Daily Nashville union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1862, 1862-04-16
Guerilla war.


whole State ravaged like Missouri,
Southern kentucky and Eastern Ten
nessee, by rowing bands of freebooters,
plundering on their own account, in the
name of Southern rights and the South
ern Confederacy. The value of the ne
groes alone stolen by these precious
scoundrels, and run Off further South,
cannot be less than million of dollars.
We are not ignorant of the efforts to
organize such gangs of marauders in
this region Morgan's exploits, not in
open day and against men armed and
prepared to meet him on equal terms,
and in fair fight, but under cover of
night, sneaking like a thief, disguised
like SPY, against the unarmed and de-
fenceless, are proclaimed as the very
ideal Of high soldierly bearing A mis-
creant by the name of Champ Ferguson,
who, at the breaking out of this rebel
lion, we are informed, stood charged
with murder, is numbering and pillag-
ing the people of Overton and Fentgess
counties, and Of the adjoining parts 81
Kentucky. We also hear of two men
by the name Of Bledsoe and M.HeGrv
similarly engaged. These latter wor
thies are said, however, sometimas to
attack soldiers, when they can steal
upon them at night and surprise them
in their camp in numbers not more than
one-third their own, with what results
possibly Messrs A. j. Marchbanks and
Andrew Ewing could tell.
Another of this brigand fraternity,
whose plundering operations have been
reported to us, is Croft. Waugh, of East
Tennessee. Ills latest reported eX-
PLOTS is a raid into the small mountain
county of Scott, burning the houses,
turning women and children out of doors,
destroying their property, and driving
off their cattle into the me .ptains of
North Carolina A few days ago, a
water tank and some other property on
the railroad between here and the Ken
lucky line, was destroyed. Several per-
sons in the immediate neighborhood, we
learn, were seized and held responsible
for the destruction. 1t viii be remem-
bered that Governor JOHNSON in his
speech at the Capitol the other day,
announced that such guerilla operations
would be certainly and surely punished,
not only in the persons of the parties
concerned, but in the property of their
sympathizers, aiders and abettors. Those
who are tempted to engage in these pi-
ratical adventures had better riitt5r-
stand that the laws will be enforced,
and the enforcement of the laws upon
such offenders mean something. 1t is
not war, it is crime, and must be pun
ished as such Punish the perpetrators,
and hold parties in the vicinity respon-
sible for the amount Of the damages
they in6ict
A prominent citizen of Sumner coun-
ty has written a letter claiming credit
for preventing Morgan from burning the
depot at GaIlatin few weeks ago. thus
showing that he knew Of his operations
there, and might have prevented them.
Let him make good the loss.
AS the signs of the time poriend more
and more clearly an early suppression OF
the military operations of the insurgents
so far as they are capable Of being con-
Quoted on large scale, renewed inter-
est, we observe, is given to a discussion
of the question whether the war for the
Union is likely to degenerate into a
guerilla strife, fed by the combined spir-
it of brigandage and partisan ferocity
We think there is little reason to appre-
bend any such resort on the part Of Tho
armed scdition when its forces shall
have been dispersed, as predatory war.
fare is alien TO the Labits of the Who'll,
American people, and, in practice, il
always found TO be odiousI because in
furious 70 those in whose behalf it pro
fesses to be waged, as it is soon discov
cred that men who engage in this spe
cies of petty war are but a slight remov
from condoitieri, who are ever ready f
prey equally on friend and foe. On thi
point our contemporary, the New Yorl
EorH, remarks as follows
'Gueiia Warfare never YET elrc Cd thD
deliverauce Of any people, without doub