Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1862-07-02
THE sEcEsH AT CAMP CURTIN.

3
an account of a visit to the Secesh prisoners,
now at Camp Curtin, from which we take the
following extract
'sThe majority of the prisoners young
men-mere boys, when We estimate their abil-
ity o appreciate any cause, good or bad.
They took up arms, because it was popular to
do SO when they enlisted. They went into
battle because they imagined that victory
would be easily achieved. This is the senti-
ment of many of the secesh now in Camp Cur
tin. Others of them boldly avowed bitter
hatred for the government-feign TO be dis
gusted with its authority, and even IN their
Imprisonment, delight in declaring their con-
tempt for its power. Such as these confess
that the south was deceived into the war by
the dough faces of the north. They eXclaim-
ed with bitterness that northern opposition to
slavery first prompted the south to treason,
and that the promises of northern aid and sup
port was the first inducement to revolt. Had
northern dough- faceism been as true to the
south as it was heretofore servile and cringng
to its political leaders, this rebellion would
have been ended six months since in its COM
plete triumph. With one of the sbrewdeSt
and most malignant of the prisoners, this was
a serious thought, and seemed to delight in
the reflection that for the pertidy of the north,
the south would add to northern laboring men,
millions of debt, bankruptcy In trade, loss OF
credit in merchandising, want of confidence
| in commerce, and every act which the rash
ness and the rebellion of people could pro-
duce. q have no fear, sir, for the ultimate
snccess of the rebelIion.' was the declaration
of this man. we could procure peace, now,
if we desired such Disgrace he continued,
'but we have other objects IN view than onr
own independence. We intend to bankrupt
the north and PROSTATE free labor. W. intend
| to prolong this until the Congressional
elections when friends.
| dough-fa ces, are expected to elect majOrity
| of representatives in Congress, and then look
| out for Jonathan. If PennSy lvania be in
duced to send such men as Blddle and An
| coma if Ohio will elect delegation of Val
landighams if Indiana decides to give us
| true men like Voorhees, and if the other north
ern States do their duty, as our friends in
those localities promised they are determined
| to do when election day comes Oft. the south
need no longer battle, as the fight will be TAX
en- off of its hands by the dough-faces. jeff
| Davis understands this, and therefore he is
leading the Yankees wild goose chase. All
! that our leaders want is the tax gatherer to go
among the people of the north, before the
| election, and then there will some proba-
bility arise that old JEFF may be permitted to
| take his Christmas dinner in Washington. as a
soace for the disappointment in not having
been able to dine in that city last 4th of July.
| Such was at least the spirit of this conversa-
| tlOu III III IL is UOI the eAdCl udSc.
According to the statement of this rebel-a
man of some intelligenee-we have the as>ur-
ance that the leaders in this inquitous war,
hope, through the aid and sympathy of n orth-
ern men, finally to succeed in their hellsh
plot to destroy our government. To accom-
plish this end they base their hopes upon the
coming Congressional elections. jeff Davis
| &c To a
chase and :sprolong the wal - whilst, under
the lead Of Ancona and Biddle of Pennsylva-
MIA, Valand CHAM of Ohio, Voorhees, of Iudi-
ana, and those of like procivities in the other
Northern States, the people are to be deceived
and induced to elect men of the Breckenridge
stripe to the next Congress.
| Here, then, we have another link in the
great drama of this war. First, Vallandig CHAM
and his thirteen associates issue an address to
the democracy" of the country, evidently to
fiatter the unwary /; and now, we are informed
by a rebel prisoner, that the tax gatherer is tc
| be sent among the people before the election
to create dssentions, in the hope of electing
majority of rebel sympathisers to Congress-
that the north is to he made bankrupt through
| a prolonged war-that free labor is to be pros
trated-confidence in comm, rec destroyed
and that the dough faces of the north have
sspromiscd'' that 'sthey are determined TO do
their share of the work, provided jeff Davis &
Co., will but perform their part in the farce
These ends accomplished, and .sthe Souti
GO need no longer battle, as the fight will bt
ss taken off their hands'' and transferred tt
Congress, and, in the end, to the Northern
States.
Thus, we have the programme of the traitor:
of the South, and of their aiders and abettor:
behooves the intelligent, patriotic and Unior
loving people everywhere TO be on thei
guard. Remember, you will be told that thi
is an ssAbolition'' war to free the ssniggers'
that the people of the South have been i'm
prsoned unjustly-that the Contitution ha
been violated, and the Presidential powers
usurped. You will be appealed to to note the
corruptions cf government officials-the grea
destruction of lite and property-the extrava
gance of the National Administration-th,
immens, Indebtedness of the country-tht
enormous taxation-and, perhaps, to resist by
violence the collection of direct tax. B,
these, and other like representations, yol
are to be deceived and enticed into the sup
port of those who sympathise with traitors ant
treason. We caution all true Union men nov
, at this early day-to watch We'll their OWL
interests, and the interests of the whole coun
try; lest at later period, they will be betray
ed into the hands of the enemy, who are en-
deavoring to destroy the Constitution and th
| Irnion and to trample into the dust all on