Year: 1862

THE REBEL RAILWAY COMMUNICATIONS
LOOKING AFTER THE INSIDE TRACK.-Our readers
are aware that the rebel Confederate govern
ment and grand army of Virginia derive their
military supplies and reinforcements from the
other rebel States by means of the great South
western railroad line through East Tennessee
and the great Southern seaboard lines through
North Carolina. All these lines of communi-
cation are now in danger from General Burn
side and General Sherman along the seaboard,
and from the adv anced detachments of General
victory near Somerset, have already pushed
forward into East Tennessee. The rebels begin
to comprehend their danger, and are beginning
TO move accordingly.


From late Richmond papers it appears " that
well concerted movement is on foot there
for general meeting in Richmond Of rail-
road officers, on the 5th Of February, to devise
measures for the manufacture of railroad IRON"
the discovery having been made tina. to keep
up perfect railroad communication through
out the South requires an occasloned renewal Of
material" We suspect, however, that the main
object of this railroad iron making enterprise is
TO provide the iron for closing up an unfinished
gap of some forty miles, more or less, OF an in
side line of railroads between Richmond and
the South. running down through the western
pars Of North Carolina, and at pretty safe
distance from the army of Buell. in East Ten
nessee, and of Burnside in Eastern North Ca
rolina.


JEFF. Davis, in his last message to Congress
referred to the importance OF finishing the work
required to open this inside track. Bat the
chances are now that the Richmond Railroad
Convention will be too late; for, in all proba-
bility, before this inside line is completed our
CO operating Union armies, east und west, will
have made Il connection across North Carolina.
As the rebels understand the game, they will
doubtless 60 to work with some energy; but
the odds are against them; for it is evident that
General Mcclellan already has them in his
grasp. Lei us watch and wait.


TIE B,GysrpE ExpEDirIoS-It is a source
of satisfaction to us to know that, not
withsianding the severity of the storm that
overlook the expedition under Burnside, and
although the latter consisted q hun1yed
and twenty-five vessels, only two--namely,
the New York and Grapeshot--were ac-
tually lost and of the three or four that were
driven ashore it is expected that some, If not
all, will be noated of again. IL is even still
more gratifying to learn that, of all the lives OH
board the hundred and twenty-five vessels Of the
feet, only three were lost, and these while
passing from one vessel to another The loss
Of the sixty or seventy horses belonging to the
Rhode Island battery was, under the circum-
stances, unavoidable. All the disaster that
has attended this expedition, as well as that
to Port Royal, has been solely owing to tho
elements; but, Notwithstanding all that the
commanders Of these have had to contend
against, they have not for q moment lost
forttude, but remained perfectly undaunted;
and, in all probability before this, General
Burnside has struck the blow for which the ex-
pedtion was organized.


The expedition now being fitted out under
Commodore Porter promises to carry out
fully the design Of these naval enterprises,
and there Is little doubt that If we persovere
we shall soon be in possession of the whole
of the Southern coast, from Norfolk to
Matamoros, together with hundred million
dollars worth of cotton, which there will be
little difficulty in capturing aud shipping TO the
North. We have therefore reason for congratu-