the river washes the bluffs which form the boundary of the valley through which it winds.  Bayou Baxter, as it reaches lower land, begins to spread out and disappears entirely in a cypress swamp before it reaches the Macon.  There was about two feet of water in this swamp at the time.  To get through it, even with vessels of the lightest draft, it was necessary to clear off a belt of heavy timber wide enough to make a passage way.  As the trees would have to be cut close to the bottom—­under water—­it was an undertaking of great magnitude.

On the 4th of February I visited General McPherson, and remained with him several days.  The work had not progressed so far as to admit the water from the river into the lake, but the troops had succeeded in drawing a small steamer, of probably not over thirty tons’ capacity, from the river into the lake.  With this we were able to explore the lake and bayou as far as cleared.  I saw then that there was scarcely a chance of this ever becoming a practicable route for moving troops through an enemy’s country.  The distance from Lake Providence to the point where vessels going by that route would enter the Mississippi again, is about four hundred and seventy miles by the main river.  The distance would probably be greater by the tortuous bayous through which this new route would carry us.  The enemy held Port Hudson, below where the Red River debouches, and all the Mississippi above to Vicksburg.  The Red River, Washita and Tensas were, as has been said, all navigable streams, on which the enemy could throw small bodies of men to obstruct our passage and pick off our troops with their sharpshooters.  I let the work go on, believing employment was better than idleness for the men.  Then, too, it served as a cover for other efforts which gave a better prospect of success.  This work was abandoned after the canal proved a failure.

Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson of my staff was sent to Helena, Arkansas, to examine and open a way through Moon Lake and the Yazoo Pass if possible.  Formerly there was a route by way of an inlet from the Mississippi River into Moon Lake, a mile east of the river, thence east through Yazoo Pass to Coldwater, along the latter to the Tallahatchie, which joins the Yallabusha about two hundred and fifty miles below Moon Lake and forms the Yazoo River.  These were formerly navigated by steamers trading with the rich plantations along their banks; but the State of Mississippi had built a strong levee across the inlet some years before, leaving the only entrance for vessels into this rich region the one by way of the mouth of the Yazoo several hundreds of miles below.