Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-02-25
oBsECr or GRHRRAL snEBIAH's
EXPEDITION.
Strategic Tfiaagls Of tie SouihDssi-ths Gresa
camsaie1 Nos Opening.

Strategic Tfiaagls Of tie s0uih0ss,-iAs Gresa
caaSaigA Nos Opening
Tho Mas Y.rk T:aass gives what We have &
hsc.sd below ss the interpretation Of Sherman 8
novamsn, +. he Southwest, and predicts thst 8
r,a.oa.b,s success in that qasTter ali effect >
oan,,,,a change in the general military pro-
r,1ns Promising that the " rebellion pre-
.sgts ia formidable front in North Georges, the
T;ass adds tbas Grant IS so ciEcuustaneed as 20
render it ezksmely difficult to turn bis sdvan-
tsqs. in the possession Of Cbattauo6ga, to &c
count His disadvantages are the enormous
f-prolongaHon Of the ine connecting he 'front.' Of
operations with The base Of supplies, the imPeg-
feet character Of the Communications, and the
dfTsslly Of secumulstihg Sufficient supplies ior
& loitg sad sevsIe campaign in the Gulf States.
This saws the 1lues, has formed the grand OBJ
sssels 70 GranIs zlvsncs into Georgia, which is
e~xsmDHfs8 il the fact lhst he is utterly unable
to AXE advantage Of the recent falisg bacE Of
Gsneral Johnston, because he cannot advance 3
mile from bis base on account ef the difficulty
of subsisting his army even where Il is
The Times Gays it has been recognised as nee
sssary condition to any sdvsnes from Cbatss-
nooga, looking to great and decisive result 3, that
3 water base be opened up. whence 3 powerful
column shsuId march, to connect with and sup
oort the Union army advancing r0a Chatta-
uoaga. The two possible poinss from which
water bases could be opened up, to.wit: the
embouehurs Of ths Savannah rivsr and the Calf
are indicated, and after pointing out the disAd-
~vantages Of the former, proceeds to consider
the Latter, IN which the purpose Of sherman's
sxpediaou and the demonstration sgaiBst No
bis are explained.
It g known that three distinct columns, from
rs many If rent points, = Q row under wsy ia
he S uthwest. A very poWe fal cavalry col
umu, under eommaad Of Gems. gmi;h and
| uusrson. has started Tom CoEinth aEd Holly
6pri8cs. AninanTy column- composed Of The
two eorps Of Euri5ut and McPborson, unGer
command CT shzi able acsF, Gen She'msn, ID
VI der wsy from Vicksburg. A combined land
and navsl expedition Is mIVlng from New Or
esns
There Is not the slightest difficulty in assign
ing the cbiscfys at which the ias.sr force sling.
Il S Eahic, Of course. Tee cavalry column IL
4 ter a grand raid thraugh Mississippi, Aiabama
ard Geo gia. Bat what 10 the objective Of
SheFmsu'e columEf
The first and mist obvious Snswsr to the
question is hat S1erman's force Is alao de-
signed for Mobile, But the query Immediately
suggests itself, why hss 1t taken up its march
ia a due easteTly dirsesion along the SluiheTn
Mississippi railroad, Instead Of dropping down
the Mississippi river and forming s Junction
rish Banks forces 7 i is even a question
whether il would be possible for sherman to
make an overland msTcb from Vicksburg &c
MobisAAbgut three hundred miles; and il this
be answered IN the sfirmative, we srs still met
with the pUzzljng proposition that there is no
adequate reason Why he should undertake the
prodigieus difficulties Of the lhs eh.
Sh=rman's corps undoubtedly Is not destined
for Mabis. Where then Is he goiug7 careful
examination Of 4 coed maP-Bi.haut which
military discussions are 60 much bind VsrbiaRe,
should answer ibis question. LIST Us suppose
that sherman eeBtiaues his present sasterly
march, follosing the S3utieTn Mississippi TsIl-
road, which be puts IN working order as be goes,
knd that he sdVsucss 81 far . Meridian. one
hundred AID forty miles from Vicksbu5g Sup.
pose that, Wills tina operation is uudeT way,
Banks and Fsrrsgus strike a successful blow az
Mobile THIS accomplished, ard we have the
rwo forcas planted 81 strategic points, and con-
nected by ihe line Of the Mobile and Ohio rail-
rad H. n0w, from MsTidisn, Sherman pushes
on hiB sdvaBce still dae eaRtward to Selma,
Ala, it win be seen thst the result Of these COM
biped operations IS to give Us possession Of Q TO-
giou Of enormous importance, strRtegicaily and
materially regi-n whose possesslon, in fact,
wouId settle The fate of the rebellion.
