Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-01-12

| tbs Cumberland River Ia only navigable In winter
believe, though, that Nashville vii! soon cease t.
lbe Of much inheritance as military ceaire; A
strong guard wibs lett here, allds the base Of sup.
pes will DO changed to ElDienco. on thus nave no
! doubt.
2he Tennessee river is naygabie for small boats
Erom Chattanooga to its mouth, at all seasons, and
for large ones from Florence to lis mouth, in high
| water, the only exception being between Decatur
and cambridge, over ne muscle. shoals. Around
these there is a railroad of only 4j miles in length,
and this conld be Kept open with comparatively few
men About the shoals there numerous boats
which run to Chattanooga, and there are also several
small punboals TO keep the river open.
We Snail then have the advantage OF a wafer base
and river line of defence. | have often wondered
that this has not been before adjusted; but feel GER
tain that il will now be employed as 4 base. with
an efficient cavalry torcf, properly supported by IN
tautry and light artillery, Selma and Montgomery
will speedily fall into hands. Those towns would
bc no further from Florence than Nashville IL from
Huntsville; and Louisville was our .baSe in lS6l2
and Florence is to-day more securely ours than
Louisville was then.
Tn cavalry We still have at least sixty thousand
mounted men TO operate in the Gulf States. Every
mile of railroad shall be destroyed, every foundry
and mill burned, every bridge 'brokeV down and
every horse and mule taken. The rebels are now
beate,. and. crushed in the West; everything which
would enable them to recuperae should DC taken
away.
HOOD has tSCApCu. ~ Ni''''H Wv NV 'h NV
2Sd on pontoons, at Banbrdge, eight miles from
Florence Steedmau, of whose expedition gave
fuII account in mt last reached Decatur on the 2ih
and Immediately commenced accommodating on both
sides Of thesriveT, when the fact OF Hoods escape
was discovered.
The rebel army, when it'let Tennessee, including
cavalry consisted of from IL, 900 10 Is 900 men, be
Ing less than half its strength when IL made s entry
The number OF deseTrcTs Is enormous Of the 1910
menhe succeeded in coMscriPting he did not get lds
acfoSs the riyer--a the remainder escaped ia the
melee and OF the g. 900 TennesseeaDs- soldiers
who marched North, not thousand are to-day
south Of the river. The city is full OF stragglers
even Hon. A. o. T. Nicholson, Of Nicholscn-letieT
nOtoricty, has'retuned to his home IN Columbia, de-
clariDg the Conederacy ailufe, and his determine
lion To aid IT no more.
Ihaye cOuversed with those who are IN position TO
know something OF the matter, and they estimated
that there were at present only 600 kentucllgns
ana 4 800 TcnGesseeans IN the whole rebel army
The two States have furnished al least IS 000 where
are they now At least half of them are in their
graves and the remainder have deserted. The rebel
army between the Mississippi and the Savannah riy,
erS has ceased to exist as formidable organization:
'If all the scattered commands were called III, not
aorc than r. 600 cavalry and H. G00 infantry could be
brought together Ten thousand veil mounted men
coud now traverse the country, from NicksbUrg To
Savannah and though they might not be able TO
capture few of the mOst strongly fortified PLACES,
they would meet no serious resistance outside Of
these towns; and the remaining rebels and railroads
could be destroyed