The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1862-1864, 1864-04-22
The Great v,esery at sArsv.pess.

The Great vsetsry st Shreveport.
We have published for several dsys past,
disPatches, more or less positive IN expression,
to the effect that Comuiss,ry Bauks Lsd sss-
| taired crashing defeat near Shreveport, La :,
from General Kirby Smith, ahd that the Red
River expedition would in conseq uercs be
abandoned.
Tho Baltimore Gase0e says that thcre 10 no
doubt that the Teche and LaFosrchs regions
will onoe moro be abandoned 10 The Confeds-
rates. Tho loss Of tho enemy 10 reported in
the last dispatches received to have been four
| teen thousand.
10 order that our readers may appreciate
what tho Abandonment OF this expedition.
means, aud the depth OF that humiliation
which such o signal defeat involves. we esPy
a letter il the St. Lous Republican, by which
We learn tho Immense preparations made for
tho movement up the Red river. The easy
success CT the Yankees in taking Fort De
Russy at the outset prepared them nicely for
tn, FINALE on Gain river, near Shreveport.
The following ia the letter:
OK Board FLAG SHIr, Fonr 5ERussEr,
Tuesday, March ID, Ga I
expeditions up the Rcd river. it is necessary
10 re view the military situation in the begin
nirg OF March.
sherman had returned to Ticksburg fre IN
his Crard but disappointed raid into Missis
sippi ard instead of directing his force, to
wards Mobile, tie poin: Of Tho greatest and
almost the only position of vital eerceru to
tho rebels. he detached q portion of iham 10
Gen Banks assistance, who. il appears. had
predetermined on scattering or Establishing
the force in West louisiana.
/, is altogether probable that something in
tie seasons had die atsd this choice t, Gen ,rai
Banks. For example, the Red river Is only
high enough TO bs pavigabie by tho largest
vessels dariny this N snth and the n 'xt. while
the task Of tskrg Mobile is ono which IN git
be- undertake. &, any time. though it ia unac-
coun,ably stra1Te that II was not b.Sun III
ID .cember ins tcad Of May.
As is well known, the columns under Gen
Frau kiln crossed from Nsw O.leaut to Brush
/ car CITY about tho LIST inst, and ihonco took
Nd the line of marca aleag Tho bayou Techc
substantially tho same route pnrsu.d nearly q
year ago. via Oaeiousas to Alexandria.
Tie torcss under GEN. A. J Smith, from,
the department of Ge Tenn .esss, csnrris-g
| the Lris q 10 under Cen. +. X. Smith, Thomas
and Ellet, ernha' ksd at Vicksburg os the 10Th
sni proceeded down to the mouth nj Rad riv-
.r, whore they found an immense fleet IF gun
b ais really foc the ascent.
. twenty Gun boats. started from tho Mississippi
on the 10 h, and asc ended The Red river as fan
az WIN. 10 called the Old rivor, when t0p
ed it in'o thu Atchatalaya. Instead of contMS.
in. up ID river. We found it. for u miles
snc.p end nnvigable stream.
Touching the naval forcs il may be well "a
remark that more formidable fsct was never
under a sirgle command shan that now the
western river under Admiral Porto..
Tho following seogr. phical dotsil tao
from the Richmond E.quirer, will also be &C
ceptabc t, our readers, in connection with
this newa:
Shreveport is he capital of Caddo Parrish
Louisiana. situated near tbs foot of Cidd
Lake in The north Western part OF the State =
1t is finely located for business OF the Red
river. berg surrounded by an exceedingly fer
tile planning region. abou; thirty miles ba'ow
the great raft
Sine, tho war, Shreveport has boon an OK
t.nsive depot for comm issa- anI other ttotss
for the Trar:- Nississippi Confederate troops
aud no 10 the time OF the siege of Nicks burg,
formed au important link in tho chain of sap
plies" for orr " estern army. There Is 4 mill
tarv prison there which has at time contained
, a largo number OF Yankee prisoners. |, is
tp hundred and thirty miles from The mouth
Of thc river.
Alcxa, ciria. ono hundred aud fifty miles from
the inon.h, ia we believe. ihS highest point
on Red river ever visited Ivy the enc my before
the pres,n; expedition. Eighty mile abnve
is Nachitoches, an old Freacn town, settled in
lila. l. is noted in history as TO scene Of q
hard fought battle between Tho French inhab
itarts Al Il the Na'chcz Indians. IN 1892, re-
suiting in tho extinction OF tho Natchoz as a
dis ict ra'irD u.
From Shrev,put there runs .iroad west
ward 10 Marshall Texia, and siN'een mil !
b. V, NJ. raakiig line il all some sixty miles
in icrg H. May years ago ro'te WAS pro :
j-c.ed to Nicksburg. Mise, which waa com
ple,ed from tho latter pace west "a lar as tho
! Washi;a river.
Mount Elba and Long View. where The
Yankees claim To have had some .ucce'E. ia
til, dispatch published \ few days since are
Is South Arkansas on tho Sabine branch 81
Washi,a river. They are almost due 20 iih
from Little Rock, NJ ourt Elhl bsiDg distant
rom it sixty miles aud Long view ninety four
m,lcs.