The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-05-07

. Gree vulr, SO 20 Il ................,..... "a
y. Anfe son x c 10 ,o..................... ISL
70 Atl,ut,, Co.., to oo....-.........,'.' ses
10 Al'a IA Geo, to Savannah. ..... ......,. 2It
y Atautl Geo, toFe sa aela.......,........... ~
- Iu l~cgs. Ala T. III ............... ga
10 Ia. adcla. Ala. 20 NV Orica. .s............ A.
~. rh ajega, Al . T. ck.hu s... .,....,.... $50
u nccaur, Al % " h i..,.,...- ......... =
o cttr Ala 10 Cuuubus. ny ........, 21l
Stevenson a. 10 Nash ir. 10 ..... ..... II ,
~ Stevenson, An - 10 isd le, ky..'...""." 1913
Bv comparing this table with our map,
IL will be seen that while the great cit.
lea of the rebels are widely separated
from each other on the outer frontier Of
their territory, on a line extending, even
when drawn in The air directly from one
TO the other through distance of nearly
1000 miles, every one of these cities, ex
cept New Orleans, is within ~ or IA
hours, By railroad. of some railroad sta
tion near the border of the Mountain dis
irict; snd even New Orleans can b.
reached by railroad, from Talladega, in
less than 20 hours, the train moving At
the rate Of only 20 miles an hour.
10 view Of these geographical and sta.
tislical facts, is IL not clear that the true
method of putting down The rebellion
efrotually 10 10 take military possessioI Of
the sohole Mountain district represented on our
mqp, and % keep q IoreVer J,oan the control
Of The slaUeh0liersf We ALREADY hold the
whole OF Eastern Kentucky and more
than twodhirds of Western Virginia
The people Of East Tennessee have been
crying 10 us for nearly two years for
arms aud men, to enable them 10 throw
off the yoke OF the Shareholders, and late
Southern papers inform us that the Con-
federaie government has been compelled
TO send troops into the mountains of
Northern AlahamI, Northern Georgia,
and Western North Carolina, TO put down
the Unionists, who are there earnestly
rebelling against the rebellion.
Why then should we not send at once
from Eastern Kentucky and Northwest
orn Virginia into Southwestern Virgins
aud East Tennessee, mflits.y foroo
sufficiently strong 10 take. permanent
possession of the railroad from Dublin
20 Knoxville, a distance Of 230 mi es
We have already twice temporarily
broken up this railroad by destroying
the bridges; once in November, 1861
when the Unionisls 10 East Tennessee
conspred for that purpose, and once,
recently, when General Carter, with
small bands of cavalry, ptssed secretly
fr,m Kentucky through gaps in tho
Cumberland Mountains into Virginia,
aud came down upon the road near the
point where II crosses the line from
Virginia into East Tennessee. Let ex-
pediiiohs now be prepared on large
scale, and let the attack be made stimuli
. t,neousIy on points distant from each
her.
The Cumberland River is At present
under cur control from it's mouth 20 its
source. IL is navigable 10 Mill Spring,
aud at that poiat, and a. numerous
paints below, all less. than 100 miles
from Knoxville, there are common roads
leading directly 90 the great railroad in
the vicinity OF Knoxville. Big Sandy
WiVtr, which forms part Of the boundary
between Virginia and Kentucky, is said
" bs uavlgabe for steamers from lie
mouth ia the Ohio TO point on the
West or Louisa Fork, not far from Pike
vile. From Pkeville q road runs up
he valley and along the banks Of the
Louisa Fork g. ifs source, aud thence
about rs miles 10 Saltyille, which will be
found on our map, at the end OF spur
uf the grRs Virginia and Tennessee
railroad, apd nine miles from the juno
ton.
From Pikeville TO Slltvile an air line
is oDly 90 mites, aud the travelled road
i. very diF,ct through nearly the who e
dis ance. From Plkeville also a road
runs along the west side of the Cumher-
land Mountains to Cumberland Gap
with branches leading through six other
gaps, into the 5 ate Of Virginia, aud by
winding courses in that tate 70 diff rent
points on the great railroad.
Starting then, from points near the
head Of navigation on the Cumberland
aud Big Sandy Rivers, why may not
bodies Of men, properly armed, be sent
through some Of the roads which we
have designated, 10 break the great
railroad simultaneously near Knoxville
and near Dublin, aud then TO occupy
and foriity the intermediate portion
This would rescue from the dominion Of
The rebels the southwestern part OF
Virginia aud the Northern part OF East
Tenn, ssee, a country containing ab1ni
100000 inhabitants; and II would break
permanently the great iron band whieh
now holds Jog ther the exireme parts OF
their horses hoe shaped country.
Having accomplished 50 much, the
next step might be % build, with all
D .ssible expedition, a military railroad,
frs, fiom Ssltville 10 PikevIlle, distance
of about 90 miles, aud then from Pike
vile 60 or 40 miles further, 10 Ashland
on the OHIO River, near the moutl OF
the Big Sandy, aud not far from lronion
10 the State Of Ohio, the terminus Of
branch OF the Cincinnati aud Marietta
Railroad. When completed 70 PikeTille,
or 10 the head Of steam navigation
on the Big Sandy, snd especially
w bea txtenfed 10 the Olio River, a.
army of 10000 men, wuich mig I
be quickly collected At Ashland from the
Northsrn and Northwestern States, could
thapoa ba tranaDorted on this nav rail-