Weekly national intelligencer., 1863-02-19
THE SITUATION AT yIcKsBuRG.

Our latest private advces from before Vicksburp ind
cate that important operations progress far the
REDUCTION cf that stronghold Gen. Grant il seem. bo
Is commander rchie of the forces before that eitv has
adopted method of attack very different from that OF bs
Predecessor Sherman. Instead of rush ng on pemel In
tho strong line OF entrenchments aud batteries be ~ an
deavoring TO crcuuveu the great complication Of aa
pts aoafs soughs, and casemates by pushing down he
ycnd them and seizng the lower end Of the chaa OF bluffs
upon which the rebels planted
From Vcksburg to Warrenton by the road ia .ho,t
ten miles from Vcksburg tn Hanes's Bluff in the onno
site direction, is about twelve. This line twenty.two
miles IN all, We can menace at almost every part-at
Hainess at Chckasaw Bayou at Old river at Terrp, a.
upper bluffs at the city wharf a, thence down the river
oank al almost any point to the lower end of the bs at
Warenon ibis is task prodgious that the Southern
ofcers VIII see at how lreat s The dlsrdyanaoa ~
Which they are placed They must concentrate vast
army at that pont in order to be ready at every
10 Iesst simultaneous attack from every point aboye in
dicRsed All this force fed and transferred
by the one single line OF railroad running eastward to
Sack.9n as every other source of supply of
from them On account Of the large falls Of rain the very
bad roads of interior Mississippi now impossible The
river below bockrded both by rams and our oun ha
teres West Louisiana and Texas finally and hopeles
y sundered from the Conederacy Nothing bey end mere
sklh-load can be smuggled across the Mississippi
Already have establ bed chain Of batteries fro,
opposite che lower edge Of Vckseurg to opposite Warren
on which, though they be useless n reducing the
heavier batteries OF the rebels the bluffs msy bs of
great service Ia covering landing of roops M copunc-
non win The gunbottU, end absolutely close the door
against river concentration Not even the ub6n;shed
Vcksourg can nope n escape from her present odgmeor
but mnst be either destroyed by tl bands Of her
OF a into our hapds as prze SO far this is great
gam,
The latest indications are however, that moro s,so
Dg ana less hazardous process be atteuteS ~
~ ~ th .roops n rent o. ihe cy'ometng Of the
hurs DIVISION sreported to have moved up from the mont
of The Yazoo to Like Providence (La) a hundred MIL
further up Here it appears the Mississippi s NOT far ~
moved from two stresms, the Bayou Mason and Bavou
Iensas, Which, at high water are nearly iuiaed to the m
rent stream at their Thence they continue dow
IN tortuous path until they reach the Red river near
mouth some twenty-five mil above Bayou Sara and 6ft
above Port Hudson. Ii deemed possible nj the brg
stage OF the Mississippi by little excavation and cesr
lag to turn 81 much Of the INTO this new channei
to make navgablc stream Of the 1ensss or Mascn ea,
ing VicAsburs solie hundred miles to the left Should this
seneme succeed We might expect TO haf Of our army
advancing In eet o Transports to assst Gen Bsnaa Il
Port Hudson preparatory the grand attack on Vick3
burg by the combined armies
IL will thus be last tbere is very nerro,y chance
between The rebels snd their utter d, feat Thev l -
tAnk OF transferring the bulk her army 20 pm Hn
son. Tor u could u,ithr be gotten there nor fed tbe
without the river The alternative woull be that PoIs
Hudson must be vacuaed tae garrison wlibdrswn or ~
support OF VcksbUrg, where the conest conlJ he
with the united forces oG both par les
~ hoWever, this pan should DO unavainp and f,q,
dAys must determine the fact then the resource left 10 no
The iorcibe occupation OF Warrenton Heavy guns Az
being shipped down to Gen. Grant, with hi,L TO line Iho
shores suoh numbers by dnt more rapid FIRE agJ
more hhera expenditure of ordnance AMI the aid OF tn
eunboas, the batteries eau be seized with ccmpsra,iyl
trng loss AT present the bulk of the hostile guns arc
AZ The upper part Of tie chan aud above the city n
unlikely that the rebels will be permitted to ortify nj
their leisure bcw If therefore, army can be ferr;s
over on RATS gunboats odgmeut nigh safely be ned
at one end sDd once begun superiority OF means ana
appliances would insure The rest
The canal IN front vi the city seems to be looked uno
with more dtubt II 1t should wash out ohsnnel trn
gunooata might pass through comparatively out of
Vtnerwso they must hollow The noble example 81 EIet ana
MS queen, aud the blockade The other yrs..Is -
the net are represeaed beng ady and ANXIOUS to
the Lover M.sissp, ann fbe @ tt. @
accunuatlvn oil sclelllc will prove too much
lor the egcmy.--Mr York H0,h