security else
why do they stay here? But they are not
our people. We wish to re-assure those
abroad who have been deluded by the mis-
representations Of such as these until they
imagine that Mobile is destined to fall, al
most whether it be attacked or not.