he West, showing that this river is the true strategical key to
overcome the rebels in the southwest, I beg again to recur to the
importance of its adoption. This river is never impeded by ice in the
coldest winter, as the Mississippi and the Cumberland sometimes are. I
ascertained, when in St. Louis, that the gunboats then fitting out
could not retreat against the current of the western rivers, and so
stated to you; besides, their principal guns are placed forward and
will not be very efficient against an enemy below them. The fighting
would have to be done by their stern guns--only two; or if they
anchored by the stern they would lose the advantage of motion, which
would prevent the enemy from getting their range. Our gunboats at
anchor would be a target which the enemy will not be slow to improve
and benefit thereby.

"The Tennessee river, beginning at Paducah fifty miles above Cairo,
after leaving the Ohio, runs across south-southeast, rather than
through Kentucky and Tennessee, until it reaches the Mississippi line
directly west of Florence and Tuscumbia, which lie fifty miles east,
and Memphis, one hundred and twenty-five miles west, with the
Charleston and Memphis railroad eight miles from the river. There is
no difficulty in reaching this point at any time of the year, and the
water is known to be deeper than on the Ohio.

"If you will look on the map of the Western States you will see in
what a position Buckner would be placed by a strong advance up the
Tennessee river. He would be obliged to back out of Kentucky, or, if
he did not, our forces could take Nashville in his rear and compel him
to lay down his arms."

Testimony of Thomas A. Scott, Assistant Secretary of War, to Hon.
Jacob M. Howard, chairman of the Military Committee, to consider the
claim presented by Miss Carroll in 1870:

PHILADELPHIA, _June 24, 1870_.

On or about the 30th of November, 1861, Miss Carroll, as stated
in her memorial, called on me, as the Assistant Secretary of War,
and suggested the propriety of abandoning the expedition which
was then preparing to descend the Mississippi, and to adopt
instead the Tennessee river, and handed to me the plan of
campaign, as appended to her memorial; which plan I submitted to
the Secretary of War, and its general ideas were adopted. On my
return from the southwest in 1862 I informed Miss Carroll, as she
states in h