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Show ! the pitdoAlfed'; ,iV .Cairo', -III,; fa,repcafttllyi. meiilloned hr Oitr, drspatcbcVnnd;; therefore, corisid-cntd'fftii' corisid-cntd'fftii' Jmpdr.taut.;jiiHiltaryl poiitipii, hi the :W,w we jsulijoiii ' thtx. .following fckfllch of i( iopegrnphy and. defences; taken .fn(ilUhe"1lW7 JlWjtJt'.--H " :. Cairo h a ' town of 1.&00 Inhabitants. ICtiafbrally commaud two of the jioblcst of rivers; Wltli hll'therr !argft-branVhct and Viiumwqnsc trader It a jltualed, oh the extremis, southern polii of ''-Hlin'ouV; : which, hf dry wcathcrj nhd.Iow "water, is drr enpugh for a townt.bot. at high water ps.lilt ho" present casptho sitrfacp of the Her.keignt.or tcn feef nbovo. tfif. Jcrtl of. thej'tpwjj, wlifcli is protected by' jevcea running "teVtfal mites along. thY.Uaiik of each.rivcr Tiiis'Ievce fs.somq,. fifty, feet beldv.To)V-"waUr; matk, nndtliis Is ready, mpdo brcastW0rk,.,"j:rfcctly defeiisiblp' from o direct Srp from tho fiver. Xotliiiig cun bo tnjoted cxeeiit frdiu shell. North of Cairo Jor scrcral milcfl,'Tre'achihg from river to riicrj Is an fntennlualiia swamp, passible only by the Illinois Central Rail-' road, , And .this road ts-rell guarded, , Cairo Is ai Isolated dry -Spot, and at all Of theviilable. landing placcs.Major J, J,, Webster has phmlcd batteries, well entrenched- and supported, xbo that the chantigU'of both rivers rind their coulld-ctice.irp. coulld-ctice.irp. commal'ided, and thp batteric$ nro so connected that thoy culi rallyi.in stantly to, each other'a support.'; VPhpso ivlio Open the., map cf .America wilLbccoitviiiced that Cafrd hi. the most important, strategical point in s,ht whole Wet", Ils poSscfcsiii.n actUallycpmnvinds l&,00().mile of uavigable waters. Not U boat from the Ohio, tho. Missouri or Iio upper Mississippi can pass, that point Wthpiit.,tlio. consent of t'm army- of occu-pattoiK'r,:ItyrpO?S(!S?!oiiyili. occu-pattoiK'r,:ItyrpO?S(!S?!oiiyili. dffsmora to secure the. loyalty of Missouri and Kentucky, Ken-tucky, -tbt.il tho raising of an- army of 8O,0C(a men. Uvea St. Louis In the .hands of the Confedcrotc States would' bo or iittU scrrlce to them, witliout the possession-of Cairo, Tho Missouri and1 Ko'ituc ky, seecASionists Bavo been quite j moderato since the occupation of Cairo. 1 The .loyal States now", hold It with'4,O&0' troops, nnd wo tln not tfalak it can be taken, by cten a outhenu. tmip !e main, CU Prentiss, tho commander, served hi. .tiplMexican-Wr.;mid is pcffcelly willing" that,-, life -.Memphis seecssiguists;' under ; Of n, PillQWj should Tnakc,mrat"tack. The only thing needed. to. render' Cairo impregnable Is- ifie mounting of 'somo heavy gnusv.which, would command thai Missouri aud Kentucky shore. ,We ,sni' jiect that theso wilLbo fprjbcomirig froni : the. Pittsburgh: arsenal, where heavy-guns: arc., stored. Jfotwjthstnniliug all tbo: Sontherri brag, there; are few bea;vy gnns to bo bad at tho South. Their forts on the sea-board. need every one they have stolen from tho U. S. urinals. As' to', their bringiogbeuvy guns up the. Missis-: Sippi .before lha 1st of .June it is bardly possible, pud before that time, Cairo will bavo some Long Toms which will sweep a range of two. nnd three fliilcs. |
