Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-03-30
NEWS FROM THE WAR, &c.
REBELS TO BE DROWNED OUT.


HELENA, ARK, March 23.-The dispatch
steamer Wenona has ust arrived from Gen.
Ross headquarters on the Talahatche river,
near Fort Greenwood Cor Fort Pemberton, as
the rebels at first designated the place., hav-
ing lett there on the morning of Thursday, the
18Th Inst. She brings important dispatches,
and also some interesting news gathered on
the trip. The substance of her news, relat-
ing to The operations and prospects of the ex-
petition, is doubtless given in the letters of
your special eXpeditionary correspondent,
winch were brought up by the Wenona. Ev-
erythng was quiet at Fort Greenwood when
the Wenona LETT, and the prospects were that
nothing further would be done at present in
that direction. Our army occupies good
camping ground at Shell Mound Place, on the
plantation of DR.. Curtis, two and half miles
above the rebel fortitications and would prob
ably remain there until reinforcements and
supplies should reach them, to enable them to
resume the offensive. There is no danger of
their being attacked, as the same obstacles
that exist to prevent their operating against
the enemy will prevent the enemy from oper-
ating against them.
Lieut.. Col. Wilson, the engineer of the ex-
petition. has devised scheme which may
result III the capture of the rebel position
without another struggle The scheme was
submitted to Gen. Ross, and approved by him
and forwarded to Gen, Prentiss, commanding
at this post, who has at once set II in progress.
The SCENE is simply to drown the rebels out
by letting a vast body of water into the Yazoo
Pass. and thus swell the Coldwater and Talla-
hatchie rivers so as to overhower all the lands
in the bottoms. The fall of water through
the pass Is now about eight feet; that is, the
Mississippi river is eight higher at the head of
the pass than the Coldwater river at the foot
of the pass. The water now flows thrnuUh
the pass with such violence that it is almost
impossible for an ordinary steamboat to stem
the current. At first the great Mississippi
levee was only cut for a width of eighty feet
lust sufficient to let a steamboat through into
the pass This gap has been widened by the
wearing of the water and is now about two
hundred-feet in extent, and yet the pressure
of water seeking an outlet through the gap
causes a torrent in this particular spot that
nearly resembles the violent flood Il mile Oh
two above the falls of Niagara. The propo
sition now is to tear the levee away for dis
lance of several hundred yards or perhaps
mile, and let the water have free course
through. General Prentiss has already sen
detachment of troops down to perform this
work, and it will be accomplished in very
few days.
Bv referring to the charts of fort Green
wood that have been sent you, will observ,
that portion Of the rebel works are already
submerged. They occupy very narrow
ridge OF dry land, which is at present not owe
three and halt feet at any point above tn
water A rise of four feet in the water a
that point must inevitably drown them out
Long before this can reach you all that W
can do to accomplish this desirable objec
will have been done. We have then only t
await the results. If the Mississippi river re