Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-04-01
The Campaign In the Southwest.

IU6 Odupdlbu III buC oOutuW0bts
The movements Of General Banks since be assumed
command in the Southwest are of character to justify
the idea that he Ia, been guided by political
economical than by mill AIRY motives. There is Moth
ing in his history from The ,imo when be fed gori.
ousy before Jackson to the time when he os entatous-
" occupied the deserted town of Brownsville, to show
that he possesses the ability of soldier; but, both in
bis previous If. and in his army career, there is much
TO prove that be has the kind Of talent out Of which
Yankees manufacture polit clans and statesmen. In
military point OF view, he has hitherto accomplished
nothing In political point of view, he has dona as
much or than any other man, wards carrying
ou the Yankee programme Of commercial and az .icu
tural aggraadzement He has not, during his hteon
months of command in the Southwest, enlarged tho
area of Yankee military occupation by thousand
,quare miles, but he Ia, succeeded wherever bis power
extends in osiensbly oyerturnns the whole system
which Southern society was founded, and 10 underm.-
ming the Industrial institutions which previously existed
He has utilized the Yankee theory Of free labor In
Lower louisiana by merging into System of forced
apprenticeship; thus gratifying the philomelanthrepisis
by atoshing slavery in name, while be attempts 10
reap its material benefits by preserving it in TACT,
Keeping in view these character sizes Of the man.
can account for much Of that intermittent energy, fol-
lowed By vaeilla.ng weakness which has marked bis
| military life in louisiana
Regarded in the light Of strictly military prircp
the Ris Grande expedition senseless blunder 1t
simply divided the Yankee forces. removing large
portion from the great straegea centres and placing
them where they could tct nothing towards III,
quest of the Oonfedsacy or even Of the Safe Of
Texas, than if they had been sent to Patagonia or
Greenland Indeed the Mississippi is far better than
the Rio Grande, base OF operations against Texas
But IL probably occurred to Banks, any one
else that the Interior OF Texas could b, successfully
assaied from the RIO Grande. The object Of the eIp
ilon was In the FIRST place TO cut Of the Confederate
trade which was carried through the Mexican port
OF Matamora ard in the next place, to get possess
sion OF large amount of cotton, varously estimated
by the Yankees at from 900 to $50 900 bales sup
posed to be in depot Brownsville, and In the vicinity
of that place. But the trade far from being cut of
ousishes as actively .ve cotton being crossed INTO
Mexico a. Piedras Negra', pom. on the Rio Grande
above Brownsville, and thence taken overland via Mon
terey to Maamoras whrs IL is shipped in foreign bot
TOMS and goods received in return being transported
into Texas by the same route.
In regard to cotton in depot Yankee hopes have
/ been equally disappointed Instead OF finding $780,
OOO or even s0000 their total acquisitions on the Rio
Grande would be covered by 600 balls Hence, boLh
objects Of the expedition having failed, 1t is not aston
shipg that Banks is Withdrawing his troops from Texas
in order to give them employment in region which,
no seems to think, promises richer spoils.
Banks march through Louisiana, in the beginning Of
last year. had mroh The characteristics, He swept
through the country, meeting little opposition, be-
cause there was then army to contend with him.
But al hough he gained absolutely nothing towards
permanent conquest and occupation Of the State, his
track from New Iberia opeousas from Opelousas to
Alexandria aud from alexandria to the mouth of Red
River, where he agaia crossed the Mississippi, was
marked WILKINSON, ruin and devastation and ne sue
ceeded in carrying away with him several the usand
negroes to fl the vacuum on the river plantations
caused by forcing the ,ayes into the military service
Recent ne rs informs that Banks IL now repeating
his experiment in central northwestern Louisiana. He
/ has advanced with large body of troops towards AK
audra while Porter with Ases of gunboa;s, ascends
Red River The last advices state that Fort De Rus.
sew. on Red River las been captured BY the enemy,
and that the gunboats have pushed on to Alexandria
Toe announcement by the Yankees that this opens to
them one Of the richest and productive cotton re.
sions oil the South explains the mouVe winch ~ NJ Inc
bottom Of the movement. IL is cotton stealing and
cotton protecting expedition. That is to say, Banks
wants to steal all the cotton in the Red River country
that ts can lay bis hands on and at the time BY
establishing line along tie 0uachits, which flows pa
rale with the Mississippi to protect the Yankee agents
and supsrintendents, who are cultivaing cotton on
leased or con6scaed plantations along the Mississippi
Heretofore this part of the Yankee schema has been
very much disturbed by the Confederate gu.riIs who
asw tie Yankee ntruders peace, bouncing on them
unawarss, burning their cotton, and carrying or their
stolen negroes By occupying the line Of the 0uachia
with strong force Banks will be enabled 4, cut Of
these Confederate avengers and thus permit his tools
and agents carry forward their schema Of organised