Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-04-23

from there up to the hilltop. Two miles from
the court house, on the rivers bank, conceale5
in thick woods, ara twenty-one very heavv
guns. These are so well hidden thas one wonta
not discover them though he we're within 4 fsv
yards Of the battery. Two miles below ~
city there is a battery Of seventeen guns also
covered by g thicket. All these guns ara y
well mounted as circumstances will permit and
ere ready to open FIRE, At q moments notice. an
cur gallant troops. should they be led agsinst
! them.
At the present time there are only .enoush
soldiers in Yicksburg to man the guns psr.
h&ps they number five thousand; but. 10 case
an attack should be made by Gen. Grant. rain.
forcemenis could be obtained IN a short t;me
About the time the Yaz0o pass expedition com.
meneed moving, there were thirty-fve tbeuqand
troops in Vicksburg. Thirty thousand Of these
were sent up 70 Greenwood when Fort Pembar.
ton was threatened, and I; appears they succeed.
ed IN preventing the capture of that place, aad
IN compelling our forces to abandon the project
Of going through the Yazoo.
Notwithstanding the enemy has 81 many can-
non IN the Notifications and great security Il
ielt, yet mounting is going en- every dsv.
wherever there is a place which appears to be
wesk, it IS Immediately strengthened. and tbe
strong places are made still stronger. One bun-
dred and seventeen guns, VARYING In size from
a twelve pound Parrot 30 a nine-inch Dahlprep.
are lying about the city, ready to be nut M
wherever they can be placed; and the trains
which are continually arriving bring in pieces
nom jackson, Mississippi where they have been
received from Alabama aud South Carolina.
On the 9th Of March, as has been stated, the
gentleman referred to left Vicksburg and went
20 Haines' bluff. Here be saw seven heavy siege
guns On the top Of the bluff and below, about
I'VE hundred men belonging to Withers' artillery,
with twenty-seven Of their pieces, of which twen-
ty-one are -rifed. These extend to B'ake's
farm, three miles distant, and are exposed
with he exception Of about half the distance,
where they are concealed from view by woods,
Rife pits have been dug fromthe bluff to the farm.
An immense rsft, reaching from the bluf to a
point four miles up the river, has been plsced in
the XszOo. 70 obstruet navigation, and keep Fed
dral gunboais from coming down, should they by
any means, get throughthe river. Above this raft
the enemy are building two iron plated gunboats
and have them almost finished. They expect
10 get them down through the raft, as they got
several boats up some time ago. I've thou
sand troops protect Haiues' bluff. All those
batteries have been erected under the super
| vision Of General Joe Johnston, chief com
nandegi General Tilghman is second in sulhori-
ty; and General Price third. From Haines'
bluff my informant proceeded 10 Jackson, Mis-
sisEippi, where he found only one company of
sixty men, on duty IS provost guard It is gen
orally supposed that the Confsderates have a
large number Of troops In reserve at Jackson,
but this, I am assured, is a great mistake ;
neither is the place fortified. There is one com
panY in Canton one ia Walden, one regiment
Of Texas troops in Wenona, and one regiment
in GTeBeds. These are armed with musksts aud
Enfield rites. Gen. Chalmers is reported to
have eight Thousand cavalry between Grenada
and Dzyis' mills, and beyond this point, scout
ing around the Federal lines, are six hundred
g~usrillas. This is tie whole force in the vicin.
ity Of Jackson. It might be stated right here
that sheTo have been twenty thousand troops in
Jackson; but twelve thousand of them we're sent
to Murreesboro when Bragg called for rein
forcements, and eight thousand to Port Hud-
son. Besides these, Bragg received fifteen
Thousand from Vicksburg. Twenty thousand
g~uerillss have been compelled to form them
selves into regiments aud enter the regular ser
vice. But, notwithstanding, Jackson has been
deprived Of its army, it is an important place
yet. 1t contains seven large two-story ware
houses, full Of bacon and. corn from top to
bottom; three large houses. stored with ammu-
milton; an extensive foundry, where two hun
dred hauds sEe consta ltly employed 10 the man
ufacture Of cannon, she'll, solid shot, etci a
powder msuufacsory, where two hundred and
sixty persons put up cartridges; and two MILD
where cotton fabrics are produced. In and
around jackson are eight hundred thousand
bales of cotton, which viii not bring twelve
and e half cents per pound ia Confederate
funds. Some sixty thousand bales are bid away
IN swalBps and in the woods, where, no doubt,
It viii be discovered only by the flashing Of
Federal gold.
Or. the 9Th Of March, the narrator left Jsek-
son to come North. he purchased a horse for
three hundred and fifty dollars, and, after nu-
msrous adventures with g~uerilias. piekets, etc,
whom be could not avoid, though he keptof the
main roads. and after laundering about in the
Tallahstchie river for an hour and a hall he
fnslly rescbed the Federal lines at Davis miils.
Upon presenting himself to the eommsnder Of
the pest, he was required to take She oath Of
allegiance 70 the government of tho United
States, and sent mp to Memphis, whence be
came TO ibis city and has gone North. lie said
the Coufsdsrstes were rolling iron in Selma,
three inches thick and Eve inches wide, to cover
gRnboats.
From conversations with numerous persons
who BFve como from the scene Of operations
below, ] an convinced that tho only way to
capture VioksbuTg is to adopt Ger. Grants
plan of attacking il in the rear via jackson,
while the navy operates from The river in front
Had Gen Grant not been interfsred with by the
great biuIby GEM IN ~ adu2nSp9h, no uouDb ~
Mississippi would nave been open long $50, and
The products of The great Northwest would have
found an outlet through the gulf Of Mexico. ]
an also induced 70 believe that the only way to
secure peace on the basis Of Union is 70 pro-
claim an zrnistice fer q sufficient length Of time
TO sllow the heated passions ef the people to
cool, and then call q convention .of ell ibe
States. In doing this, our government could
dictate The trims; hut, If tie present radical
policy be persisted in, disunion is sure
low, and wa must lis.an 70 tle dict4ious -
South, Endorsed by foreign intervention.
EGYPTIAN