Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-04-04
PREPARING TO CAVE IN.

From such expires ions of Southern feeling
as we get at, we infer that the most intelli-
gent portion Of the people, the leaders of the
rebellion always excepted are in the state of
mind that bully experiences when he has
been soundly whipped and knows he must
yield. but yet hesitates. The following let
ter, written by Louisiana major to his sister
in New Orleans, and found on the battle field
at Pea Ridge, Arkansas, shows good APP
probation of the military position, and that
the rebels begin to correct their low estimate
of Yankee pluck-and that is really main
point gained -
"DrAn SISTER CARRrE You asked me in your let
ter what thought OF the prospect OF dearly beloved
To be- candid. have little hope for its success
now though last December felt confident we would be-
recognized before the coming June / don't like the
Yankees bit have been educated 10 hate them and
| do hate them heartily but must acknowledge the
Souih has been sadly mistaken in their ch,ra ter We
have always believed that the Yankees would not fight
for any hing like principle that they had chyary
no poetry in their nature. Perhaps they have not but
that they brave, Determined persevcrng they have
proved beyond question Inc trouble with mcm is that
they get tired VI anything They lost all the bat
ties at first aud after Manassas dc.pscd them This
year has inaugufated new order Of Affairs. We are
beaten al all points. We do nothing but surrender and
cvacuate, and while hate the Luc0lnitcs more than
ever respect thtmI can't help it-fr their dosstd
obsuacf and tc slow but steady in which tncy
carry out ther plans. have lost heart In our cause
There is something wrong somewhere JEFF Davis and
drew into our present difficulties, and now have no
way OF showing us out Of them If the South had known
what would have been the result Of secession no state
unless south Carolina would have gone oI Of the Union
We an thought could go in peace I know did,
and laughed at the idea Of the North attempting keep
us DO the Union by force Of arms
There is similar compelled tribute to
Yankee valor and persistence in the follow
ing paragraph of a letter from Richmond to
the New Orleans Crescent
"You will naturally desire To know how the people n
The confederate metropolis stand these trying me-for
j. is evident that we are not safe in these days Of light
drah guunoats aud high water. answer, iu the main
stand 10 vcry we'll Some, Co be sure. are down heart
cd aud nobody board grim they did the day
after the battles o Lecsburgh. Still there Is universal
deternWtuun TO do OF dt,-o go down. II need be with
our harness on, Warring like brave people 90 the last
passed Cen WRfall ON my return from dinner aud ask
cd bin if there any news. NO, said he 4 don't
believe we have been whipped since dinner. / expect
though, 90 hear N another defeat hc next five mnu-
tes Somehow can't help thinking Of liacck's asscr-
uon by telegraph to Mcclellan that the Union dag is
on The soil VI Tennessee be removed This IS
brag, but the Yankees have mp this time stuck like
ceches Wherever they have effected landing They i'm
trench themselves and at the FIRST spade Full Of earth
thrown up by them our generals give right up and
all lost They have attacked us repeatedly in trenches
aud forts, and carried the latter invariably, while we,
with the exception Of the St Nichoa, affair aud few
others, have not done daring thing through the Nhole
war Another noticeable difference between The Yankees
and OURSELVES is that they follow up their Victories while
We squat down in tracks the moment a battle is
ended Ihis is shameful fact which di,hcatens me
more than anything else. have no hope now in any
body but God and BcAurcgafd
The following is an extract from rel ell let
ter found by one of our soldiers, after the
capture Of Fernandina. Fla
NASHVILLE. Tenn. Feb 90
DEAR SoN,-l have not much time 20 write you. for
we are rcireat.ng from Nashville The Damned Yankees
pave driven u out oi our old quarters aud they will
drive Gus OF this place The, are about tty thnn-
sand strong. and dlht Ike derib am afraid they viii
take Stephen, for be only started Yesterday don't
think the south hold much longer r the people
gre starving go DEATH and so ATE the soldiers up this way
think they will soon rebel against themselves Won't
be awful for us to have to give up the Damned Yam
koes ,
There is another feature that is auspicious.
The southern people begin to find out that
the rebellion is an affair of the political lead
ers, and not Of the southern people generally.
The Nashville Banner says that Gov Foote,
expressing himself in the Confederate Con-
gress in opposition to secret sessions said,
" He didn't intend TO have any more Of them.
This revolution, he said, thus far, had savored
too much Of a revolution OF leaders and not
of the people " He uttered great truth. -"
says the Banner The leaders have had
everything their own way, and the masses of
the people have only participated to the ex-
tent that their services or means are reauir-
ed Foote himself is one of the most gull
ty of the leaders, who deceived and misled
the people into the war upon the Union. He
told them at Montgomery, at the first out
break of the rebellion, that the Yankees
would not fight Perhaps he believed it. At
any rate the people generally believed it. or
they would not have gone into secession at
all, as the letter from the Louisiana officer.
quoted above, frankly conlesses