9 tpry of the war were lit up by a succession of brilliant victories on the Atlantic seaboard and west of the Mississippi river. Christmas of 1861 saw the powerful force of rebels, which had overrun Missouri, insolently proclaiming their purpose of seizing St. Louis, driven down to the Arkansas border. General Grant had begun on a small scale the operations on the Mississippi, destined to swell into campaigns of colossal proportions. The first of our series of coast victories had been gained at Hatteras inlet, (August 27,) giving us two forts, thirty-six guns, six hundred and nineteen prisoners, and the key to Albemarle sound. This was followed up, at the end of October, by Dupont’s exploit at Port Royal, one of the most memorable triumphs on record of ships over forte. The spoils of this victory included not less than fifty cannon. V. THE SECOND YEAR OF THE WAR. The opening of the second year of the war was gilded by two other victorieson the coast—the capture of Roanoke Island by a combined attack of our land and naval forces, giving us six forts, 2,500 prisoners and 42 guns, followed up promptly by the capture of Newbern which added six other forts and 84 heayy guns. These conquests restored the sovereignty of ‘.he flag over all the inland waters of Norjth Carolina, which, up to ‘ jis time, had been the main resort of the whole crew of blockade runners. Another brilliant point in the chain of coast victories was added by the reduction and capitulation of Fort Pulaski following. With the fort were surrendered 47 guns and 360 prisoners..; This gave us the control of the mouth of the Savannah river. Turning to the great theatre of war between the Alleghanies and the Mississippi, the spring of 1862 saw there the inauguration of a combination of magnificent operations by several distinct columns drawn out from the Ohio to the mou^h of the Mississippi and destined to carry their conquests into the very heart of the confederacy and reclaim the valley of the Mississippi to the soveignty of the Union. The rebel line of defense on this frontier emended from Columbus, a powerfully intrenched camp on the Mississippi, eastward to the Alleghany mountains. About midway was Bowling Green, another entrenched camp, where Albert Sidney Johnson commanded in person. East towards themountains was Zollicoffer with a large force, where early in the winter he had taken up a fortified position on the Cumberland river near Mill Spring. Against this line defense Grant and the gunboats under Foote were preparing to move on the west; Buell was advancing on Bowling Green in the centre, while Thomas was in motion on the east near the mountains. Thomas struck the first blow and gave the country the firstlings of victory in the west. On the 19th of January he engaged the rebels at Mill Spring defeated and routed them with the loss of their artillery, their intrenched position, and their general, Zollicoffer, killed. The effect of this victory was to expose the whole rebel right flank by way of East Tennessee. On the left flank Grant and Foote were moving to break the rebel lines of defence- by the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. It was
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