The Abingdon Virginian. [volume] (Abingdon [Va.]) 1849-1883, 1863-04-03

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MasHAoH HoRNER.
The YaxoO Pass Expeditions.
Description Of the Tazoe Pdss-IAe Voyage of
tie Fleet NrsugA It, dc.
The special correspondent Of the New York
| Herald, on board the u. S. gunboat Marmora,
Coldwater river, Miss, under date Of Feb. %,
writes:
The Rubicon is crossed. Three and half
days of most tedious, vsxatious, bothersome,
troubesome and damaging steamboating has
brought this expedition twenty miles on its
| way, and disclosed to ia view the end of the
| now famous Yazoo Pass. A more execrable
| place was never known Should one propose
to run steamboat to the moon, he would be
considered equally sane by those who had
seen the Yazoo Pass before this expedition
forced passage through it, as the person
who proposed the movement. / would like to
describe
THE YAzoo PASS,
| Iwould like to compare it to something
| that would be ineligible to your readers
But know Of nothing IA heaven or on earth,
or in the waters under the earth, that will
compare with it. Had The immortal bard de-
sired subject from which to draw picture
of the way that leads't 10 the realms Of dark
ness and despair, he had only to picture the
Yazoo Pass Let me Wy, in the feeble Ian
guage can command, TO describe it. Per-
haps the reader has passed through the Dis
NAL Swamp of Virginia;or, if not, he hasread
| the accounts Of travellers who have enjoyed
that privilege. Then hshas heard Of the IA
nous iungleas of India He has seen or read
lof the uubroken silence that pervades the
| boundless tall forests If the John Brown tract
in western New York. Conceive the ugliest
| features Of these three varieties Of territory,
land he will be able, BY combining them, to
! form a tolerable correcf idea Of the region
through which the Yazoo Pass runs. Those
who have watched the course Of q snake, as
he trails his way along the ground. winding
thisway and that, hither and yonder, going
lin all directions at theisame time, and yet
maintaining something Of regular course in
the average, will, by exnkgerating the picture
! in their own minds, understand something Of
the tortuous course Of the Yazoo Pass. have
passed through it from one end to the other,
and assert candidlys that there is not
throughout its entire length q piece two hum
bred feet long Of perfectly straightriver. The
orders under which this expedition moved re-
quired that boats should Aeep three hundred
( yards apart; but there Was no place to be
found in the whole streams where they could
see one-third Of this distance ahead or behind
them. Once, indeed, we did catch q glimpse
Of the Rather, flag ship. She was just abreast
Of us, and about one hundred yards away, go
I ing in an opposite, direction to us. We tancl-
ed we were close on to her, as it was near
night, and concluded to tie up, SO as to let her
get away from u.s. The next morning we got
under way at daylight, and just as the sun
4 was at the meridian we passed the spot where
we had seen our fle-leader eighteen hours be.
fore. q
THE INSTRUCTIONS.
Much has been said and written of the eft.
forts put forth by the rebels to obstruct this
| pass. Their labor was all thrown away. Ma.
ture has placed greater obstructions in the
way than amy enemy could place there, nc
matter how powerful be might have been OF
how long he had been employed. Cypress
and sycamore trees lined the banks in great
profusion, intermixed With gigantic cotton.
woods bearing the widest enlargement o.
wild grape vines. The stream itself is never
to exceed a hundred feet in breadth, and fire.
quently not more than City or seventy five. -
| Over this the timber forms most perfect
arch, frequently. as good fortune would have
! it, so high as to admit the easy passage Of the
tai; smoke stacks beneath it, but sometimes
grazing their Ups, and again angrily topping
over the intruders. But Providence evident
" did not intend this pass for military high
way. Providence opposed the movement MOI
SO much by this high arch enclosing the rlvel
and shutting it out from view, as BY the long
jagged limbs it thrust out from the trees q
rectly across the channel, snd the numeroul
crooked and leaning trees that formed mos
effective blockade.
It may be possible, from what Lhave writ
| ten, to get an idea of the Ya1oo Pass:
short account Of the trip through it. will p
more profitable for this purpose. The tota
length of the pass from the Mississippi TO IN
! Coldwater river is twenty miles. From tn
] Mississippi to the east side OF Moon iaks
4 where the pass proper commences, Is calies
/ eight miles, leaving the distance from MOO,
lake to the Coldwater twelve miles. We iei
the lake on Wednesday morning. the Zotl
inst, and reached the Colawater this after
noon just after dinner, making the trip exac!
" in three days and a half Twelve miles 2
steamboat in three days ind halt IN
Erie canal is mere than collapsed; It y o.
4 liberated. TO BE sure We did Dot travel 9
night, but We made usually about tweIy