The New York herald., 1863-05-18


| river between Memphis and Baton Rouge.
The rebels estimate the forces under General
Grants command at one hundred and twenty
thousand men; and yet, while they are erl-
IDENTIFY uneasy and perplexed, they profess
considerable confidence in their ability to
expel him Doubtless they have secured all
the Southwest to strengthen Gen. Pember.on,
and have thus. in all probability. given him
an army exceeding a hundred thousand mon.
1t was understood at Memphis that thirty
thousand men from Mobile and twenty thou
sand from Charleston and Savannah, or fifty
thousand in all from those three places, had
been sent forward to the defence of jack
son and Vicksburg. This may be an ex-
aggeration; but we do not doubt that
ments from every accessible hole and corner
in the Southwest, including Charleston and
Savannah. We may reasonably believe so,
after the declarations Of JEFF Davis that he
would defend Yicksburg to the last extremity,
and after the sagacious opinion of leading
rebel journal, that Vicksburg is of greater i'm.
portance to the rebel cause than Richmond,
Charleston and Savannah all put together
But why so? Because with vicksburg in our
possession we secure the absolute command of
the Mississippi river, and can easily hold it,
from Cairo to the Gulf, withxour gunboats.
Thus one-half the territory of the States and
parts Of States now held by the rebellion will
be cut Of completely from the other half On
a grander scale it will be the decisive opera
ton of cutting an army in twain on the field
Of battle. The War Committee of Congress
have impressed this important fact upon the
government; General Halleck, we presume,
fully comprehends it, and we conclude, there
fore, that General Grants movements
are being conducted SO as to secure success
against any possible concentration oftfe rebel
forces for the defence OF Vicksburg. We are
satisfied that Colonel Grierson's late dashing
cavalry foray and other movements of the same
description, cutting up the enemy's commune
cations, and destroying his railway trains and
depots Of supplies, will materially weaken Penn
berton and assist General Grant; but we still
believe that now is the time for another ad-
vance by the Army of the Potomac; for another
attack upon Charleston or Savannah; for q land
reconnaissance around Mobile; for anadvance by
General Burnside into East Tennessee, and for
some active work on the part of General Rose
Grams. While General Mcclellan was halting
for reinforcements in front of Richmond we
were giving no serious employment to the
enemy elsewhere, and so from all points Gene
raj Lee was strengthened until by the mere
weight of superior numbers he rescued the rebel
capital. So, now, if for no other purpose than
to make sure work of Vicksburg, the armies Of
the rebellion in every other quarter should be
given instant and serious employment. While
fighting around great circle this is the simplest
way to prevent an overwhelming concentration
Of the enemy at any given point. Lr.-.,
With Admiral Porter in occupation of Alex
andra on the Red river, We may consider the
work of the subjugation of the rebellion on the
west side Of the Mississippi as substantially
completed. With our occupation Of vicksburg
the work of reducing the remnants Of the re-
bellious States on the east side of the river will
be comparatively simple and easy opera
ton. Meantime, rebel journal at Atlanta,
Georgia, of the 9Th of May, positively affirms
that Port Hudson has not been evacuated. We
hope that our next intelligence from that quar-
ter will be that the place has been visited by a
Union land and naval force which has settled
the question. Thus far the whole campaign
in the Southwest, since General Grants move
ment below vicksburg, has worked and is pro-
crossing prosperously. Let the War Office see
to it that while Grant is strengthened the rebel
armies elsewhere are given abundant employ
ment, and we shall soon have victory which
will abundantiy compensate US for the late
humbugging attack upon Charleston and the
inexplicabte retreat of General Hooker.