The Abingdon Virginian. [volume] (Abingdon [Va.]) 1849-1883, 1862-12-05
For the Abingdon Virginian.
Gen. Bragg and Kentucky.

NCX1s bIdSS kEu NcKttaCAys
At no time since the beginning of the war,
have the clouds hung more heavily over KEN
lucky than at the present, and who is to blame
for it Gen. BRAGG.
few months Stree the Confederate troops
entered the State from the South. was with
the first force that entered Eastern Kentucky.
A more hearty welcome was never extended to
! any people than that which greeted our troops
as they passed along. ALI seemed full OF glad
ness and Joy At Maysviile, the enemy Were
driven across the Ohio river by about 800 mount
! ed men, leaving the whole of Eastern kentucky
| in our possession. Everything seemed to be
working ensirely to our wishes. Soon Gen.
! Bragg come into the State with large force.
| Our hopes beat higher than ever, but were
doomed speedily to bitter Disappointment
General Bragg, having marched up hill, like
the King of France, Immediately commenced
marching down again, crying aloud tcall the
, Confederate troops in the State to leave Ken
| lucky, and that id quickly" This strange
command, so shocking to Southern men, was in
the highest degree astonishing to the lincoln
ties. Believing the movement to be strategic
one for their entrapment, they stood amazed
and ircredulous for nearly two weeks, fearing
to advance. General Bragg, to cover up his un-
| accountable conduct. Immediately commenced
sandering Kentucky and Keniuckians, charging
| that large majority Of them sympathized with
the North and preferred her to the South Gen.
Bragg mast haze kasoscn thiS to be uatrue.
believe if the State were freed from all ex-
traneous influences, and permitted to vote
the subject, she would disclose her preference
| for the South by a majority of from 50 to TO-,
600. Although it is improbable that man in
General Bragg's position can be so lacking in
intelligence as to be ignorant Of the peculiar
circumstances in, which Kentucky is placed, yet
he seems to ignore them. He MUST know that
Kentucky is bounded on the North by the Chic
river for distance of nearly 8,o mits---that
gunboats ply this stream from one end Of the
State to the other, while the opposite banks
brste with guns bearing upon us from fortif-
cations at every point at which che Federals
think proper to erect them-that the State has
been held IN teavorem for over fifteen menths by
a Federal force OF (for months) 10000 men,
and which was never diminished below from ~
! to 20, O00.that her best men had been chased
from their homes or carried off to Northern
! prisons, there to starve, rot and die, or swear
|. allegiance to the Federal Goyernment--that all
who dared to speak word in favor of the South
or to go out from home were arrested, incarce-
rated in prison and compelled to pay large sums
/ of money and give heavy bonds for their future
conduct: This was the subjugated condition
of Kentucky when General Bragg entered the
State, yet notwithstanding these facts. he ex-.
pected Tor professed to have expected) Ken
tuckians, unarIned rs they were, (forspo man
of Southern sympathies, at the peril of his life,
dared to keep gun or pistol, to rise up III one
day and present him with grand army, before
| he had reached the middle of che State.
|. General Bragg further charges that Kentuk-
ians were unwilling to sell him their produce at
the same prices for Southern currency as for
Kentucky bank paper, andg gives this as addi-
| tional proof that they are untrue to the South.
This inference, I think, every candid man will
agree with me, is unfair. 1t is butnatural that
every one who sells his property wishes TO get
| in exchange Tor it money that he Can use i'll
paying his debts, ant it was admitted by all
that ii the Confederate forces retreated from the
State, the Southern money left behind us would
be valueless to the holders, The conduct Of
! General Bragg in falling back as soon as Blu
ell began to advance, caused many Of the less
sanguine to believe our forces sooatld retreat from
| tile State. In this condition Ut things, allow
| inc for the selfshness OF human nature, which
is to be found in greater or lesser extent every
| where. is it strange if acme could be found who
| preferred Kentucky money, which would re-
| main sound currency, il any event, to a cur
| rency which. judging from the indicstlons of
| the times, would soon be to them, SO far as
using it as circulating medium would be con-
cerned, utterly worthless As fer myself, Edo
! rot think any selfish considerations whatsoever
should have been weighed against their devotion
to our sacred cause, still before condemning too
severely these Kentuckians for the trihing sin of
preferring one kind of currency which circum-
stances made available, to another kind which
circumstances made an available, let US renenl-
1 o%I, RI.
| manor borr.' who abound in every other State
Of the Cenfederacy, and are to be met with in
every city, village and hamlet of the South, using
every means ingenuity can devise to increase
their personal fortunes at the expense Of our
struggling and suffering country.
would say, however, that aside from the au-
thorify of General Bragg, | have no reason to
believe that the people Of Kentucky manifested
any disposition to prefer their own ound, UNI
questionable currency,t to our Confederate cur
rency. Sc far MS my own experience goes, i
must say that found no disposition to make a
distinction invdious to the latter, but on the
contrary, their patriotic impulses generally led
them to prefer it to the former. And although
was very sensitive to anything Of the kind, /
never Glanced to detect the slightest evidence of
any selfish or calculating disposition complained
Of by General Bragg. In my portion of the
State, all was uelIFiaEn VI Joy, dliHoSt every
one hailing us as their deyerers, and to all APP
pearances seemed tosfeel that they could not do
too much for US. Confederate soldier. no
matter how dirty his face, or how ragged and
soiled his clothes, was everywhere almost wor-
shipped as demigod. Every conceivable act Of
hospitality was layished upon them. Every
Southern family kept open doors for their benefit.
The hungry were fed, the naked were clothed.
and the sick were nursed as carefully and ten