The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-12-12
THE REBEL PLANS AND PREPARATIONS.
Number and Disposition Of their Forces.

as follows:
The rebel leaders are impressed with the
belief that the United States government Is
putting forth in this expedition its utmost
endearors; that the whole power Of the
north will now be precipitated upon Rich
mond: that Burnsides army is only one
part, and that a small part, of the forces
that are soon to be launched against their
capital; and that all the other expeditions.
about which so much noise and parade are
being made in the northern papers, includ-
ing Gen. Banks expedition, the expedition
down the Mississippi, Gen. Fosters expe
dition, and the expedition against Charles
ton, are all nothing more than feints on
our part, got up with the intent to distract
their attention away from Richmond, and
To divide and cut up and scatter their for
ces TO such an extent that there will be
none left to defend Richmond. Rich
mond they believe, and Richmond alone,
is now the point to which the whole en-
ergies OF the north will be directed.
Acting, therefore. on this belief, they
have for the last two weeks been max
ing the most extraordinary eXertiOns to
defend their capital These exertions have
included. of course. the concentration of
troops in Richmond: and, in order to do
this, they have been obliged to draw as
many as eighty-tive thousand troops from
points in the south and west This has
left many points in the extreme south and
IN the western part of the Contederacy al
most entirely destitute of troops.
1t was stated as one reason why Gen.
Randolph left the office of Secretary Of
War that he was dissatisfied with the result
Of the CONSUMPTION laws as a whole; that
he expected the C0ntederacy to have in the
and that he does not expect the contest
can be maintained successfully on the part
Of the South with a less number than that,
particularly now that the North has evil
IDENTIFY in view an extensive plan Of cam
paign, which will, at a period not remote,
require on the part Of the South three
armies ot 100000 men in each at three
widely separated points Instead of these
forces being now in the field, the most i'm
portant paper found in the rebel War De-
partmeut by Gen. Randolph's successor,
shows that the total available military
strength OF the Confederacy does not eX-
coed 49,, eco troops. and Of these but
90. 600 were in Virginia.
Owing, therefore. to the recent c0n.iid-
Grafton of troops in that State there are
now in the valley of the Mississippi, inclu-
ding the troops at Eicksbnrg, those re-
Gently at Holly Springs and those in Ar
kansas, under Gen. Pemberton, General
Price and General IIindman. only 90, O00
troops. Ut Mobile and Charleston and at
Savannah, under General Beauregard only
10000 each, or 10000 in all; and on the
line Of the great Southern railroad, from
the Cumberland Gap and Knoxville to
Chattanooga under Gen Bragg, only 3d.
000 troops This makes only 5000.
BY examining q map Of the Southern
railroads it will he seen that it is impossi-
bic for any one Of these bodies Of troops to
90, in very short time, to the assistance
OF any of the others; and such is the plan
that viii be adopted whenever the North
makes an attack upon any one point in
overwhelming force. Ii all the points are
attacked at once, Of course this assistance
cannot he rendered.
may remark here in passing that it is
stated that the troops who contributed the
most to the recent repulse Of Gen. Foster
IN North Carolina, came from Knoxville
and Petersburg.
The 3j0,0 600 troops thus left have been
all distributed III Virginia as follows The
Iaain body Of General Lees army at Cor
louisville and Culpepper has been rcinlor-
ced by twenty-five thousand troops. His
right wing-now extended along The Rap
pahannock river from the Sulphur Springs,
near Warrenton, TO Fredericksburg
been reinforced by ten thousand troops.
Ills lett wing, under General jackson,
with headquarters at Winchester, but with
strong detachments pushed across the She
nandoah, and now encamped close TO Ma
nassas gap, Ashby's gap, and Smokers
gap, has been reinforced by twenty thou
sand troops Thirty thousand more troops
have reinforced those at Richmond, Fort
Darling and Petersburg, and there are
twenty-five thousand further down the Pc
ninsula. This makes the forces in Virgin
ia as follows:
Troops.
General Lees main body at Gordons-
vile, along the Rapidan and Culpep-
per. 800. 49,. .............. 49,. $4,000
mock. ................. $4,000
His left wing under Jackson. ......... 10000
At Richmond, Fort Darling, Saxon's
junction and Petersburg .... 10000
On the Peninsula. ....... $4,000
Total in Virginia ............... $780, 900
/ have spoken in recent letters of the
defences of Richmond, so far as regards
Notifications, distractions in James River,
additions to the extent and armament of
Fort Darling, &c. The rebels believe
those defences to be of such nature that
it will be physical impossibility for our
iron-clad vessels to pass Fort Darling or to
reach Richmond. And there is reason to
believe that they will leave that city to the
defences of the troops Immediately around
it-those on the Peninsula and those on
the Rappahannock, amounting together to
one hundred and fifty-five thousand troops.
This would give General Lee his main body
and Jacksons troops-in all $4,000 men
for offensive operations. And there is
reason to believe that his design is that,
while Burnside S attentions engaged some
where between Falmouth and Saxon's
| Junction, Lee will march On Washington,