The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-07-09
The Possession Of the Nlissi,sipPi River -
Vicksbu.g aud Pert Hadses


The Jackson correspondent of she Mobile
Register discusses, in the following letter, q
| question which is rendered OF moro Interest by
tas intelligence Of the fall Of vicketurg:
| The question frequently auggesta itself, sup
| pose we abandon Port Hudson and Vicksburv
what be netit woyli the Federal Government
dsrive-what injury would it eatail upon the
Confederacy3 Suppose we should give up
| those places and thus crafty the cravings oi
| .he great West, yield to her at this day thai
boon for which she has expended 30 mncl,
blood and treasurer / say, what would he
| The advantages and disadvantagesi Let us
look back or the page OF history for the last
| two years and then Judge the future by the
past
The object held u view by the West for the
! prosecution Of the war lie, tha. the possession
| of these places would give the n the free and
| unobstrueted navigation of the Mississippi
| fiaer to the Guif, and Ss a necessary conse
| qne1ce. i;a commerce and that of its tributa
| res. Tne commerce and trade of the Missis
si3pi is absolutely esseniia! to the existence ol
| the Western people, who have two great and
| powerful motives Ia carrying on the war; and
| from their stand poi at for one Of the motives
| i have not The heart to condemn them The
! iirst motive | have named, the second is Ia
| escape from the tbraidom and 2variee Of their
| New England friends. New England figures
as the banker and aristocrat, while the West is
| the s,ily goose Of dependent and Il he wer OF
| Of wood a1d drawer Of walsr TO wish to
escape from this latter position Lean blame no
| people.
| Tue, the Sonth has proposed to give the
| Western people the ffes navigation of tire
| hlaBiesippi, but either in their blindness or
| their Inability 10 escape from the mesiie
| thrown around them by tho Abe Lincoln Gov
ernident, the proposition was not accepted
J Al.
blow that 1t i'aa struck has only tended the
more eiiec;ually 10 fastsn them the chains
of commercial aud financial bondage to the
North and East. The West ias go far sdc
ceeded as to have control Of the river down TO
Vicksburg, while New England Tor rather
Masaaehus-fts) controls from the Gulf TO Port
Hudson. Therefore, the only remaining por
ton of the river not open 10 commerce is from
Ficksburg to Port Hudson. The Yankse gun
boat patrol renders it useless to us always, ex-
coIt;ng some foiicrn iiatb0at skin which
the Yankees have not destroyed, and which
our ueupio uso 10 ferry themselves over the
rlver.
The trade of tie West down to Viokshurg is
tut triiug, and, take AWAY the ATTRACTIONS OF
a large army, ;inouats 30 almost nothing. 10
make mp tor lost trads the Western peo,l le
have resortei TO robbiug, stealing, aud wan
toniy wasting everything III taeir path way uR%
der The haiiucinati0u that after the war ii
over the Southern people viii be compelled "to
come to us and buy all these things over
again" a Yankee idea 10 the cores, and
might iay IL is not without its philosophy,
for III too many instances il will prove true
reasoning. New Eugiabd holds tho river,
with New Orieaus TO Port Hudson, and the
only benefit derived is not from trade bnt from
pil!age.
Now, evacuate these places, and lot the Wes.
use her steamboats, to transport her produce
South, inh cad Of going to the East over the
railroads around by New ED9iapd :ui tue
West gained The Southern people cannot
trade with the W est, because of lis liability 10
pay for tt5 produce III IL proper currency
There is not gold enough in the couatry--tle
people have been bankruptsi by the robber;es
of their sodiefs, and those Who would tuy
eaIuot. Their plauaa.ioDs have baen made
uesDiate aud the consamers carried away -
Their commerce will be tickle and precarious
for their bcats and cargoas will se continually
captured and ds slroyed and to CROWN all New
England has a capaci0us mouth, extended
wide open TO swallow up whatever may sue
cess!usly run tho gauntlet to New Orleans TO
supply local market, some little shioment Ia
tho West Indies, Mexico aud South A merioa
In ordinary times the trade of Nioksbu"g
aious was worth more to the West than will
be al! the trade OF the Mississippi and its trib
utafies with Vicksburg and Port uljson in
thoir poasession. Let the West have the NJ is-
eissippi and still Iemaio III arms against the
South and what will her ifada be WORTH
The question can be aneweraj in "a word
nothing. Then suppose tho war continued,
tho West is paid In greenbaeks and The coin
hGs,anded III the North, While debt il aeGu
mnlate 81 tina, will for ages grind her people
" ith taxation, whls the North aui East, 10y
their tsickery manage tO Indirectly collect
th.if t,.x also from the West. Remember that
the West has pursued Io c0nciliatory course
towards the South, collectively or individual
iy, aud ia therefore entitled to no sympathy.
Being naturally the ally Of the South New
England pJiitioiaus li.ve been too adroit In
their management OF ahaiTs to rernit any
feelings of sympathy or fs.e adship to be Ell
seade.ed. either politically, soti,iiy, collect
lively, Individually, or resi2 'nsly.
The South eau be damaged but very hJte
more than are now is by Il e abandonment Of
the 10 placea, and the West can rec.ife little
or no teuetit from the day that Port Hudson
and NicAsjurg are abandoned than she now
enjoys.
il will be contended that to give up these
places will encourage the West to renewed
energy, aud cause prOcrastinauon OF the
war This may be the case, but only flr
little ssasou Not until then viii the West
realize the fact tina. she has lost her best cash
Customer aud mos. true ftiand. IL will then
D., as clear IA 'mud' to the Ho0siers, Buck
ewes aud Suckers, that thay have been be-
fooled 10 such an extent u, to cause 'hen
to turn Oh their deceivers i'll their wrath,
aud take full Vengeance Nothing Is more
true ia the natural course OF HE than
tina. no mao, however great iooi he
may be, likes To lie told OF it, aud, moreover,
used as An lnstrumeEt III the hants OF his
nlora. crafty and subtlexisigh Again, It
nis.y be urged tina. it would free n large por-
ton of the Federal army, and thus enable the
enemy TO success .fu'iy carry out other expedi-
tions. think not, as it would reqairs strong
garrisons to hold all vulnerable, as well as
strong points on the river, and, Instead Of
holding 50 many. greatly reduce the Federal
army Other thoughts suggest themselves,
but | have already written more than ia-
tended. -.t4