The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-03-18

The success of the Yazoo pass expedition,
announced by telegraph Monday evening, Is q
fact of the greatest Importance. 1t will be re-
membered, that the operations under General
Sherman were conducted on the Yazoo river
as a base, and that every effort to pass Haines'
bluff on that river proved unavailng. This
bluff is the termination of range of hills ex-
tending from Vicksburg to the Yazoo, and
fortified on the western approaches all the
way. Had it been possible to pass Haines'
bluff, a strategic movement upon the vicks-
burg and Jackson railway might have been
made, or an attack upon the comparatively I'M
protected rear of the city might have been Or
dered with reasonable prospect of success.
The failure of the gunboats to force passage
left Gen. Sherman the alternative Of with
drawing the army without firing gun, or at
tempting to carry the rebel position in front.
His choice will be long remembered.
The purpose of the Yazoo pass expedition
has been to avoid the hostile batteries at
Haines' bluff, while securing position above
them on the Yazoo. The pass is over 270
miles above Vicksburg, extending eastward
20 miles from the Mississippi to the Codwa-
ter river. The route lies through Moon lake,
eight miles; through the pass proper, ~ miles;
thence down the Coldwater, 80 miles, to the
Tallahatche river; down the Tallahatchie to
the Yazoo, $50 miles and 220 miles down the
Yazoo--in all about 400 miles. The pass is
nowhere more than 100 feet in width, and in
some places not more than SO. The country
is complete jungle. Cypress and sycamore
trees are intermingled along the shores with
huge cottonwoods, all laced impenetrably to-
gether with wild grape vines, completely over
arching the pass from one end to the other,
and not unfrequently interposing huge, branch
ing arms in such fashion as to bar all progress.
The Coldwater river is little wider than the
pass by which it is reached; but it is almost
inconceivably tortuous, and its banks present
the same impenetrable thickets.
The third siege of vicksburg may be said
to have commenced on Friday, the 23d Janu-
AIRY, when Netherlands troops began to land
on the peninsula opposite the city. The
mouth of the Yazoo was Immediately block
AIDED by a strong feet of gunboats, and it was
presently rumored that quite number Of reb-
Ell transports, which had passed up the river
for men and supplies during the absence of
our naval force, were securely entrapped. The
Success of the expedition through the Yazoo
pass of course involved. as a minor considera-
ton, the capture of these transports, said to
be seven or eight in number.
Tla ow.od;,;o, IoN N.o. LII -
day, 18th. February, and reached the Coldwa-
ter river, twelve miles, in three days and a
half One gunboat had lost both her Chin
neys, and tender had an ugly hole knocked
in her hull. In five days more, the feet had
dropped about 25 miles down the river, with
out discovering building or a clearing to re-
lieve the monotony of the voyage. This was
on the 5th of March. The feet consisted at
that time Of two heavy ironclad gunboats,
two rams, six light gunboats to be barricaded
with cotton, in which this whole district
abounds, three coal barges, three steam ten
ders, and eighteen transports, laden with
troops.
Authentic advices assure us, that this for
midable force had penetrated without accident
very nearly to the Tallahatchie. A Memphis
dispatch of the lith March reports the cap
ture OF 1000 rebel prisoners and eight trans
ports somewhere on the Yazoo, and below va
ZOO city. Yazoo city is about 100 miles above
Vicksburg This report is confirmed and ex-
aggerated-let us hope, truly-by the dis
patch to the Cincinnati Gazette, published in
this city Monday evening. According to that
dispatch, the gunboats have already arrived at
Haines' bluff, after capturing twenty-six steam
ers and destroying eighteen of them. 1t is
believed that no effective defense can be made
at Haines' bluff against an attack from above.
The completion Of the Lake Providence ca
nal was announced at the same time. The
waters Of the Mississippi, IA feet higher than
the level of the lake, have been turned into
the canal, opening an inland passage to the
Red river and thence to the Mississippi be-
tween Port Hudson and Vicksburg, exposing
both points TO an attack on the side naturally
weakest'and least fortified. "Vicksburg must
@be ours" said Admiral Porter lately; there
sis no question OF the result; we shall as GER
"tainly take il, as the sun will rise tomorrow"
Present appearances indicate an early evacua-
ton Of the city.