The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-07-04

their prother's blood cried unto the Lore
and He heard the cry.
The destroying Angel" has passel
over this land. Many of their fields arr
uncultiyated, their dwellings untenanted
and their churchesand their school house.
have been turned into hospitals or become
the hiding place for the night owl. Ter.
ror sits on every brow, sorrow rests in
every heart The curses of slavery res,
heavily on this people. "a voice of lam.
entation is heard" wives and mothers
weeping for their sons and husbands; but
they are not-they have fallen, fighting
against their country. humanity and God
Long years twill circle away and the
institution Of slavery will have been num-
bered among the barbarities Of hygone
days ere this land shall have recovered
from the curses of the present war.
For thirty miles west Of Corinth, along
the southern line of Tennessee, we find 4
very strong Union sentiment. The pco
pie are true to the old Stars and Stripes.
and hailed with JOY its Temperance in
their midst. Their professions of loyalty
are not sfected-they come from the heart
and reach the heart. have seen the fire
kindle in the eyes of the men and tears
glisten in the eyes of the women as they
have elasped the hands Of the Union sol.
der and welcomed him to their homes
and their tables. have eaten of their
humble fare. and felt myself at home
The people arc moderately we'll off, and
tolerably we'll informed. They are now
organizing companies of State militia.
From Grani Junction westward the
people are nearly all secessionists. Some
OF them make some professions of loyalty,
but their professions bear too strongly the
impress of falsehood. l will let an intel
ligent negro give the history of thereon
version:
GOOD morning, Sambo Any Union
men in this country 7" Eyes, Massa, all
Union men now" "How long have they
been Union men? swell, about three
'oeehs, ever since you ones come in here !"
"What were they before?'' They was
secesh, but when dey heard you was COM
in dsy got skeered and turned Union
for fear you'd take 'em prisoners and send
EN- North"
The idea prevailed very generally that
we we're going 20 set the slaves all free
l have been Intercepted many times by
the poor fellows. tell them that we can t
do any hing for them at present, but that
Congress has partially made provisions
to buy them and give them land of their
own.
Here slavery exists in its mildest forms,
yet no man OF intelligence and honesty
can mingle with the slaves one hour and
say they are contcnted and happy. They
feel their bondage and sigh for the hour
when their jubilee shall be sounded and
they become free. They feel the gross
injustice of having to work all their life
long for other men, and Of having their
families torn asunder by the hand of the
slave trader. They lift their voices to
God in secret prayer for the hour Of their
deliverance, and it will surely come.
There is very little cotton left in this
country, the most of it having been burned
by the rebels before our approach. Corn
is the principal crop planted here this
season. The planters have been very re-
served in planting cotton, the great staple
of this country. Their loss has been too
heavy this year; they dread its recur-
renee next year.
| have mingled with the citizens Of
Tennessee and Northern Mississippi al
most daily for the last three mouths, and
feel satisfied that all classes Of them are
heartily sick OF this war, and would hail
with JOY the return of peace. Most of
the soldiers, from the section through
which we have passed, have deserted and
returned home.
Everything is very high here except
Confederate scrip. | will give the prices
OF few articles, from which you can
Judge the others. Chickens are worth
seventy-five cents apiece; butter fifty cts.
per pound; buttermilk fifty cents per gal
lon; bacon thirty cents per pound coffee
one dollar per pound /; onions sixty cents