The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-05-16
The Real Feeling in the Soutb.

A correspondent of Boston commercial
house. who has been travelling recently i,
kentucky and Tennessee, writes home tba
MS personal observations lead to the belle
That the people, not only of the border states
out OF the cotton states, will return to theil
aIleglance as soon as they see that the sue
cess OF the government is sure thing. lie
sayS:-
81 clearly find very much less serious dam
mage to the portions of Tennessee and Ken
lucky | have visited than expected, owing
to the fact, presume, that the armies of the
South have occupied only few points, and
been moved by railroad long distances, and
have never numbered anything like the men
in any one body, that we were led to sup
pose. Union men may be found with unac-
knowledsed and unpaid claims for forage and
food, while as a general thing in this region
they paid their friends. But such places and
cases are not numerous compared with the
extent of the population Of the state, and will
therefore produce no great or general losses.
How strange the faith of the people of this
section was, and is, as to the success of the
rebellion, you may judge of, when tell YOU
that nearly all who took the rebel money
parted with it as hastily as possible at tit
best going rate, OF else went South and
bough: cotton. The result is, that only a
small portion of such money remains in this
region. and that the loss viii eventually fall
upon the cotton states. The facts | have
named lead me to the conclusion that Ten
nessee and Kentucky will be much less i'm
poVerished than had supposed, and that the
cotton states will be much more so.
81 now feel confident that the superior
power of the North is realized by nearly all
Of the people who have come within the lines
of our army, and although there is an unde-
niable strong belief that the southern army
vii! prevail against US, yet it is equally unde-
niablc that it arises solely from blind infat-
uated hope that the South can never be con-
quered. and is rot based on any reason or
calculation whatever. am equally satisfied
that large majority desire peace and are
sick of the war that they would like to con-
quer, but failing to do so, will be prepared,
whenever the result becomes too clear to
doubt it, to withdraw from al active efforts
to continue the war, and submit to a neces-
sity they have not the power to resist. Be-
yond the mere boastng of speech, | cannot
see any evidence or signs whatever of will
ingness to die in the last ditch, or to trans
nit the war to their children and never sub
nit; all their own actions wherever our ar
my has gone gives the lie to all such preten-
sions. Ask them, rs | have, alone, why they
have submitted, and the reply is, we had not
the power to resist, but the people furth r
South never will to which | replied. they
will do precisely as YOU have done under like
circumstances. There is humility of man.
ncr and moderation Of speech among them
unexpected by many, but not by me, and !
predict like result wherever our army goes.
il not defeated.
| have been kindly received in several
rebel stronghoids in Tennessee, and find
things better than | expected. | have spt k
en- openly and freely and been listened to
kindly and attentively. The newspapers of
New York (inclrding the Tribune,) Clncinna-
Il, Louisville, and st Louis. find ready sale
and circulation. Light is coming in upon
them they begin 70 appreciate the fact that
we nave been lied about: that they commit
ted a greyious error in going 20 war, and
should have relied on ballots instead of bull
lets; that they are kindly treated, and that
our soul object is the restoration of the Tn
ION as it was. Strange to say | have not
heard man speak unkindly OF Mr. Lin
colin y