Washington telegraph., 1862-02-12
TO ARMS! To ARMs!-We wish No


leader in our paper to-day! One great
pervading sentiment. will not allow us to
! potter over dull questions of policy, or
!domestlc economy. Citizens of Arkansas,
ear hearth-stones are in daugerl Can
you realize the fact? Great God! are We
asleep! Can nothing arouse US? What
has become Of all that patriotic chivalry
which when first red battle stamped his
| foot' aroused US like host of sleeping
| hons, aud precipitated clouds of undlscip
lined troops, to win glorious victories, by
the whlrlwind force of indignant patriot
ism =? Have we done enough is the
danger past, and are we only waiting for
our vine and fig tree to put forth its ver-
dure?
See +! Already the Invading armies
| trample the soil of Tennessee They de
stoy their bridges, devastate their DWELL
ings, cut off their communications. seize
their strong holds, renace their beautiful
capital! Women turn pale there aud
press their infants closer! Fathers look
upon their daughters and shudder at the
vague sense Of an unimaginable horror |!
Young men nurtured in luxury, rush
shoulder to shoulder, and heart beating
with heart, beside the hardened sons of
toll They are dying gloriously, disput-
ing every inch of ground An overwhelm
ing horde is bearing them back
In Eastern Kentucky they have forced
the barriers, that protected all communi.
cation between the East and West They
are dividing us to conquer in detail.
The fate of Memphis hangs upon the
uncertain strength of our defences at Co.
lumbus. They are preparing to attack
them, with all the advantages of unlimited
men, and armaments. Some accident of
war, the death of some great general, the
snare of some traitor, the mistake of some
order, may lose us the battle. Beauty
and booty may be shouted in the streets
of Memphis. The Mississippi will be at
their mercy. Its waves will be nightly
redeemed like a great fiery serpent, by the
burning cotton sheds of patriotic planters.
Before We regain it again, i: will show By
day a fercer red; flowing with the mingled
blood of invader and invaded
The brave Price stands with his gallant
band at Springfield aud calls for aid They
come down upon him like the avalanche.
Our own little Spartan band in Arkansas,
are not enough upon that line. Ii they
are defeated Ft. Smith falls into the hands
of the enemy, and all our Western tier OF
counties down to R-d River will be open
to the merciless fury Of Lane aud his de-
mons.
All around our coast from Norfolk to
Galveston navy, still, despite its losses,
more terrible than the Spanish Armada,
threatens and strikes. One by one our
har bors are taken. Large armies may be
landed aud cut off the communications
from the South.
Aud what do We? We shut our eyes
to the danger. We lide our beads in the
sand, and dream of safety. We are "at
ease in ZiOu." Woe unto us too, if that
continues.
There really is no danger, if we take
our heads out of the sand and stand against
the hunter. We are invincible. But we
must rise to the emergency. Few of
these invaders will revisit their homes if
we are true to ourselves, our honor, the
memory of our sires. our families and our
hearth-stones.
We acW be true Let us arouse for the
struggle