The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-04-07
Grants Grand Combina tions.

Aue OnlcagO Times OF thursday last has
the following article on the grand combi-
nations of GRANT:
The magnitude, intricacy and weight of
Grants combinations against the rebellion are
| the grandest the world has ever witnessed.
They are on scale commensurate with our
great country like our prairies, they are broad;
like our mountains, vast; like our rivers, they
reach across half o continent.
At the present moment columns of troops
are moving forward in various directions.
Some are going east, some west, some south,
and some north, but oil, in whatever direction
they are going are in reality moving upon
Lee in Richmond. Sherman, when he left At
lanta in November, commenced march against
Richmond. Terry. when he landed upon the
| tongue of land between Cape Fear river and
| the ocean ard when his men swarmed over the
parapets of Fort Fisher, assaulted an outwork
| of Richmond. Richmond was in the mind of
| the Lieutenant General when he ordered Thom-
| as 10 assault Hood at Nashville Grant himself
| has lain about the rebel capital holding the
chief confederate army in his grasp, and has
| invented and directed movements all having
| for their object the securing of the game which
| he holds within his tolls.
| To-Day the public begin to understand ope-
| rations which at first seemed isolated and USE
| less attempts The grandest of all these was
| Sherman's: and ct when that commenced, it
was thought by many retreat, and by others
a foolhardy adventure, which, if successful.
offered no subs antial and few moral advan.
tages. But now we see its results and are pre-.
pared TO appreciate its greatness. Before it
the railroad system Of the south-those formi.
dable interior lines has vanished and in place
| of confederacy whose distant and numerous
strategic points were united with bands of
iron there remains only wilderness.
| When Sherman left Savannah and turned his
steps northward, Richmond began to loom up
in the distance, and people began to see that
he was not occupied simply in proving that the
conftderacy is i, she'll" All the devious
| roads that he had followed were seen to GEN.
tire III the capital Of the coniederacy. As he
advanced, he Obiterated the railroads of the
Atlantic States and cut off from the rebels all
lines of escape or of reinforcement. At the
proper moment an advance was made upon
Wilmington, anu on the very day that Sher-
mau reached Goldsboro with his supplies ex-
| bausted Schofield met him on line that he
had opened up to the ocean.
| The supreme wisdom of Grant is seen in q
thousand OF the details which have been de-
| veloped within the last two or three months
He did not attack Charleston, because he knew
that Charleston would fall when Sherman
touched its flank ut Branchville. He did at
tack Wilm ngton, because it could not well be
| turned BY Sherm1n, and because its possession
| was essential as base of supplies when Sher-
| man hao penetra.rG q certain distance in his
northward march Aud exactly as Sherman
| reached that poll he met the supporting col
| umn, with their nard tack, and ammunition,
and reinforcemen.-. that had come by way OF
Wilmington.
To-day there remain two vitalized points in
the cis-Mississippi confederacy; Mobile and
Richmond. Around The former is gathered q
force that holds IT, while o column of O,O0O
men 10 bearing down On its communications at
once cutting it off from succor or escape. A
| few weeks at tartn 'st, and then starvation or
| surrender. Around the latter place is Grant,
! with . grip Of ,rel upon the rebel army.
| From the west, lir"ug the mountains, there
comes force OF IS, 90 horsemen, who destroy
as they advance the western avenue of escape
from Richmond. From the south there ad-
vance 10000 under Sherman, who bar the
only avenue of escape or help for Lee. These
are Grants CONT nations, and they are close
upon contamination.