Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-12-14
The Military Administration OF the Trans
Mississippi Department.

Mississippi Department
Inaysry enooursgiug and onoeurB article on the
..sr,t;op IN recent number o. the AN9Hrsr. Ihe'e
occsr, a s.alsmsut from uheA srronooui lRtefehe'7
.,.spt 10 DO drawn. The sIatsment Is thAh "saos
ths beginning OF ths year. oar sImea nave recovered
an ,hs rr,ns Mississippi" The impression lSit on tit
mind o. the reader BY thi3 unqualified proposition Ia
tb., the enemy has bean driven from the DsPArInsLs
IN n .sston, which Is very for from she uuh. II may
Ia .rus that the enemy hAVO PsrnAly evacuated thu
r,.ps Ni.sis5ippi eouniTy-At least W know thai A
! Smiu,'s Gaps aAs reinforced rnsuas 81 HAshTills.
.,a more rscsntly Is has been rSpSrsed EhAE SsnSFA
s,s,s siIh lorcss has crossed 0VsT 20 this SiaI
ofns ryer Bul tie history Of the campaign Vsss o.
,bs nssissppi docs NJ; By any N ans latiiy ~ h
.s.upi that these To- sss have been dEJea AsSy. U
a. contrary, Es hsVs reason 70 believe thai they nav
hssn enabled g e0ms 70 she Elsi because 'hey has
o,hips 10 do uJt as present, in she West, They As''
,.n ordered ~ EsniOIs5 Th0nAs, essAusS See posi-
80 had become Alarming Ter Federal supremacy Il
.r,as o.: ard theI we're the more proTP. in mAkirg
a, u,oysueuI btc1as0 they kneU Ghey al Bat hisl,
. g., from the lAl guild AID adhesive operations o
-, I;.p,.rspt Goueral combsudug the OOufedeTae
-, IN the Tulas Mississippi Department. We re-
=, ,h.t sueh is the fac; bu. relrospsS Of events
,h., d isrter durDg the last sGmmsr, pEsIlades "
-, doptt ting that tbe allure on psrs 10 sccom
- ~. Grand resu'ts which we're a Oas time 50
P-s,.DtIy aute pa,ed by ihe public, has been due
-, .rtirsly, 20 the hesiianey and lassituae q
,..,,sraut General KIRBY. Smith. An OPP ,r.unit,
- go tea las. spring Of recovering New OelesDs
"a 81 ,bus nat rally and perhaps irreParably dam
m. F,degAl poser on The other side OF the river
h;usS srni0s OF Bank aud A J. Smith bss
-. .uovsd 10 penetrate far into the interior OF Lou
-. nth the known purpose, on ths plrl OF ne
-,Vi,hv smith, oil desyOyug them on their retr, At
,,sstipg and sighting them Sj,h the concentrated
60. Of the Department.. Ttsy Ssre ia feet. dis..
,-,n.,, defeated Al Pleasant. I'm sud NansG ia b,
r. Co,lsderale lorsss uudsr G,uersl Taylor aud IN,
oovstsd opportunity OF absolutely Destroying larg
"a ,ell appointed FEDERAL army AZ last at hand
Ths spsmy had osI all OF his transportation. aluos
i. Of hll artillery, and thou # small arms b,
,,,.nytn was vastly reduced By abe Casaades Of ba-
ia and By many IhSusand prisoners lett in our hauJs
and his a ting co umus totally bFCttn Ard dsor
s.u'zsd. Had GsnsE,l f'yl1r been permit I'd to ear
oat his designs, the whole Of that proud army, t
which Vas entrusted tue task OF Co Qusuug Louisiana
vouli have bean captured al Alexandra. Bus l. Gu
Gsu Kirby Saith Withdrew hon Taylor two
thirds OF his GrOoPi including. ne believe, al
ths iu.aatry aad sent them u into AIkInss,
Z, azht stess then eightJ mies from Shreveport ar
actually rstfsat0g before Pic - cavalry. Thus Banks
army vas permitted 10 escape ihroCgh the Valley o.
Red RIVER, to tie ss.ssPgi. where il fortified itssl
securely at A0rgarz AID subseq lsuily Accumulated
largo foFcs OF negroes from the surrounding country
by which means it vas hI-hy released TO Fesum,
sc.Vs operations sLeHhegs. nas Immediate and dam.
aging eject va 20 psi mt J. Saith 10 o 20 Mem
PMS and msnaeo North Nssissp li, BY which Fore.
was for q long time held in shat country, giVi Oh
Yankees repeated thrasbngs, &c Is uus, bat berg, l.
the mean While, pFsSeatsj iron going the assistance
of General Johnston Of operating against shsra ans
communications SILL further, ,nks, after smelly Is
tsbshinE himself al h0rgA "a enabled 10 deiacl
the ~ b army eoFts 10 reinforce Grant; which corp
reached Washington ulL in time TO Iha CiIy hon
capture by General E,ry. Tlus th5 losS Of lAnta
General slernan'5 march through Georgia, aud Ii
failure 10 capture Washington ui a. the moment Whe
Il vas about to fall into hauds, directly trscea
bic 70 the uaaceouT t,be blunder committed by Lieut.
Gen. Kirby Smith IN hluiFiaaA. The victory Of JsL-
kns Ferry glorious it for arms, Jet
rem of resul Since that time, armies in the Trans
Mississippi have renamed inacllVfl Win sne eIcep l0
Of the lransitOry invasion Of Missouri by Price, WI
an insufficient lsrcs of eaVsly. Ii this moVsuSnt hs
been destitute Of permanently beneficial OOnseq lsaeSs
If our friends In that noble State have been again die
appointed in their hopes, If Yankee atrocities hsy
been recommended among them = grsndeF SCAT
than ever tbesj things Likewise all owing TO Gen
Kirby Smiths extraordinary tenderness towards Backs
routed aud Dpsrilsd army. To the sane cause, ne
repeat and 70 similar conduct siIcs is Atrihutabl
the capacity Of the enemy 80 reinforce Thomas from,
tse Trans-MissssipP eOsntTy; AID bu! for this, Oh
result Of Hood Campaign in Tennessee would not
for a moment doubtful Il may be that General KIb
Smith would display more Of that ViEOr essential 10
. military commander, and of which, in the earlier
stages Of the war, he gave 80 brilliant 8 promise
we're be not oVerborne with the weight Of civil duties
Bat We think Il clear that be cannot succeed in boil
TOls5-the civil and the millary-and We therefore
agree with the EHq1irI In hoping that the Presiden
viii give this matter his immediate attention, and see
that The needed energy heretofore so deRoent, be in
fused In the military administration Of the TrAnsNis
sissppi Department.