The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1864-03-05
MILITARY MOVEMENTS.

The greatest interest Is felt IN the militia
ry movements nov going on in Mississippi
and Alabama, and of the continued success
of which we are each day informed by tel
egraph. The New York Times, in we'll
considered article on the subject, says:
at is known that three distinct columns,
from as many different points, are now un-
der way IN the Southwest. A very power
full cavalry column, under command Of
Gems. Smith and Grierson, has started from
Corinth and Holly Springs. An infantry
column, composed of the two corps of Hurl-
but ard Mcpherson, under command of
that able officer, Gen. Sherman, is under
way from Vicksburg. A combined land
and naval expedition is moving from New
Orleans
There is not the slightest difficulty in as.
signing the objective at which the latter
force aims. 1t is Mobile, of course. The
cavalry column is for grand raid through
Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. But
what is the objective of Sherman's columnP
The first and most obvious answer to the
question is, that Sherman's force is also
destined for Mobile. But the query i'm.
mediately suggests itself, why has it taken
up It's march in a due eosterly direction
along the Southern Mississippi Railroad,
instead of dropping down the Mississippi
river and forming junction with Banks
! forces? 1t Is even question whether it
would be possible for Sherman to make an
overland march from Vicksburg to Mobile
about three hundred miles; and if this
be answered in the affirmative, we are still
met with the puzzling proposition that there
IS no adequate reason why he should under.
take the prodigious difficulties of the march.
Sherman's corps undoubtedly is rot des.
tined for Mobile. Where, then, is he going?
A careful examination of good map with
out which military discussions are necessa.
rily so much blind verbiage )should answer
this question. Let us suppose that Sher-
man continues his present easterly march,
following the Southern Mississippi Railroad,
which he puts in working order as he goes,
and that he advances as far as Meridian;
one hundred and forty miles from Vcks-
burg. Suppose that while this operation
is under way, Banks and Farragut strike .
successful blow at Mobile. This Sccom-
plished, and we have the two forces planted
at strategic points of the highest Importance,
and connected by the line of the Mobile
and Ohio Railroad. II, now, from Meridian,
Sherman pushes on his advance still due
eastward to Selma, Ala, it will be seen that
the result of these combined operations iS
to give us possession of a region of enor.
nous importance, strategeticalIy and mate.
rially-a region whose possession, in fact.
would settle the fate of the rebellion.
The region into possession of which. We
shall come by the successful issue of the
operations now on foot. forms grand STRAIT.
egic triangle. whereof Meridian, Mobile and
Selma are the three points. It's value ia
threefold-First, the great facility for inter.
communication it presents: secondly, the
the material value of the district of country
OF which IL assures US possession; and third
ly, the military bearing of this region ON
tue whole thester of war. We can do no
more than glance at these three points in
succession.
And first, of the communications. it is
to be said that no region ia the South is so
admirably situated. both naturally and ar
tifcially. as that just indicated. For in the
district between Vioksburgh, Selma and
Mobile, We have no less than two water
bases-on the Mississippi and on the gulf !:
and four lines of communioation--nam
two railroads and two rivers. From Vicks.
burgh, We have the line of the Southern
Mississippi Railroad: from Mobile, We have
the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, together
with the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers.
The Tombigbee opens the State of Missis-
aiPpi up to Columbus and Aberdeen; the
Alabama opens the State of Alabama up to
Selma, Montgomery and. beyond These
points will all be held and made powerfully
fortified depots of supply. They will form
precisely the secondary base Gen. Grant
must have in an advance intoth Gulf States
The material importance of the region aris-
es from the fact that its river bottoms form
the richest cotton district in the South: and
1t is there, also. that the mass of the distri.
button OF the slave population shows its
darkest hue"