The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-05-10
END OF CIVIL WAR DELAYED
BY MUSCLE SHOALS TERRAIN
Position and Conformation
Blocked Federal Army's
March on Atlanta

Herewith is the second of Il
series on the historical back
ground of Muscle Shoals, written
for the United Press by Jim Wal
ton, 80-year-old veteran Southern
Journalist and at present column
list on the Webster Progress, al
Euport, Miss.-Unitcd Press As
sOciations.)
Copyright, 1888. United Press)
EUPORA, Miss, May 10. (UP)
Came the catclysm of Civil war,
from which the South emerged
crushed and broken. But for
Muscle Shoals. the Union Army
might have terminated the war a
wear earlier. After Shiloh and
Vicksburg, gun boats, transports
and other paraphcrnalia could
have been sent up the Tennessee,
and Atlanta could have been
taken a year sooner,-but Muscle
Shoals was Iii the way.
Ten years Of Reconstruction
left Muscle Shoals to roar and
thunder on its undiSturbed course.
But distinguished Confederate
hrigadier general. John Morgan
of Alabama, had been with Joe
Wheeler and Nathan Bedford
Forest in their forays, and Nor
gan had ferried across the Ten
nesSee more than once.
HIS SHOALS IDEA
"Why not make the Tennessee
navigable from the Ohio to Chat
tanooga?" he frequently asked.
"How?" was the reply.
"By building locks ard dams at
Muscle Shoals" he would answer.
Ten years after the Civil war,
General Morgan was elected U,
S. senator from Alabama. The
French had begun the building of
the Panama Canal when Morgan
became senator, but the French
failed.
Mobile was the outlet through
which eastern Mississippi sent
much of her lumber and naval
stores to foreign countries. The
Panama Canal, so Senator Nor
gan reasoned, would place Mobile
in closer touch with the Orient,
and give Alabama great CONNER
cial prestige.
THE POLITICAL SIDE
Mobile dominated six or seven
counties in southwest Alabama,
which made a desirable bloc in
the Alabama legislature whenever
the election of U. S. senator
came up. Senator Morgan knew
the power of the Mobile bloc and
wanted to keep it behind him. The
Panama Canal was his pull with
Mobile. But Morgan couldn't
dominate the whole senate IN
order that he might hold Mobile.
But there was Muscle Shoals in
north Alabama.
"Why not use Muscle Shoals to
line up enough senators to push
matters-use it as the spade Il
turn The first shovelful of dirt in
the Canal proiect?"
Georgia had RAPIDLY GROWING
city-Atlanta. Atlanta wanted
port rates. But Atlanta didn't have
creek big enough to float g
Caian pirogue. However. Georgia
had a far-seeing senator-Senator
Racon-to whom Senator Morgan
appealed.
SENATORS MADE SWAP
"Help me get the Panama Ca
nal issue before the people, and
| will show YOU how to get port
rates for Atlanta" was Morgan'S
proposition to Senator Bacon
Needless to saw that Senator Nor
gan had Bacon's attention at once,
The plan was to place locks and
dams at Muscle Shoals on the
Tennessee, and make that river
navigable from the mouth Of the
Mississippi to Chattanooga. Tenn
The state of Georgia owned a line
of railroad between Atlanta anC
Chattanooga. being the only state
owning a railroad in fee simple.
Guild docks at Chattanooga
run your Georgia-owned freight
cars alongside the boats anC
barges coming up from the mouth
of the Mississippi. and the tricks
done" Senator Morgan told Sen