The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-04-23
a neh,l nlrer Rrlrnae.


A Richmond correspondent OF the
Knoxville Register, in a series Of articles,
urges the building Of gunboats on the
Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, and
the organization Of a brigade, 20 be COM
posed Of river men.
There are some suggestions in the fol-
lowing extract, which might, perhaps,
be probably considered by our own M
thorities
II the opinions OF men who have spent
their lives on the Mississippi had been
regarded from the beginning Of the war,
the calamities which have b~efallen US in
in the West would have been obviated.
When Randolph and Fort Pillow were
fortified in 1851, stesmboaimeu of the
West persi silently alleged that fortified
lions on the shore might prevent the ascent
Of the river by yankee war vessels but tina,
no number OF stationary batteries could
| preclude The descent of The river by iron-
clade. West Pointism was predominant,
IL reared frowning fOrtilcations, it CONF
handed and burned our gunboats and
the Mississippi was lost, save that por-
ton between Port Hudson and Vicks-
burg. Men who, like Shirley, the builder
of the Ark ansas, had passed their lives
on this great river, urged the organization
of a 4" river brigade" composed of
sleambOatmen. Such as they would new
er have attempted the folly Of stretching
iron cables across the Mississippi TO de-
tain iron clads while shore batteries were
sending down tempests Of iron hail
The force of the current operating upon
buoys that sustained the iron cables soon
displaced them. A large vessel let
loose from sbrve could not be arrested in
its descent by chains less strong than
those forged in Cyclopean caverns. Gun
ners could not strike descending boats
with any certainty which passed down
The rapid current at a speed of twenty
miles an hour.
This was not all; none but the river
men can manage gunboats effectively on
the Mississippi. Not only does a steam
boatman recognize every curve and every
whirlpool and sand bar, and by nigh,
the trees along the shore by which he
guides his course, but there has ever ex
listed a species of warfare on the Missis
sippi in which skill acquired, is possess
ed by river men alone. They have, from
The beginning, learned how TO run down
rival steamers. The Roman fleet of iron
beaked gallies with which Dniliins
+ wrecked the war vessels of the Cartha-
senians was manned by just such elias,
of men as those whom has
trained on the finland sea" of the West
But naval officers came, a cloud Of them,
! who took charge of aud sunk or burned
a our iron c!ads from Memphis TO New Or
leans, while West POintism thodght 4
guard the stream by scientific gunneri
and embankments.
J Quail shooting with six Founders in Vir
ginia sedgeiields would be as rational
aud successful as the attemptto arrest til,
descent of %gunb0ats by stationary bate
ries, and an Okefenokee mud turtle in thi
0 rapids Of the Niagara would be as per.
!, fectly in his native element as an Anna.
polls midshipman afloat on the Missis
sippi,
This very Congress should organize
: River Brigade Of river men. They ar
G the most daring Of the men OF the West
4 Ii we cannOt now build gunboats, suct
, a brigade would board and capture then
Ii we can possess the Tennessee an
u Cumberland, they would in these river
build half a dozen gnnbOats, that unde
. their guidance, would a iat out into th
Gulf By such nesnS alone can we Sc
cure Memphis-by such agencies alon
: can we ever lepossess the Mississippi
= from Cairo 10 the Balize.