Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-02-17
THE SITUATION Ar yIcKSVrsa

Our last prIyste adyices from hafare yl.l.
burg indicate that important operations ara
low In progress Tor the rsductisn OF that
stronghold. Gen. Grant AZ see ms who Is c.na
mGnoer-in-chief of the foreAe before IN "A c,ty
has adopted a method Of attack very dirfsrsat
| In In aA. OF .as PREDECESSOR, sherman. In
iinee OF inuenobmsnts ana bstt. rie-, he 4. en-
o'avorinE 10 circumvent the great complica
ncn OF fine prs, sbstis, siou . Ne, and cssematr,
| By pushing down beyond them and .aIxIor a..
cEain CT oiuns upon which the rebels are
planted.
trcm yiekshurs 10 warr.n,on sy the road
IS miles; IRON Ntcksburg 20 HSine'e Plun.
| 'he opposite direction, ia about twelve
This line. twenty-five niles In all, we can
n;' na'e st almost every psTt-at Hsfne's, at
thickasew Bayou, At Old river, al Terrir. or
uprtr EiuAs, 80 the CITY wharf and thenea
down ihc river bank At almost any point 20 th-
lower ends OF the bluffs at Wsrr-Bton Thi. ia
Ifk &c prooisious that the southern cn1e-rs
VIII see az once how ereat IL the advantage at
~hicn 'hey are placed. They must concen.
traie vast army at that point I'm order TO l-.
feac! nj every moment 70 resist q .imultsne-
cbs aitsck from every point above indicated
All this force must now be fed and ira q. f-rrrd
by rhe oue single line OF railrvad run nninr east
Nsto TO jackson. rs every o;hrr source OF
supply rs now cut OF from them On accouat
ef The large falls Of rain the very bad roade OF
interior mississippi are now impassable Tho
river below is blockaded both by rams ana our
own batteries. West Louisiana and Te,a as .ve
hnaiiy and hopelessly snndered from the Con
feoeTaey. koibing beyond a mere skiff LOAD
cen be smugel.d across the Mississ,Ppi.
Already we have established a chain of hat.
teries from opposite the lower edea OF Vicr.-
nuTs TO- opposite Warrenton. which, thourh
u-y may be useless in reducing the heavier
tauerss OF the rebels on the bluffs, NAV ba of
crest service in covering n landing of troops
IN conjunction with the guuhoste, and abeo-
Iutely close the door against river communtea-
tioH.. Noteven the unfinished Vicksbure can
bope 10 escape from her present Judgement,
but must be either destroyed by the hands OF
fer owners or fall into oar hands as prize SS
Tar this is great gain.
The latest indications are, however that n
more sweeping and less hazardous process a
10 re attempted than the landing OF troons i'm
front OF the city-something OF the nature OF
lie coup Gc euerrt at Island 10. Gen Nc
Arlhurs division is reported 10 have moved
up from the mouth Of the Yazoo 20 Lake
froyicenCP, La, a hundred miles further nm
st nors ~ S SSrpeaTs the Mississippi s not far ne.
GEd Bayou Tensae, which, at high wa ter are
nearly Joined to the parent stream A.
their sources. Thence they continue down in
tcItuons pain until they reach the Red river
near Its mouth, some twenty five miles above
Bayou Sara and fifty above Port Hudson In
Is deemed possible at the high stage OF the
Mississippi, by a little excavation nd clearing
10 turn So much OF the river into thie ne w
channel as 10 make a navigable stream of the
Irnsas or Mason, leaving Vieksburg some
hundred miles TO the left Should thts sehama
succeed we might expect to see half OF our
army advancing in n feet of transports 70
assist Gen. Banks at Port Hudson, preparatory
10 the grand attack on Vicksburg by the com
blned armies.
IL Will thus be seen that there is a very nar
row chance between the rebels and their utter
defeat They VIII not think of transferring The
bulk OF their army 10 Port Hudson, for AZ rouId
neither b. gotun there nor fed If there without
tie river. The alternative would be that Port
HUDSON must te evacuated, the garrison with
drawn Tor the support OF Nicksburg where ths
contest could be resumed with tie united forces
Of both parties.
Ii, however, this plan should be unayai{ing
and few days must determine the fact then
the resource LETT 70 ms is the 1orcibie occuDaton
OF Narrenton Heavy guns are being shipped
down 10 Gen. Grant, with which to line the
shores IN such numbers that by dint OF more
Iapld fire andA more liberal expenditure of
ordnance, and the aid OF the gun boats, the bat
teries can be seized with comparatively trifiing
loss. At present the bulk OF the hostile guns are
at the upper part of the chain, at and aboy We the
city. Ii Is unlikely that the rebels will be per-
mitted 10 fortliy at ihsir leisure below. IL
therefore, an army can be ferried over on RATS
or gubbcats lodgInent mig ht safely be made az
one ends and cnce begun our superiority of
means and appliances would ins n re the rest
he canal In ffont Of the city seems 10 be
Looked upon with more don bt. If Ite no aid w ash
outa channel, then gunboats might pass through
comparatively out of danger; otherwise they
must follow the noble example of Ellet and his
Queen, and run the blockade. The other yes-
seis OF the neet are represented as being ready
ard anxious 10 face the ordeal On the whole
the prospects are more encouraging from the
Lower Mississippi, and the appearances ara
that the accumulation of scientific resources
VIII prove too much for the eneny.-Nsp Fork
Horh 81