Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-09-15

and armed from the workshops of Europe, l.
nave been hurled back from our Capital, q
With slaughter and disgrace, by troops. IN t
many cases, ragged, barefooted, and armed .
With the condemned mxskets of the old
government! According to their own re-
ports, Co., 900 soldiers swsrmed into our
borders, desperate with fanatieisn and
lust-fred by copfscation laws; where are
they nova? How have we beaten them
back? Skilfull Generals and brave SOL
diers have undoubtedly fought our
battles, bat can We not recognize too the
special favour Of Heaven in our great de-
hverance: The bush has indeed burned
with fire, but is not consumed, because of
the presence Of the Living God.
North Carolina has sent forth near 5O,-,
600 men, and can send many more. Are
there any among US who faint or despair 2
Oh, my countrymen! have we any in our
midst who still look back to the flesh pots of
vassalage, and for the sake Of peace, would
leave their children a heritage of shame, to
feed upon the bitter husks Of s~ubjugatioh :
Is there yet a man iu the gallant historic
State Of North Carolina, so imbedded In
political dogmas as to be unmindful of the
claims Of his country-as not to hear the
great blows which are shaking the CONT
nent, for him and his children? If SO,
let me beg of him to judge of the fate
that awaits US if vanquished, by the
manner in which oar enemies are waging
this war, as they say, for the Union as
it was, and the Constitution as it is" Let
him behold the mournful professions of
of gray-haired men, women and children,
III our sister State of Virginia, thrust out
of their homes, because they wonld not
, take the oath of allegiance, wandering
: with feary feet and bleeding hearts into
! homeless exile let him see the burning
: homes and desolated fields which mark
' the track of their armies the murder Of
: uasrmed citizens, and, Ia some Instances
Of little boys; the threats against the
n chastity Of our sisters in New Orleans
the we'll authenticated murder of prise
o ners taken in battle aud lastly, th'
: attempt tc arm brigades of African slaves
Is against US, 10 whose hands our mothers ant
', sisters would find murder indeed a messer
of ger of relief IF all this should fail to arous
a. his soul to resistance, then indeed is b
le dead to every sense of shame, and deaf t
a his conntry's voice.
l. To prosecute this war with success
a. there is quite as much for our people
L. for our soldiers to do. One of the MOS
1e vital elements of our success is harmon,
We On this great issue of existence itself, Il
there, | pray you, be no dissenting vOit
Sc in our borders. Let the names and watc|
b. words which once divided us, divide rs t
more forever. Let a new order of thin!
III isasft, let Us see nothing, hear nothing, kno
a. nothing but our country and its suffer
cir ings.
Congress, in April last, passed an act
CONSUMPTION, whereby all able bodied zoe
Dg with certain exceptions, between the az
ce of eighteen and thirty-fye years, are Ell
he rolled for military duty. Many of y,
mt thought it harsh and unconstitutional {;
was harsh, and mag haze been unconstit
tional, though many of our ablest state
re, men thought not. To stop now to arg
e. it, could only produce the greatest nischi
yet for the reason that it has already be
IN lexecuted upon at least four-ffths of the
subject to it. However Objectionable
al its conception, let US, at least, be Just a
he impartial in its execution. But [ am s,
that if every man who has his countr
my good at heart, but knew of the necess
which existed at the time, he would re
ask der it . cheerful obedience. Within {
en- weeks Of the date ofits passage, are b,
81 dred and forty seven Of our best trail
ter and victorious regiments would have b,
disbanded and scattered to their homes
And this during the very darkest DAYS
ere the history of the war. Fort Donnel
and Nashville had fallen Gen. Hall
the with an overwhelming and victorious ar,
the followed by a vast fleet of iron clad DO
Q of was nressins into tho worry hoort &c
Kin south; the gresta and magnifcently equip
army Of Mcclellan, was in the act of spri
ersy ing, as a tiger, upon Richmond, and
ana make his success doubly sure, was wal
teal for this very thing of disbanding our
ev. iments Roanoke Island and Newbern
the all their dependencies on our coasts (,
lrous liz possession of the enemy, as was 10
des- of South-Carolina and Georgia.
'ople imagine the result ! The Confede
dis government having failed to provic
alton time for this terrible emergency, utter
at was at the door and mast be averted
It's law was passed, and the country was
SANDS ed. 1t fell hardest upon the patriotic
and diers in the feld-they had already 8
good ed twelve months, most of them wit
furloughs. and they had looked forward
counted the days slowly revolving as
tates. seemed, to the time when they shoul'
, but home and all that was dear 20 the