Gold Hill Daily News

THE SITUATION.
The interruption of telegraphic communication at the present moment is vexatious. Affairs in the contracted territory, which at present constitutes the whole of the "Confederacy," are culminating to a crisis; and our citizens watch eagerly for each day's account of the progress of our armies. The situation of affairs at the time of the interruption, is thus summed up by the Call:
Sheridan, after his defeat of Early, some month or two ago, having gathered himself for an onward spring, has swept through the Valley of the Shenandoah, defeated a portion of Early's army, crossed the mountains, cut and destroyed the communications of Lee to the southwest, rendering the railroads unavailable, and utterly demolishing the canal along the James river to within a few miles of Richmond, and at last accounts had either made a junction with Grant, or was believed to be in a position to do so at any time desired. This pretty effectually prevents Lee from retreating upon Lynchburg, should he desire to do so. Schofield, marching upon Kinston, has met and repulsed Bragg, and by the result put himself in position to form a junction with Sherman, probably without any further severe fighting. Sherman occupied Fayetteville, North Carolina, about a week ago, and was only resting in that vicinity preparatory to a renewal of his march northward. He was still a distance of some one hundred and fifty to two hundred miles to make before he can join Grant. But the apparent ease with which he has already traversed the many hundred miles of his march from Atlanta through Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, would imply that he can accomplish the remaining distance within a month or so. It might be inferred that he will first move upon Waynesborough, which Davis has said must be defended at all hazards. But one of his flank movements may force the abandonment of that place, or of Raleigh, and leave the route of his progress comparatively clear. However, his movements are certainly only to be relied upon after he has made them. What Thomas is doing does not appear. He will be heard from at the right time, and his previous career guarantees that he will be in the right place and doing the right thing. The field of decisive operations is thus shown to be essentially narrowing. North Carolina and Virginia—only a portion of each—are where the chief interest now centers. Unless the rebels know how to obstruct the progress of Schofield and Sherman, and prevent their junction, and that of Sheridan with Grant, the final great struggle must be at or in the vicinity of Richmond. One by one, its arteries, its supply-pipes, its railroads and canals along which bread for the beleaguered capital and its garrison has been supplied, are being destroyed, and battle or famine must ere a great while end the resistance of Lee and the life of the Confederacy, or overwhelm the plans and the army of Grant. The latter there is little reason to anticipate.