The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-04-01
The Potomac Array.

I'd 8 IA .
peculiar difficulties it has contended with.
Two armies Of equal numbers and COM
manded with equal ability, being opposed
to each other, their movements and
achievements must be entirely determined
by the nature of the theatre of operations.
Perhaps never in the history Of warfare
has the character of the ground exerted
more influence on campaigns than that of
the portion of Virginia which lies between
Washington and Richmond. On the right
of our army are chains of mountains which
enable the rebels to conceal any fianking
movement they may Undertake, while the
valleys afford to them the means for an
easy and uninterrupted passage to the Po-
tomac above Washington, and one almost
entirely secure from attacks in their rear.
On our front is succession of rivers, pre-
senting great natural obstacles to our ad-
vance, and at the same time easily de-
fensible; to make fanking movements by
ascending them is to open our rear to at
tacks from fredericksburg, and to cross
below the rebel army, leaves the railroad
prey to guerillas. The country is, more
over, masked in every direction by dense
forests, rendering anything like q surprise
in force impractible. A few rebel scouts
may at all times easily detect and thwart
such movement. Such are the natural
features of the country.
it is well known rule of military ope-
ration, that "base" should neither be
too extended nor too limited, and that it
should be accessible by several rnutes.
The base of the Army of the Potomac is
just the width of railroad track, and that
railroad furnishes really the only practical
BILE route of communication. With lin
tied base an army is always exposed to be
cut in the rear. This is what happens to
the Army of the Potomac at every ad-
vance. Guerilla bands infest the whole
country between the Rappahannock and
sixty miles-and it is
impossible to protect entirely, in a hostile
country, such an extent of territory. For
every mile of advance beyond Fairfax
Court House, FIVE hundred men are re-
quired to protect the rear. An entire
corps is now occupied in doing this from
the Rappahannock to Manassas, and the
troops of the department of Washington
protect the, track from that locality to
Alexandria. How great is the drain of an
army for such service, can easily be esti-
mated. After passing the, Rapidan, if
railroad communication is to be relied on
for supplies, strong force must be con-
stantly kept in the rear; every train will
even then be exposed to capture by bands
sweeping down from tie mountains !
L. In - -. &c
fully understand all these circumstances,
and are always ready to take advantage
of them. They are fully aware that they
can hold in CHECK, with three-ffths of its
force, the Army of the Potomac mean
time. They pursue the Fabian policy
the policy of Washington on the noun
tains of the Hudson river They are not
foolish enough to stake everything on the
risk of battle, except where invulnerably
fortified. They will not attack, nor will
they accept battle in the field. Their
own rear needs no protection they have
two railroad routes, besides all tie ordinary
roads Thus they have all the advantage
of position on their side.
But are we in view of these difficulties
to expect nothing from the army of the
Potomac? No, it may overcome them in
two or three ways. First with suffi-
cient force to cover its TANKS, it may oom-
pei the enemy to retreat and Richmond to
be abandoned. Second, it may be able
to bring on an engagement which will
prove decisive. Third, by cutting it loose
from Washington and making it move
able column, it may go at any time to the
rear of the rebel army and open new
base for itself on the Pamunkey or York
rivers, or by the railroad from Fredericks-
burg. We risk nothing in saying that the
Army can at any time go te Richmond, it
relieved from the necessity of protecting
its rear. This could lave been done last
fall, when General Meade crossed the
Rapidan and was stop ed by the rebel
works on Mine Run. Tie army can trans
port fifteen days subsistence and forage,
and with this it can be moved to Hanover
Court House, where it can operate on
new base or, if successful in forcing the
rebel lines, can even enter Richmond at
once"
The Minnesota Railroad Grant.
I orr sponCence OF Chicago Tribune.
sWAsHINGroN, March lS-The question
of a land grant to the Lake Superior and
Mississippi Railroad Company, is now be-
tore Congress. The grant is to aid in the
constr uction of said road from St. Paul to
Lake Supe ior. The bill, as amended,
proposes to extend from Sioux City, the
point where the Norton branch of the
Pacific Railroad begins the route through
northwestern Iowa, through Minnesota, by
Mankato, which is at the big bend of the
river Minnesota, and by ST. Paul and
through Wisconsin, by Hudson, to Lake
Superior, making distance of about one
hundred miles in the S ate of Iowa, about
two hundred or two hundred and fifty in
the State of Minnesota, and one hundred
and thirty or one hundred and forty in the
State of Wisconsin The amendment,
which strikes out all after the enacting
clause of the original bill, provides that
lands which have been granted already on
this route either to the State of Wisconsin
or Minnesota or Iowa, are to be deducted
from the lands granted under the terms of
this amendment. IL is thought that the
amendment will reconcile the interests of
all the States Wisconsin, Minnesota and
Iowa land at the same time extend tothem
the privilege of reaching the northern
brgnch OF the Pacific railroad for the ben