Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-12-27
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1870 RROM uRGINIA


OAKLAND MILLS, Loudon county, Va
December 20, 1851.
EDITORS APPEAL; My dissertation last week
OF the proneness Of the Yankees to tricks, is
daily verified. On Saturday morning last, after
the Yankees had been attempting to shell Fort
Evans . for two days. a huge aerial monster
was discovered lowering overhead, like some an
CRY leviathan, ready to pounee down upon any
foe. The cry was soon raised that the Yankees
were evidently making a reconn o~issance, not
"in force, however, employing for that pur-
pose a very cumbrous, though inoffensive bal
loon. Whether they discovered any of those
"masked batteries or no, is left for the @re-
nsut's report. Tn wish was made by all that
we had a large riied cannon, in order to play
the same joke upon the q high-fyerp that our
battery near Dumfries did on a similar occasion:
send 3 bomb through the visitor.
The enemy have a battery on the opposite
shore, with which they often attempt to harass
cur men engaged in the erection of fortifea-
tons. SO far, however, nobody has been
hurt on our side,' though the annoyance is
some. Whether it would be proper to state how
and when, it is doubtful, but we siyly i~nsinuate
th6t some fine morning Gen. Hin viii suddenly
unmask a battery, and belch forth a few danger
Gus missiles into the Yankee camp, astonishing
them with our aptitude at learning tricks.
From some mysterious movements lately dis
eernible among the Yankee troops, cur forces
have been uncommoaly suspicious and vigilan,,
in anticipation Of an attack. The supposition
is, that if they cross in force again soon, it viii be
under cover Of darkness. They do this, doubt
less, to make the am of our boys less effectuaL
The Yankees moraEze at great length on our
b~arbGnons system Of warfare, and term it very
.sunciviGzed,' on account of our taking aim.
They say Christians are never guilty of such a
deed in war! They then assume to themselves
the name of Christian, and as for US, they are
welcome to all the consolation and satisfaction
to be derived therefrom.
The enemy have annoyed us no little all this
year, by their petty excursions across the river
at Lovettsville, and by their feats of agility have
heretofore eluded our vigilance. On Sunday
evening they were brought to a stand still by the
sudden appearance of a company of pickets
llUll IL kloA -4A1oAcclPpA AACAt. Il fdltg u
some twenty, headed by a notorious villain
named Means, (who has always accompanied
tie ma7aading parties, from his knowledge of the
country generally crossed the river on the said
day and were preparing to ste9i a little, perhaps,
when our pickets pounced SUD denly upon them,
killing seven and taking twelve prisoners only
one escaping to narrate the rout Of the party.
The said Means was among the prisoners taken.
This may tend to break up the incursions in a
great measure, for it is said by citizens here
that this fellow Means was worth whole brigade
sof Yankees, employed in these depredasions.
The energy of our new general is the theme
Of comment, and a more perfect feeling of Sc
curity seems to animate citizens here. Breast
works and Qualifications are admirable and
servieeable things sometimes, and again some
times they make towards of soldiers. Without
breastworks, soldiers will make q final and des-
perate stand anywhere, tut if conscious of their
having Qualifications to fall back on, not much
good can ever be obtained from them if taken
from behind them. If this mall brigade had
been fortified here on the 2lst of October, l deem
1t exceedingly doubtful whether the name of
Leesburg would now be synonymous with q
glorious victory. But those in command of
course know, or at least ought to.
The blighting influence Of the Lincoln dy-
nasty has long since been felt, even by those
who were once his most devoted minions, and
the yoke of tyranny is becoming unbearable to
those who detest his besotted actions. Deser-
tions from the ranks of bis army are not at all
new. and scarcely deserve notice. yet when we
see a regiment of men, headed by their officers
entire, with the Confederate flag proudly faunt-
inc in the breeze, and the cadence of the step
regulated to tbe glorious tune of Dixie, per-
formed by a fne brass band when, l say, we
witness these men coming from the enemy's
ranks and claiming our protection, and aiding
ia hurling the invader fem the sacred soil Of
zheir native South, it certainly causes us to give
one loud hozannah to
God and our native land
Last week an entire regiment Of MsTylanders
deserted and came into our lines at Centervihis
They had been sent out from Alexandra as pick
els, when they acted, perhaps from one cause,
probably fro N another, as / have stated.
Short Communications to editors are far prefer
able. 1 know, vet ] desire 70 encroach upon a
little more space than / usually consume. to speak
of this war. about its duration, etc l am not
going to take any hackneyed position as to
whether it viii be long or short, for of that / pro-
Tess no prophets ken. Twill breach a new sub
ject entirely, and, asa beginning, abruptly say
that the southern people should encourage ami
znOsiiy, and keep this war in continuance for at
least five OF seven years. Perhaps this remark,
mShout my why's and whereforse, viii throw
ma 4 y into fits of holy horror, but if they are
open 70 conviction tue argument viii show how
true my position is. To enter into an elaborate
discussion Of my position in one letter. viii be
zoo much of an eneroaehment upon your space,
but 1 hope to make as brief an exposition as viii
make me understood. First, then, as appropos
70 the subject, the southern people are a proud,
noble and chvalric people, and their greatest de-
sire is to be independent. Second, that the ele-
ments that compose the Southern Confederacy
.us equal. if not Superior to that which does and
always will render a nation wealthy, prosperous,
intelligent and thoroughly Independent, Third,
4hst the southern people, though Incorporating
81 these advantages, and especially desiring the
jmmuldties ensuing from thorough independence,
have nerey embraced them Fourth, that the
doctrine of State rights men has ever been the
advocacy Of measures insuring Independence at
home, over and above every otheT consideration
A nation OF community is but a body Of private
Individuals, and the motives that influence one
MAJ viii influence many. Now, in the iuaugu-
gaaon of a new nationality. the great principle is
70 start Alright. However much the South may
desire to do this, there exists a certain timidity
aud lack o. confidence to cause them to strike
out boldly WITHOUT s~omeimpelling motive. This
impeling motive is found now in the present
war. Hence this Is an opportunity that should
not be lost to innovate upon past false principles.
Il is needless for me to tell our resources, as it
has been done over and over again. We all
know that they are more powerful than any other
nation IN the world. and only require the eiu to
render them subservient to cur desires. 1t il
also well known that the South has nerer been
independent. Our present lack of many essen
uials ezea Of comfort shows the extent of our
-o.--Tara We lob around