TIE Isgioa into possession Of which We shall
come b. the successful issUo Of the operations
now or foes. icfms e grand strategic triangle.
wheTeoi Msridiz1s Mobile, Selma, are he three
ponrs. lis value ID thIeefOld-Grst, the great
facility for iBteTcommunicatiln it presents; Sc
e0Rdly, the material value OF tie district Of
county Of which il assures as Possession; aud,I
thirdly. the military bearing Of this region Gu
tie whole eheaieI Of war We do No more than
glance at these three pOints n succession.
Aud FIRST, OF the Communications, Is is 10 be
said that no region in the South is SO admiralty 4
situated, both naturally and Ertifoially, as that
Just indicated. For Ia the district between
Vi ksb1rg, Selua and Mobile, we have no less /
thaE ITO Ws.er bases-on the Mississippi ana On /
the gulf and four lines Of communication.
usmeiy, Two railroads. and Two rivers. From
Vcasburg, We have the line of ths Southern
aississ ppi railroad; from Mobile. We hsvs he
Noble and Ohio railroad, Together aiih The
Ponbigbee and Alabsma rivers The Tomhig-
bee opens ths State OF Mississippi up TO C0lun
bus and Aberceeni the Alabsms opens tbs State
% Alabama Up 70 Selma, Montgomery and be-
7ond These poiEta VIII al BE- held sHd made
powerfully fortified depots Of supply They
ell form precisely the secondary base General
Giant must have in an advance into lie pulls
Slates The ms erial importance Of the meign
ARISES from the fact that liz river bottoms f1rm
the richest cotton cistfiesSa the South sad IL ia
there, also, that the nsss Of he DISTRIBUTION Of
the slave 70 niaacn shows ia darkest bus.
we now arrive IS the strategic bearings OF
the Region 50 as reigaens with the present sis.
position OF Che seb8 forces ia ths S5ulhwost
me Vaios Of lt 10 Tina view, cannot be over
esamated- FIRST OF all i viii give US & grand
eanuarIarh lire nf r.k.f -.----.r -
The possession OF Chattanooga and Kaoxville
We isFped the arst of these lines, and the con.
LESSONS OF The rebels themselves show how Ter
rihiy ms itself embaTIssses thfm Well. We
hall now seIzs The oaly remaining line. In
tho next place, il must cali away ! ensi7sfa-
NE portion, at less-, Of the rebel army from
6taats trent and enable him 20 Aivanee Sao
pies viii soon be accumulated to make this
possible. But hpaily, snd most important Of
q 81, It anticipates tho rebels in the possession
q The only remaining lire of def nse mich Il
wa possible fer the rebels to take %. when
GFsDt should oRcs advance from Cbssisnonvs
Military mea have long recognized, that if The
rsbels we're ence turned at Atlanta, the no Of
the Gombigbee was the only available position
leA hem TIE other line leads directly pto a
sst de sac, ending in Florida. II, therefore. me
present movements arc successful, Il CLUTCHES
t5ls slEgie position al which lhe rebels could
hsye hoped to make aDy pTotraesed stand.
NedIeeeEn IN thess movements the marks
OF q bold brilliant, original conception. Their
VsTy Initiation must utterly disconeort all the
yabel plans of invasion il the West. There il
very lslo doubt, IS their first result, We shall
haar Of John4oa's prompt retreat 10 Atlanta.
Tsas wAs NJ Ws. +.
Frem the Richmond Enquirer sitl
O@aial dispatches received yesterday from
Polk state that the enemy had made no
advance from Meridian, and was supposed to be /,
cavalry endorsements t