St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1864-12-08
AGAIN THE 'FRONT.'
Is Present Condition for Defense,
The Military situ.tisn in Tennessee
and Georgia. .; ..
THE CROWDS OF REFUGEES.

: .
: III and Georgia. "
THE CROWDS OF REFUGEES.
A SAD PICTURE OF THEIR MISERY AMI
WANT. "~ -
They Will Learn Of the ssBea uties OF
Freedom without the Cursc OF
Slavery"
Whereabouts Of Minnesota Troops.
CHATrANooeA, TENN, Nov. 2l. 1864.
EplroR pEMocRAr.-Jast one year ago
this month. Chattanooga was the great
point Of interest towards which the loya]
people Of the North and the rebels Of the
South gazed with much solicitude. The
two opposing armies stood face to face
within stones throw of one another
jeff. Davis and Gems. Pemberton, Long
street, Breckenridge and Cleburne' stood
upon the point Of grand and lofty Lookout
Mountain and viewed our camps, forts and
lines Of entrenchments, and debated the
propriety OF driving us sout of our strong
hold, purchased SO dearly by gallant Rose
Grams at Cbickamauga-a procedure be-
lieved practicable by the rebel President.
doubted by Pemberton, and held by Cle-
burne to be madness and certain annihila-
ton to the entire first liue of troops that
would charge. All know it wss not done.
The rebels watched !. and waited. We
watched and prepared. "Figh,ing joe
had appeared ut the 6ase of Lookout and
established his camps within range Of the
encmy's guns on the mountain. Gen.
Grant, fresh from the grand results lie had
accomplished Ut Vicksburg, assumed COM
mand. lie came, he saw, comprehended
aud conquered. The last day. Of this
month will be the anniversary of the bril-
liant battles Of Gha..~saaea- and no doubt
will be remembered by the rebels rs the
days Of their discontinue.
AT that time Chattanooga was the I'D
Vance post on the llne of occupation, and
although Gen. Sherman last spring and
summer ran a wedge into the Confederacy
which destroyed the Cute City OF tn. South,
yet, i'll consequences Of his late grand, bold
aud We hope successful, movement from,
Atlanta towards the interior Of South Car
oli"a and Georgia, this place has again be-
cume the front line. Atlanta has again
been rendered uuteuaole; Rome and King
s'on burned. All the serviceable material
Of every description has been brought back.
All the railroad iron has been taken up.
and everything which would give aid and
comfort to the rebels has been burned, de-
stroyed or taken away. The country is q
waste thirty miles around Atlanta, aud be-
tween here and there, wide strip of coun.
try, nothing is left to spbsist man nor
beast. lt'is utterly deserted of troops and
inhabitants. The former are with Sher-
man and the latter have fl.d and arc flee-
ing from their dcsolated homes among
their native hills ana valleys, toward the
North. They could not remain and starve ;
they n.ust go Nor.h to live. -~ .....:
Chattanooga rises once more rs an OBJ
jett of interest. The rebels boast of apain
IN" rching on Chattanooga" and there is
a hustle, activity and preparation among
us accordingly. But the place is exceed
ingly strong, the result Of one years labor
directed by competent engineers. Soldiers
are plenty and confident, aud if any of our
misguided brethren wish to get their rights,
l doubt not but they will find them in an
attack on this fort-encircled, entrenched
depot. It would be rich prize, this greut
storehouse of material and supplies, not
considering the effect the capture of the
.'lace would have to bolster up the oozing
courage and hopes of the rebels aud their
brethren in sympathy throughout the
North.
The military situation in Tennessee and
Georgia is at this time matter of specula-
ton only. All know Sherman hus cut
loose from us, and we hope and wait. and
''guess" and ''reckou," Us to the results Of
his movement which is without paralk !
in the history Of the war. Gen. Thomas
IS watching Forest on the southern line Of
this State and we'll prepared to give the
General Of Fort Pillow notoriety, a severe
drubbing if he crosses the Tennessee Gen.
Hood will likely operate with Forrest.
Movements are uncertain and dependent
upon the n,aneuvers Of both to assume .
detiniteness. The rebels have inflicted
some damage to US at Johnsonville and
captured few isolated posts, but not to
the extent reported. With eur veteran
generals and old troops considerably aug
mented by the late levies, no fears are en-
tertained Of their getting beyond tho line
to occupy and possess. t'the garden spot''
Of the South. They will be chiefly sconfin-
ed to northern Alabama and Mississippi
Here, We regard sherman's movement
with q greater degree Of interest than
Thomas and the rebel effort to get in the
State. ST 1890 HSt&I ;,
aj>#r# as~orf "
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