, 1863-01-27

The capture Of Vicksburg will inflict
upon the rebel cause more serious injury
than the loss Of any other point in their
: possession. JEFF. Davis can better afordto
give up ten Richmonds than one Vicks-
burg, and le fully appreciates its immense
Importance to the Confederates, and is re-
solved to hold it, II in his power. It will
require an immense force and most san
Z culinary struggle to wrest it out Of the hands
Of the rebels; but its possession will be
= richly worth all it can cost to seize it. The
time to have taken -Vicksburg was last
June, when the fleets from New Orleans
. and Memphis bombarded it and so nearly
Scaptured it. 4 land force Of 5000 men,
to cooperate with the gunboats would have
= taken it without doubt. But Gen. Halleck,
who never improves in opportunity, neg
1ected orrefused to send any troops, and
the feet withdrew, leaving the knot tied in
in the river, unopened. The auspicious
moment passed away for striking most
Z damaging blow at the rebellion: At that
:: time Hhlleck was too deeply engaged in
the business Of enforcing Order No. 8, and
in rnising contributions for the relief Of
destitute rebels about Corintl,, to have any
leisure to. think about Vicksburg Since
the siege was abandoned, the rebels have
immensely strengthened this key-point of
the river, and hare garrisoned it with a
large army. twill cost the loyal West
+: thousands Of the lives Of its brave young
=: men and millions Of its hard-earned trca-
sure to rctrivc Halleck's srunpardonable,
>. criminal negligence. But, cost what it NAV,
Vicksburg must be taken, and the free ma
=. vigation Of the Mississippi secured to the
West, .~..
With the fall. Of Viclzsburg the rebel
,Confederacy is irretrievably cut in two.
The Cohfederates Of Texas, Louisiana, Ar
kansas and Missouri are separated from
!. the remainder. Of. Dixie, -and: left to their
fate They can receive no further support
tin men or munitions! The Federal gun
boats will dominate the river from Cairo
to the Gull, Silence. erery. battery planted
on its banks, burn every place giving:
-: shelter, and scatter every :Irowling
band Of guerillas that show their heads.
. :; Halt the force employed to capture Vicks-
burg can, .after its fall, drive tue rebels
completely out Of all the rebel territory
vest Of the river, while the other half NAV
be employed in repossessing Mississippi
= and paciiying Tennessee. When these
ends are attained, the West will have ac-
{ complished its full share Of fsubjugatine the
rebellion It will then have wrestsd from
l.. the clutch Of JEFF Davis & Co. West Vir-
:: =, ginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi,
Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, the
Indian Territory; New Mexico and Arizo-
ma, which: is about as much territory south
Of 11ason and Dixon as the West can we'll
digest and reduce ia, homogenity and
Northern civilization.
=: The. capture Of Vicksburg will: enable
= the Western troops speedily to drive ont
the -adherents Of. JEFF. Davis from all
:: thcStates and Territories West Of the Mis-
sssappi. But this is by no means all the
\ benefit that will accrue to the West there
ron: =. As competing route to market the
1ree navigation Of the Mississippi is Of i'm
mense indced, almost Indispensable value.
Not one-tenth Of the products Of the Great
West need find their way to New Orleans
to secure cheap transportation Of nrodnc.a
: t.. New; York, Philadelphia, Ba1timorc and
Boston. The mere existence Of this direct
water course to the ocean prevents tho
Eastern routes from cxacting exorbitaui
charges. Whenever the owners Of rail
roads, canal boats and sell vessels thu
-.,.- carry products to Eastern seaports nut I'll
:. their intes Of freight above q noderat,
tariff, then those products seek tn
Mississippi river and, font Ito til
sea: on It's broad. bosom: This bring
the Z ccoormiorants to their senses, and compel
them to abate their demands or:lose tn
traffic, It destroys their monopoly AM
~ projects The West against their :zavenou
r.. extortion. t-:'z: .rs ts:s:i:'! : !'''~ -.
The free navigation Of The Mississippi
1ncFc.ses: the price paid: to 7thc Wcster
sIfa1mer 7of: everything Ae raises; wheth