April 22, 1863, The New York Herald
The grand campaign, upon which the rebellion has staked its strength, its resources, its fortunes and its destiny, opens cheeringly for the Union cause, East and West.
The co-operative movements of General Grant and Admiral Porter, General Banks and Admiral Farragut, in Louisiana, lead us to anticipate very soon the tidings, not of one, but of a series of great successes in that quarter. A powerful fleet of Porter’s gunboats had run the gauntlet of the Vicksburg batteries in safety. The rebels were caught napping, doubtless under the impression that our gunboats had gone up the Mississippi on some distant expedition. The reader will readily comprehend the importance of this movement, in connection with the special news from New Orleans which we publish this morning and the accompanying illustrative map.
Some seventy-five miles west of New Orleans, among the lakes and bayous which, through the Atchafalaya river, are connected with the Gulf of Mexico, the rebels had a strongly fortified position at a place called Centreville. This position they were evacuating on the approach of the Union forces, but would probably be captured in the lump, as they were enclosed between General Grover’s column on the one side and those of Generals Emory and Weitzel on the other. That the rebels were intent only upon escaping is evident from the fact that they were leaving their guns and ammunition behind them. The gunboat Diana, it was also expected, as a last resort, she may be destroyed by the enemy. The ram Queen of the West had already been recovered, and her rebel captain and crew were prisoners of war at Berwick Bay.
This item of news is exceedingly important, considering the locality in which the Queen of the West was recaptured; for it suggests a variety of the most desirable military combinations against Port Hudson and Vicksburg, in addition to the complete clearing out of all the country between the Mississippi river and Texas. Doubtless Porter’s gunboats, with a strong co-operating land force, will speedily proceed up the Red river to look after the enemy’s defences and depots of provisions along that stream, and intended for the subsistence of Pemberton’s army at Vicksburg. Already those indispensable supplies from Western Louisiana and Texas are completely cut off from Vicksburg, and thus the enormous batteries there and at Port Hudson, erected expressly to cover and protect their Red river communications with Texas, have ceased to be of any practical use to the enemy.
Now, therefore, the idea may be entertained that the next move of the rebels will be to abandon Vicksburg and Port Hudson – as they have been turned – and to hurry up their forces those two points to a junction with Bragg for a crushing attack upon General Rosecrans in Tennessee. We would accordingly yet once more call the attention of the government to the saving precaution of holding the army of Gen. Grant within supporting distance of Gen. Rosecrans; for at this time he holds the position of the greatest importance of all our principal generals, because it is the position of the greatest danger, the most tempting to the enemy, and the particular point at which they calculate upon turning the tide of the war against us. We have now the opportunity speedily to finish up the war in the Southwest; but our complete success in that quarter mainly depends upon securing success to Gen. Rosecrans.
Our news from North Carolina and Virginia is equally encouraging. The campaign of Gen. D. H. Hill against Little Washington and Newbern has ended in a failure. He has abandoned his siege of Washington and his batteries on Tar river. Failure has also attended the campaign of Longstreet against Suffolk and Norfolk. Completely foiled in all his movements, he has retired with considerable loses in men and artillery. We conjecture that Hill and Longstreet will return with the bulk of their forces to the army of General Lee. Enroute they may, perhaps, make a formidable diversion against Fort Magruder, at Williamsburg; but in this event we dare say that the garrison will be prepared for their reception. Meantime, as the season has arrived when a single day of sun and wind does wonders in drying up the roads of Virginia, we may at any moment expect to hear of a general advance of the Army of the Potomac, that splendid army upon which we mainly rely to give the death blow to the rebellion.
We are inclined to believe, from the intercepted rebel letters on the subject which we published the other day, that Lee has been preparing for some time to fall back, and that Gen. Hooker may not be able to overtake him this side of the Richmond peninsula. Within a very few days the question will, in all probability, be settled; and, whether a battle or retreat on the part of the enemy, we are confident that the advance of the Union army will not be arrested. The spring campaign opens promisingly; the advantages of the general situation of things are all with us, and we expect soon to be the herald of great and glorious events East and West.