The Southwest.
The news from the
Southwest, received by mail yesterday, represents
General Joe Johnston as crossing the Big Black in force, leaving
Breckinridge at
Jackson.
The garrison at
Vicksburg is said to be in fine spirits and confident of success.
On the other hand, we have good grounds for believing that
Grant has been reinforced from
Memphis, probably by detachments from
Rosecrans's army.
Rosecrans himself appears to be falling back, which renders this supposition still more probable.
We presume that
General Bragg will follow him closely, should he be moving, as reported, towards
Nashville.
An officer lately from
Port Hudson reports our loss in the engagement there at six hundred.
The negroes in the
Yankee army were put in front, and they broke at the first fire.
As many of them were killed by the
Yankees as by the
Confederates.
The whereabouts of
Kirby Smith is still in doubt, some saying that he crossed at
Port Hudson with eighteen thousand men, whilst others contradict the news of his arrival.
All accounts continue to agree in describing the
Yankee loss before
Vicksburg as unprecedentedly large — from thirty to forty thousand killed and wounded being the figures given by some correspondents.
Five
Yankee Generals are said to have been killed, among them
Burbridge, who lately distinguished himself
a la Butler, in the
Deer Creek expedition, visiting private houses and helping himself to plate and jewelry.
So far, everything looks promising in that quarter, and a very few days, perhaps hours, will bring us highly exciting news from the
Southwest.
