The National tribune., 1882-04-22

expedition down the Mississippi. Captain
Scott, pilot who had accompanied Grant on
his Belmont raid informed her that it was
tions at Island No. 10 and points below could
never be taken by gunboats descending the
river. as, in case Of accident to the machinery,
they would inevitably drift into the hands
of the enemy. The thought flashed into her
mind that the true route for an invading
army was by the Tennessee River. whose
course was almost parallel with the Missis-
sippi through the State Of Tennessee. but IN
an opposite direction. Full of her ideas, She
made inquiries rs TO the depth Of water. and
found that in the winter and spring it would
float the gunboat fleet as far rs the MuSslc
Shoals in Alabama. The Memphis and
Charleston Railroad was the great lateral
artery through the confedcracy, and TO de-
stroy il would be TO redeem the Mississippi
Valley from confederate control. She con-
ferrcd with but one person beside the pilot
from whom she had obtained information
Hon /. D. Evans, chief justice of the SUI
prone court of Texas, whom she met at the
Everett House in st. Louis, and who was
entrusted by the Government with a conf
dental mission to the Rio Grandc, and who, in
a letter to Hon. Henry Wilson, corrohorates
the fact that the conception Of the Tennessee
campaign was solely due to Miss Carroll, and
that she communicated il to him about the
middle of November, 1861. Having obtained
all the requisite information as to the feast
bility of her plan, she fastened to Washing
ton and laid it before the Secretary Of War
and the President This paper is as follows:
"The civil and military authorities seem
TO lie laboring under a great mistake in re-
gard to the true key of the war in the South
west 1t is not the Mississippi. but the Ten
ncssec River. All the military preparations
made in the West indicate that the NIissiS-
sippi River is the point 10 which the au-
thorities are directing their attention. On
that river many battles must be fought and
heavy risks incurred before any impression
can he made on the enemy, all OF which
could be avoided by using the Tennessee
River. This river is navigahlc for middle
class boats to the foot of the Muscle Shoals,
in Alabama, and is open to navigation all
the year, while the distance is but two hun
dred and fifty miles by the river from Pa
ducah, on the Ohio. The Tennessee offers
many advantages over the Mississippi. We
should avoid the almost inprcgnable bat
teries of the enemy. which cannot be taken
without great danger and great risk OF life
to our forces, from the fact that our boats, if
crippled, would form prey to the enemy
by being swept by the current to him, and
away from the relief of our friends. But
even should we succeed, still we viii only
have begun the war, for we shall then have
to fight the country from whence the enemy
derives his supplies.
"Now, an advance up the Tennessee River
would avoid this danger; for if our boats
were crippled, they would drop back with
the current and escape capture.
But n still greater advantage would be
its tendency to cut the enemy'S lines in two,
by reaching the Memphis and Charleston
Railroad, threatening Memphis, which lies
one hundred miles due west. and no de-
fensiblc point between; also Nashville, only
ninety miles northwest, and Florence and
TgsrTmbia, in North Alabama, forty miles
cast 4 movement in this direction
wcliid do more to relieve our friends in
Kentucky and inspire the loyal hearts in
East Tennessee than the possession of the
whole Mississippi River. II well executed,
ii 1scUid cause the evacuation of all the
Formidable Notifications upon which the
Tcl"ls ground their hopes for success: and,
in the event Of our feet attacking Mobile,
the presence of our troops in the northern
part o. Alabama would bc.nnatcrial aid to-
the fcct.
again, the aid our forces would receive.
from tte loyal men in Tennessee would
crRhie them soon TO crush the last traitor in
TIM region, and the separation of the two
extremes would do more than one hundred
battles for the Union cause.
The Tennessee River is crossed by the
Memphis and Louisville Railroad, and the
Memphis and Nashville Railroad. At Ham
burgh the river makes the big bend on the
cast touching the northeast corner of Mis-
sisSippi. entering the northwest corner of
Alabama, forming an arc to the south, enter
ing the State Of Tennessee at the northeast
corner Of Alabama, and if it does not touch
the northwest corner of Georgia comes very
near it. 1t is but eight miles from Ham
burgh to the Memphis and Charleston Rail
read, which goes through Tuscumbia, only
TWO miles from the river, which it crosses at
Decatur, thirty miles above, intersccting
with the Nashville and Chattanooga road at
Stevenson. The Tennessee River has never
less than three feet to Hamburger on the
'shoaleSt bar, and during the fall, winter,
and spring months there is always water for
the largest boats that are used on the Mis-
sissippi River. 1t follows from the above
facts that i'll making the Mississippi the key
TO the war in the West, or rather in over
looking the Tennessee River, the subject is
not understood by the superiorS in command"
PHILADELPHIA, May /, 1872.
"MY DEAR SIR: l take pleasure in stating
that the plan presented by Miss Carroll in
November, 1861, for a campaign upon the
Tennessee River and thence south was sub
mitted TO the Secretary Of War and Presi-
dent Lincoln, and after Secretary StantOn's
appointment l was directed to go to the
western armies and arrange to increase their
effective force as rapidly as possible. A part
of the duty assigned me was the organiza-
ton and consolidation into regiments Of all
the troops then being recruited in Ohio, In
diana, Illinois, and Michigan, for the pur-
pose of carrying through this campaign then
inaugurated.
This work was vigorously prosecuted by /
the army; and as the valuable suggestions of !
Miss Carroll made to the Department some |
months before were substantially carried |
out through the campaigns in that section, !
great successes followed, and the country |
was largely benefited in the saving Of time |
and expenditure
y hope Congress viii reward Miss Carroll |
literally for her patriotic efforts and services. |
Very truly yours
THOMAS A. SCOTT.
Hon. HENRY WILSON, Chairman Military |