The New York herald., 1862-01-18
NEW YORK HERALD, SATURDAY, JANUARY 1s 1862

The Union Reaction I'm the south and
the Desperation OF the Rebel Leaders.
! Our returning soldiers from the tobacco
warehouses of Richmond are in general demand
from the fund of interesting facts and anecdotes
! which they bring with them from the head.
quarters of JEFF Davis and his rebel confederate
rulers. But by all odds the most interesting in.
formation We have thus received is that of the
| existence in Richmond of an extensive and
the relentless despotism of Davis against every
citizen suspected of Union sympathies The
same story always excepting South Carolina)
comes up from every rebellious State. We are
thus assured, that if we can only keep our radi-
cal abolition faction in the background until
we shall have gained victory overthe rebels in
arms which will undeniably open our way to
be any necessity for another battle in order to
bring this rebellion down into the 1ust. Open
the way to their protection, we are told, and
| the Union men of the revolted States will soon
bring the rebel government and it's armies and
supporters to capitulation to the old flag of
| the Union.
This direct testimony Of witnesses who speak
from personal observation as to the existence
of still living, hopeful and widely diffused
attachment to the Union throughout the South
excepting South Carolina) is strongly corrobo-
rated by the desperate expedients Of the rebels
to bolster up their sinking cause. For ex-
ample, the Legislature of Tennessee the other
day resolved that all and any propositions from
the United States for a reconstruction of the
Union "should be met promptly and unhes-
tatingly by our indignant rejection;" 'that the
secret sympathizers of Lincolnism in the South
deserve to be branded as traitors to the South
and enemies of their country" and that 'any
commissioners appointed by the Lincoln Con-
gress to the government of the Confederate
States, having for the object of their mission a
reconstruction of the old Union, should be at
once promptly rejected;" but, at the same time,
these fellows confess themselves extremely
anxious for peace, upon the basis of Southern
independence.
This idea of peace commissioners from Wash
ington seems to have been derived from the
resolutions on the subject some time ago
offered in our federal Senate by Mr.. Salisbury,
of Delaware, Union man suspected Of seces-
sion proclivities. But the vindctive spirit with
which this proposition was pounced upon by
the managing rebels of the Tennessee Lersla-
ture shows that they have their fears upon the
subject, and that they consider it judicious to
stiAe at once any impressions of probability
of peace through q joint commission upon the
platform of "the old Union" The Tennessee
Legislature, In its ferocious resolutions on this
question, virtually confesses the existence in
the State of dormant Union sentiment, which,
at oil hazards, must be kept down to the last
extremity of resistance.
But again: In the leading editorial article
from the Richmond Examiner which we pub.
lished yesterday, we have what we think we
of the Rebels" The despairing editor in ques-
ton deplores the inactivity of the rebel army;
the defensive attitude in which it has so long
remained; the consequent demoralizations of
the rebel camps, and the fact that ''the enemy
(the United States) have found themselves at
perfect leisure, in the very presence of our
legions, to devise, mature and make trial of
any plan of campaign or assault which they
have thought expedient;" and that "nowhere
have they been thrown by any movement Of
ours into a moments alarm for the safety
of any army, or any district Of country in
their possession, except on the memorable oc-
cason of their panic for the safety of Washing
ton city, which the same evil genius Of defence
prevented from being taken by our forces"
Il
that this defensive policy of Davis has caused
the loss by camp diseases of 'ten thou
sand heroes who, if led against the enemy,
might have escaped the dangers of the
field" after winning important victories;
and, finally, he declares that "ttat cannot
be glorious system of warfare which
never ventures an aggressive movement, or
even battle, and which, though expecting at
tack every day, yet decimates its armies by in
action"
This is a gloomy picture of the rebel cause,
as painted by rebel artist but he has not re
vealed one-half the dismal story. The simple
truth is that, in every point of view, this re-
belion is upon its last legs. lis armies, badly
fed, badly clothed, and "decimated" by sick
ness, are in no condition to withstand the pres
sure Of our advancing columns, East, West
and South The people of the revolted States,
sespoied of their young men, their negroes,
their cotton sales, their cash, goods, produce,
horses, cattle and clothing to supply the rebel
armies, are in no condition to prolong the war
in the face of one or two crushing defeats.
The finances of the rebel States Confederate
and local, are reduced to tie chaos of food
of worthless shinplasters never before known
in any civilized community. 1t is simply i'm
possible, with the advantages of the good
''old Union" still held out before them, that the
sensible people of the South can much longer
endure this horrible despotism CT Davis in its
hopeless resistance against the rightful autho-
rity of the United States.
Let our armies and naval expeditions ad.