Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1863-07-16

fIl
two men evinced signs Of agitation and in few,
minutes Sawyer wept bitterly be sat down to writ,
last letter to his WIFE, Flynn however, gave no fur
Their sign OF emotion. They we're taken before Genera
w inder, who duly returned them to prison under a
commitment to close confinement until the day of execp
tion.
Tho Possession OF the EIIss,ssIppl RIver-vl,ks,,,r,
and Port Hudson.
The Jackson correspondent of the Mobile Rso;,,.
discusses, in the following letter. question which IA
rendered OF more interest by the intelligence Of the m
OF Vicksburg
The question frequently suggests itself, suppose w.
abandon Fort Hudson and ViCksburg, what benefit
would the Federal Government derive-what iniury
would it entail upon the Confederacy? Surprising We
snouu give up nose places and thus crafty the
wings OF the great West yield TO her at this day that
boon fer which she has expended so much blood and
treasure? say what would be tie advantages ard
disadvantages Let US look back on the page of his
tory for the last two years and then judge tie future by
the past.
Tie obi CT held il view by the West for the p,oso
cuton OF The war is that the possession of these place
would give them the free and unobstructed navigation
of tie Mississippi river TO the Gulf and as necessary
consequence, lis and that of its tributaries
The commerce and trade of the Mississippi is absolute
y essential to the existence OF the Western people who
have great aud powerful motives in carrying on The
war, and from their stand point, for of the moyts
| have the heart to condemn them. The first mo
tive have named, the second is to escape from III,
thra dom and avarice of their New England friends
New England figures the banker and aristocra
while the West Is the silly goose OF dependent and u
newer OF wood and drawer of water. To wish to
escape from this latter position l can blame no PEG
pie
True, the South has proposed to give the Western
people the free navigation of the Mississippi but either
their bindness or their inability to escape from the
meshes thrown around them by the Abe Lincoln Coy
eminent, the proposition was not accepted The West
has still waged the war, and every blow that it has
struck has only tended the more eecuay to fsten on
them the chains OF commercial and financial bondage 10
the North and East. The West has so far succeeded
as to have conrol of the river down to VicRSburr
while New England Tor rather Massachusetts, controls
from the Gulf to Port Hudson. Therefore, the onyre
manning portion OF the river not open to commerce Is
from Vicksburg to Port Hudson. The Yankee gun.
boat patrol readers it useless to US always excepting
orlOrn 1latbOat skiff which the Yankees have
Lot destroyed and Which people use to ferry them
selves over the river.
The trade of tie West down to Vicksbu~g is but
rihng, and, take away the attractions of large army
amounts TO almost nothing. To make up Tor lost trade
the Western people have resorted to robbipg, stealing
and wanonly wasting everything in their pathway IN.
der the halucinatOn that after the war is over the
Southern people will be compelled to to and
buy all these things over again" A Yankee idea 10
the cores and might say it is not without its pho-
sophy, for in too many instances it will prove true
sonipg. New England holds the river, with New Or
leans Port Hudson, and the only benefit derived is
not from trade but from pillage.
Now, evacuate these places and let the West use her
steamboats, to transport her produce South instead OF
going to the East ever the railroads around by New
England and the northern capital ard what advantage
las the West gained? The Southern people cauuu
trade with the West, because OF its inability to pay for
is produce in proper Currency There is not gold
enough in the Countrywide people have been bank
upttd by the rObberes of their soldiers end those who
would buy cannot. Their plantations have been made
!esoIate and the consumers carried away. Their
will be tickle and precarious for their boats and
;argoes will be continually captured and destroyed
md to crown all, New England has cnpacious mouth
xtended wide open " to swallow up whatever may
the gauntlet to New Orleans to supply
local market some little shipment in the West Indies
dexico and South America.
In ordinary times the trade of Vicksburg alone was
worth more to the West than will be all the trade OF
he Mississippi ard its tributaries with Vcksburg and
Port Hudson In their possession Let the West have
he Mississippi end still :emain in arms against th5
SOUTH apd what will Ter trade be worth The question
an be answered ia a woodworking. Then suppose
be Continued the West is paid in greeDbacks and
be coin busbanded in the North, while debt is accu
lolated that will for ages grind her people with taxa
ion, while the North and East, by their trickery, man
ge to indirectly collect their tax also from the West
Remember that the West has pursued no cOncliat0ry
curse towards the South, collectively Or individually
nd is therefore entitled TO no sympathy Being
rave been too adrOt in their management of affairs 10
ermit any feelings of sympathy or friendship to BE-
endered, either politically socially. collectively ndyi
ualiy, Or religiousy.
The South can be damaged but very little more thar
be now is by the abandonment OF these places and the
Vest can receive little benefit from the day that
Port Hudson and Vicksuurg abandoned than she
ow enjoys
It will be conended that to give up these places will
lcourage tie West 10 renewed energy, and cause
rocrastinaton of the This may be the case, bG.
My for little season. Not until then will the West
az3 tie fact that she has lost her best cash customer
nd most true friend 1t will then be as clear as "mul
the Hoosiers, Buckeyes and Suckers that hey have
cen befooled to such an extent as to cause them to
their decevers ia their wrath and take full ven
eance. Nothing is true in the natural course oil
e than that no man, however great fool he may be,
zes to be- told OF 1t, and, moreover used nstrU
ent Ia the hands OF his crafty and subtle neigh
Dr.. Again, it may be urged that it would free a large
oron of the Federal army and thus enable the enemy
successfully carry out other expeditions | think
IT, as it would require strong garrisons to hold all
llnerable, well strong points on the river, ard
stead of holding many, greatly reduce the Fedora.
ny. Other thoughts suggests themselves, but have
ready written more than l intended
A New WAY TO blew UP TRAIN.-Tbe Chat
nooga Rebel of Sunday says:
A few days since party of our guerlas went rou1d
the rear of Murfreesboro' and blew up two locomO
res and trains, with torpedOes one on the ashvIe
d Chattanooga, ard the other en- the Franklin AMI
ashvilIe road The torpedoes were placed underneath
9 track. with q screw percussion cap, or friction
inner attached which was so placed On the iron rail
at the wheel OF the car pressing over il, caused the
minatipg powder to explode and ignited the maya