The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-05-01
The Rebel Movement towards the
COast...What' It Means.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
1t is only by grouping together num-
Der Of separate facts and events that we
can obtain clue to the policy of the dark
and secret usurpation at Richmond. and
thus forecast their future conduct of the
rebellion. Such a gathering of isolated
matters is now before US, in sundry notes
made within two or three days past and,
in order that the public may join us in sur
missing what they mean, we present some
of them in this article.
The enemy is massing troops in all direc-
tons around New Orleans. They evidently
intend formidable effort to recapture that
city. But, even if we should lose New
Orleans, with Forts Jackson and st. Philip
in our possession, we still command the
outlets Of the Mississippi, and the Crescent
City must remain closed port to rebel
commerce. The movements of the enemy
in that vicinity show that they understand
that point perfectly well they are, there
fore, aiming at the same time to clear the
country between New Orleans and Bra
shear City, or Berwick's Bay, the terminus
of the New Orleans and Opelousas Rail-
road, where it formerly connected with
seceral lines Of ocean steamships to Sabine
Pass, Galveston and Indianola. Cooper
ating with these movements is another,
looking to our expulsion from Ship Island,
which commands the shore line of water
communication between New Orleans and
Mobile.
Independently of their mere military
significance, the energetic efforts exhibited
by the rebels near the localities mention
ed are worthy Of close attention for other
reasons which the attentive reader will OBJ
serve in the sequel.
Simultaneous with what is going on in
the neighborhood of the Gulf ports, we
observe strong movements of the rebels
from the interior tOacards tie coast at Suf-
folk, Norfolk, Washington, North Carolina,
and Newbern. On the Western waters.
they are also closing up around Memphis.
Now, what is the meaning of ali this
drift oceanward? To make an intelligent
conjecture, we must now group together
sundry other isolated facts. This new
policy is developed just at time when
the COntederates have made large sales
of cotton in England, France and Germa-
ny. 1t comes just at the time when JEFF
ferson Davis goes out of his way, in an Of
fetal paper, to boast of his rapidly grow
ing navy. 1t comes in company with
public announcement that squadron of
British steam gunboats is about to be sold
to privdte contractors. 1t comes with the
news of the launch of two of the new
fleet OF Anglo-rebel steamers, one on the
Clyde and one on the Tees. 1t comes with
the intelligence that crews are being mus
tered for these steamers, by the hundred,
at Liverpool and at GreenOck And, last
ly, it comes when the fierce walls of pri-
walton and famine are heard from all quar-
tiers of the g Confederacy,'' making it a
vital necessity to jeff. Davis to get sup
plies from Son,etOhe,'e out of his lines.
Grouping all these facts and events to-
gether, how can we escape the conviction
that the strong drift of the rebels towards
the sea-at New Orleans, Brashear City,
Ship Island, Norfolk, Suffolk, Newbern-
is to retake their available ports; that
their fast gathering fleet is to keep them
open or to raise the blockade elsewhere :;
that, in short, they are all circumstances
in a general scheme to get out their cot
ton for the European loan, and to get in
the supplies for the want of which their
people are perishing. They must estab-
fish some new ports, open some old ones,
or die. This is our Interpretation of what
is going forward in Virginia, North Caro-
lima, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and in
our Judgment it demands attention.