, 1864-02-04
Chicago Qrtbnne,
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1861



Il IL useless TO affect ignorance OF the fact
that an unusual degree of activity character
ICES the movements Of the armies compri5-
ing the military Division Of the MISSISSIPPI
particularly those, Of the 1eth, 18th and 11th
Army Corps 1t has been publicly stated in
dispatches and otherwise, that the country
between Corinth and LAGRANGE, Tennes--
sec, has been abandoned, and the troops con
centrated ut points on the river for emoafh1'
tiou.- That section, the theatre OF 80 1nnny
bloody conflicts. and tho final rest'ne-piace
Of 20 nany brave soldiers, as 5letoeo
mn IN rc4rl iomiuation. We have heretofore
hold n with a grasp of iron. but now that the
occasion for rctaininG 1t has passed, we relax
onr hold and give 1t over to guerilla bands
and outlaws In military point Of view 1t
1aa now no value. When the project was
entertained of supplying our armies tn South
cru Tennessee aud Northern Alabama from
Memphis, we were compelled to keep open
the line to Corinth ut all hazards; but now
TINT supplies can more readily be sent by the
river and the Northwestern Road to Nash
vil1e, and from thence to Pulaski by rail-. and
from Stevenson by rail and river to Hunts
ville there is no good reason why
the soldiers, who, for many months,
have guarded railroads aud performed gar1a-
son duty, shou1d not be sent to the front, aud
t1c Charleston and Memphis rni1road be allow
cd to run ITSELF subject to such rules and regu-
lations as Sol Street and Brig. Gen Richard
son choose to devise. %:
The military situation as we understand 1t,
is this: A few days ago, the cavalry Of the
Department of the Tennessee, comprising
larger force than hns yet operated in single
column, left for Holly Springs with the inten-
ton Of moving on the came or similar line as
that followed by Gen. Grant in his advance
upon Grenada In December, 1863-the
line Of the Mississippi Central Railroad.
Troops from Cairo, troops from
Columbus, and all the soldiers in
Memphis, Moscow, Corinth, Grand Junction,
aud other posts On the line Of the Memphis
and Charleston railroad lavc been embarked
on transports with orders to rendezvous at
VlckGburg. There remnins In Memphis
sufficient old regiments, besides the en-
rolled militia, and 10 them Is committed the
maintenance of order In West Tennessee.
A column composed Of Ill OF the 18th and
10th Army Corps. except those who may be
needed to hold the defences Of Vicksburg,
the whole under the leadership Of McPher-
son, will shortly, II 1t has not already,
start for jackson, the capitol Of Mississippi,
and thence move eastward and southward,
until it intc1sccts the column Of cavalry NOV
ing along the Central Railroad, and the col
umn Of infantry which will move from Match
cz into the interior simultaneously with the
departure Of McPhcrson's command.
It ia yet too early to indicate tho point
where these three columns Will unite, but
when united, 1t is known that General
Sherman will have Chief command, with Nc.
Thcrson md Ru1ibut ne corps commanders.
nMoDile be the objective point, as Is more
than Unlimited in tue public Journals, the
p1ace Of junction will be some convenient
station on the Mobile anc Ohio Railroad,
probably, ii. the position be dcfanstble, at
Meridian, the junction of The Mobile aad
Ohio Railroad with the Southern Railroad
running eastward from Vicksburg. The dis
tance is but one hundred and forty miles
from the rivct, and supplies could be brought
with comparative ease from TINT depot. The
distance from Meridian to Mobile, by rail
road, is one hundred and thirty-four miles
Thirty miles east of Merid1an, In a direct
line, the Tomhiebee River, which unites
Bay, is reached, and fifty miles further easi
is Selma on the west bank Of the Ala
bama, one Of the most important mill
ta1y positions in the State of Alabama
The concentration Of these troops Mt Meridi:
an, would Of necessity involve the occupa.
tion Of the Tombigbee, the Alabama, and the
city of Selma We would therefore have
these avenues Of approach to Mobile-the two
rivers and the Mobile and Ohio Railroad,
Selma In a thrivfnp town in Dallas connty.
A)alm1na. about seventy miles west Of Mont.
pomery. and the southern terminus of the
Alabama and Tennessee River Railroad. Be.
fore tbe rebellion. It hoasted a 1onulation al
three thonsand son1s. but since the removal
of the conEaaern+a fnnnarr;ea and arsenal fron;;
MERIDIAN. tha rnr,t,er h,s donbt1a.z lar,e1y
increased. II II enrronnded tr A r;ch and
nonn1ons district ,nd has o1wovs hren
the centre Of active business. A railroad
eytenda westward +owa,as Mer;d,sn hntnnt,,
the ort,rco,r of the ,.ehe11,o,, therc nas . CIV
oftbfr+r or INV n,;,es nnenished which a..
rc,,el antbor3t;es hare eince constrncted
r. as ,a ,,o-a +hor sD-,ossad ~, ,,o-+;ae T.
,sra11r ~ra11 frforrnaa c1ro,oe Tho ohtcct11
point is Montsomcry. md this hypotlcsfs i;
by no means nm improbable one. the road I,
open Il trayersea a country abonpdinp +,
pork and the cereals, and Its Topography an;
general features present no considerable
obstacles to the march of an invading army
From MONTGOMERY tn Pensacola there i
direct rni,roaa communication md o,so :,
Aflnnta. Rome. and centr.1 Ceorria.
Those who have trayersed the countr,
Intervening the Tennessee in til,
vicinity Of Chattanooca and AT
lanta, know TINT It is trayerscd b,
parallel ranges of mountains, which can onl1
be passed, through natural gaps, easily de-
Tended, and presenting almost lnsuperable
obstacles r. the advance OF a large army. Al
these gaps wide enough to admit the pas
eage Of some small river, railroad or carriage
wny, q few men can hold at bay large army
The battle OF R,nrold. where brigade Of
cavalry severely punished three full divisions
under Gen. Hooker, is a case In point Now,
II flank movement By way Of Montgomery
can be inaugurated, and the rear of john.
eton'a, formerly Bzagg's army, be
reached by this column which viii concen-
wor7d sae,n IN a1ctota th.+ n Ia +he nronc,
con-eo ~ -,,,sr. T,,o o,a,,v tnd;!. ~.
In, eo,l- +r~roa r,r,a ha oo,.,s,,aa s;+ha-
~ s;s,. ,,.+t,o ~ ..roat 49, .vft., 1900 g.