Daily national Republican., 1863-02-17
FROM VICKsBURG.
THE GREAT "CUT- orr
HOW 1T Is TO BE ENLARGED.

A correspondent, writing from opposite
Vicksburg," January oath, says:
The arrival of our transports here was greet
ed by an occasional shell from one Of the rebel
batteries, which, however, burst harmless in
the air, half mile short of our position, leaV,
ing only a slowly vanishing cloud of smoke Ia
indicate the vanity of their attempt.
Two army corps are now here-the Thirteenth
and Fifteenth-uhder the command of Major
Generals McClenand and Sherman. The Six
teenth corps, under the command of 6enera
Hurlburt, is on Its way down, and Grant will
soon be here to resume command OF the whole
force. II seems to be the plan to concentrate
all the available troops of the West at this point
till sufficient force is obtained to render its re-
duction a certainty.
THE "CUT-oFF."
The present work of the army is the cutting
through of the canal, which was commenced
last summer across the the low neck Of land In
front of YiCksburg. Its length Is about one
mile and half, and 1t is in mvch the same cOn
ditiOn as when then left, being but about five
feet In depth. In the present cOmparutively
high stage of the river, water TO the depth Of
| two feet flows through it, and doubtless werI
II left in Its present state, the spring fresheti
would wash a channel which would be naviga
| BILE. The soil Is of different nature from wha
/ expected to find, being, instead of a loOs
sandy deposit, as 1supposed, firm clay, whicl
will not wash easily. Spades, shovels, an(
picks are however brought into use, and Ou
men are employed in the unsOldierly business
of digging bitches, mach to the detTiment o
their temPers and blue uniforms.
The prospect is that a current will soon bI
obtained, through which will wash a channe
that will be sufficient to pass our transports
and gunbOats. There seems, however, to hay,
| been somewhat of blunder made In the seleC
| tiOn of a site for the channel, as Its opening II
| In an eddy below bend in the river. Had /
| been dug half mile above, where the curren
| of the Mississippi sets strongly against tn
shore, there would have been much more Ger
tainty that the force of the current would opcI
the channel. Yet, the length Of the channe
would have been greater aud the digging NOR
labOriOuB. Those In charge of operations
however, seem perfectly confident of the sue
| cess of their prcsGnt plans.
The line of the canal Ia beyond the enemy
| guns, with the exception of a portion near tn,
| mouth, which can be reached by the guns from
the bluffs below tho city, and under the fire o
| which StcelC's division must necessarily WOTl
In cutting that portion of the canal. Some ~
| pound ParrOtt guns have, however, been PLACED
In position at this point, to engage the enemy
batteries and TO stop any boats which may at
tempt to pass up or down the river.
| II will be seen that the canal will not pass
boats entirely clear Of the batteries on the blut
and the gunbOats will have to silence these bat
tcrles ere the transports can be brought through
| with safety.
Less than a mile below Vcksburg, the bluff
! leave the river and only meet II again at War
TentOH, about five miles below, and there nj
the distance Of half mile from the weater
edge, so that once getting past the bluffs oI
which the city is situated, there can be n,
trouble from strongly posted batteries on thu
bluffs.