Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1862-04-04
The Plan of tho Rebels Cam
Daigu.

The Plan OF the RebelS cam
paign.
The Baltimore correspondent Of the
New York Herald, said to possess supe-
rior information, in his letter Of the 10th
inst, says;
Il have been put in possession to-day
of the following additional facts in regard
to the present position and probable move
ments of the late rebel army of the Po-
tomac If true, as | have every reason
to believe, they show that that army,
nearly 1900 strong, has been withdrawn
to line that can be defended, fer two
weeks at least, with half its force, while
the other half is used for immediate ac-
tive and offensive operations. 1t Is also
said that while the Merrimac is the
largest. she is by no means the only yes-
sci of the kind, or the most effective one
that the Confederates have; they have
no less than eight Of these impenetrable
sea monsters nearl y ready, and that in a
few days they will set sail in company,
and nfict blow upon the North which
will entirely change the present aspect of
the war. 1t is asserted positively that
the Merrimac is not at all injured, but
that She is being fitted with additional
apparatus, which will enable her to carry
off the Monitor as prize.
In spite Of all that has been said to the
contrary, the rebels are amply able to
maintain their second line of defence,
along the RaPpahannock, and Rapidan
rivers, against the advance Of the Union
army. They have one hundred thousand
troops distributed along this line as fol-
lows; 5000 at the upper ford Of the Ra-
pian, where the road from Front Royal
and Manassas Gap to the town OF Or
ange, throush Madison) crosses that
stream 10000 at the junction of the
same stream with the Orange and Alex
anlria Railroad. and at the second ford,
Immediately below; 5000 at the town Of
0taage; J600 at Gord5nsyllle; 10000
at point on the Rapidan, seven miles
northeast Of the railroad bridge at the
junction Just nanal, where the road from
Wurreuton to Louise (tArough CulpePper)
crosses the stream on a WOODEN bridge
5000 at GerAaDia whore the road from
Rappahannock to Bowling Green crosse,
tae Rluilan; 5000 at Eiy's ford, four
mile, from the mouth of the north branch
Of the Rlppahaunoek 5000 at Fllmouth
20,o0O at Fredericksburg 10000 IN
front of Newport, 10000 at Port Royal.
AII these compose part Of the late army
Of the Potomac.
The principal fortii ,atious along the
rivers are at the points named above
The most extensive are those at Freder-
iek>bura. On these works the labor of a
thousand blacks and five thousand soili-
crs was expended from the midlle Of
Nay till the 10Th oil July last They
are now maauted with part of the guns
brought from the Potomac river batteries,
aal it is said that the gunners are shell
tered by casematcs. The right bunk of
the river, between Fredericksburg and
P5.t R5yul consist, Of high bluff, aver
aging from fifteen to thirty feet high, anI
Tor the mos, part with nearly precipitons
SIDES. The river is five or SIX hundred
feet wide anl sixteen to twenty feet deep.
It is. therefore, not to be supposed that
the mon army cou'd cross between those
two points, particularly as the engineers
of the rebel army have crownei these
bluffs with strong batteries. For mics
around Bowling Green, too, the ground
: such tbcing filed with deep swamP- and
moras,e,l that no army coul! move there,
Higher up the river, between Germanla
ana Frederick sbure, there is a series Of
leep rayincs, running at right anEles with
the stream, the intervening ridges being
covered with stuntel pines. Among or
along these ravnes artillery cannot oper-
,ute, and without artillery the Union army
cannot move. From Germania to the
head waters of the Rapilan, and for Il
distance Of from three 10 five miles south
OF the stream the country IS an exact
counterpart of that just southwest OF
Washington, namely, ranges Of hlth hills,
thicE1y wooded, and with rayines or
passes between.
The natural defences of the line above
Indicated have been improved TO the ut
most ty the rebel generals, who for months
pa,t. have contemplated the moment when
thty would be compelled to abandon Man
assas.