The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1861-11-29
Light Breaking Upon the Northern
Mind.

careful and systematic efforts are being
made in the North to suppress the truth,
and thus, through the instrumentality Of
falsehood, lash the popular mind into a
wild and reckless furor that will sustain
the war atevery hazard, occasional Gimp
sos of versimiltude will show themselves
oft and anon in the hasty utterances of
complaining journals. The Chicago 7n-
bunc, it appears, is among this class, and
having for time immemorial been con.
sistent supporter of the Black Republi.
can party, in full fellowship with the abo-
lition radicals of the Garrison and Gree
ley school, speaks in such tones as TO ex-
| clude itself from that portion Of the
! Northern press described by the London
Times correspondent as having "the puis-
| SAINT finger of military power" upon their
throats. A late article in This journal, en-
titled 'The Lesson Taught at Belmont"
comments in the following candid style:
The disastrous termination OF the Cairo
expedition 10 Columbus Is another severe
lesson on the management OF this con-
test with the rsbelS Our troops have suf-
fered bad defeat. Hundreds of men
have been killed and wounded, and 9TH
er hundreds taken prisoners. The loss of
the enemy is far lighter than ours. The
object of the expedition was not attained.
The rebels have been elated and embold-
ened, while our troops have been depress-
ed, If not discouraged. f'
The Tribune then proceeds 10 urge upon
the Lincoln government the absolute me-
cessity of pursuing everywhere the policy
and instructions Of the War Department
as given to Gen. Sherman in the prosecu-
tion of his marauding foray along the At
lantic coast. That functionary, 1t will be
remembered was authorized to steal ne
groes and use them In any manner that
he deemed proper against their masters,
and even to the organizations and arming
Of them in the regular military service.
The abolition paper before us reprobates
the disinclination Of the Lincoln govern.
ment to generalize the principle and APP
ply it with equal force to Kentucky, Mis-
souri,, Maryland, and sucll other border
States as may be penetrated BY the Fede.
raj forces. 1t asks how long will the gov.
ernment ''play into the hands of the re-
bells by allowing them to make auxiliaries
of the colored class and responds with
the following very significant answer
"Fbr just that long ,OiAhc rebels 10 able to
hold our armies at bay, and 10 inlet defeat qt.
ter defeat upon US" .. .,.st.f...... -..,.
IS This is simply tantamount to the plain
acknowledgment that the North is unable
to subdue the South, unless she can se-
cure the active cooperation of the four
millions of slaves that are within her ter
ritorial limits and jurisdiction. This por-
tior of our population, in the commence
ment of this war, were regarded by the
Abolition journals as great element of
weakness to us in carrying on the contest,
and it was asserted, with the full convic-
ton of its truth, that at least one half of
our army would be forced to stay at home
in order to suppress servile insubordina-
ton and insurrection. We cannot for
bear to give the reasoning of the Tribune
man, explanatory Of the great advantage
the ''rebels" have derived from the en-
ployment of negroes. He says:
From April last until now they have
been working for the rebels. raising crops
and doing drudgery for their troops. Our
officers have steadily refused to avail them
selves of the help of these loyal people.
They made their own men dig bitches,
wheel dirt up enbankments. hew down
forests and perform vast amount OF 9TH
er severe labor, in an unhealthy climate
and under u blazing sun. They have fill
ed their hospitals with sick and dying SOL
diers. The diseases and deaths were MAIN
ly caused by hardship and exposure.
which the employment of 'contrabands"
would have avoided. Had the policy and
instructions of the War Department to
Gen. Sherman been adopted, and had our
officers avaled themselves of the thou
sands of "contrabands" who would have
offered, affairs would wear different
face, at Cairo, Columbus and Memphis
The whole slave population of that Sec
ton of country, would be in state of
insubordinauon against the Secession
lists. Half of those from that region, now
in the rebel army would have been oblig-
ed to remain at home to keep their slaves
quiet, or to work their plantations them
selves, when the slaves had escaped. The
adult contrabands would have run off by
scores and hundreds every night, ard ne
yer stopped until safely within our lines.
They would convey minute information
concerning the force and position Of the
rebel troops, and most. of them would
have brought along a horse or a mule
These fugitives would have cheerfully and
gladly done whatever work they were set
at, whether it was building Notifications,
chopping trees, preparing food, washing
clothes, taking care of horses and mules,
waiting on our soldiers, or drilling under
white officers. who might have been pro-
NOTED from the ranks to such command.
BY this time Gems. Grant and McClernand
could have had 10000 ''contrabands" in
their service as laborers and fighters, who
would handle spade or stop bullet as
well as white man.
This is MS much as we can expect to ex-
tort from the enemy, by way of confess
sion. yet awhile. A few more defeats
like that at Belmont or Bull Run, will
gosd the northern people into such a
state of desperation that the assertion Of
the Chicago TIibme--that the South is in
vincible SO loug as her slaves are allowed
to remain loyal-will become the prevail
ing sentiment of the masses in the North.
The result will be that the insurreotiona-
ry principle sdopted in Cameron's letter