The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1861-10-11
The Situation.
n the New York Herald of Saturday

From the New York Herald of Saturday. ...
More than two months have now elapsed
since the disastrous battle of Bull Run was
fought, and as yet the conflict has not been
renewed on the banks of the Potomac. The
two armies stand face to face in front of the
national capital, both large in numbers and
strongly fortified. Every hour that passes
by may bring intelligence of great battle;
but, meantime, let US review the positions
of the forces as they exist at the present
time along the whole line from the Atlantic
to the far West.
The theatre of the war is divided into
four grand scenes of operation. There are
four points of attack nenaced and defended
by gigantic armies on either side. The
rebels are endeavoring with one army to
get possession of the line of the Potomac in
front of Washington with another army
operating from Tennessee and the central
Southern States-they design to take pos.
session of Kentucky and the line of the Ohio
river with another force, farther west, the
Missouri and Miss ssippi rivers form the
objects of their attack while on the
Atlantic sea coast our fleets menace the
rebel Notifications, which will ultimately
have to succumb, as did Hatteras, the other
day. All these points in the operations OF
the land forces are protected by valiant and
we'll disciplined armies on the Union side,
and no success can be achieved by the rebels
at any one of them without a desperate
struggle.
We have private information from the
South, which comes from two different
sources, relative to the strength, position
aud strategy of the rebel army. From the
first account, which is the most favorable
to the Southern cause, we learn that the
forces under Beauregard, Johnston and Ma
gruder number number $4,000 men, and
extends from OccOquan creek to Harpers
Ferry, of whom there are in front of
Washington l25,O0O, to protect the line OF
batteries which they have erected on the
Potomac, and which are said to be very
formidable and effective. South of Num-
sons Hill they have chain of Notifications
extending for two miles, mounted with rifle
cannon, and at Freestone Point, below Oc-
coquan creek, there are batteries also heav
lily mounted, to prevent flank movement
of McClellan's troops 1t is quite proba.
BILE, however, that General Mcclellan has
just as large force and as strong posi-
tiOn to oppose to these operations of the
rebel chiefs.
Another account states that the whole
force of the three rebel generals does not
exceed 100000, of whom from $1,000 to
10000 are sick and in hospital. This army,
it is said, occupies triangle, extending
from Freestone Point, including Manassas
Junction, up to Stanton, Strasburg and
Leesburg, and as far as Point of Rocks,
near Harper's Ferry. Now the probable
truth to be deducted from both these ac-
counts may be that the army from Occoquan
to Harpers Ferry really numbers about
l75,0OO men, out of whom 10000 are sick,
and only $4,000 in a condition to be
brought into operation 1t is we'll
known that the rebels expe ted to
fix their winter quarters in some Northern
city; but late accounts from Richmond
mention the significant fact that large
numbers OF wooden huts AND sheds are being
erected all round that city. This looks as
if they calculated to make Richmond their
winter quarters, but this is a matter about
which General Mcclellan may have to be
consulted. Such being the position OF t e
different armies, we await the news of a
succession of battles from the various
points at which they are concentrated, and
the frs account Of serious collision is
very likely to come from Washington,