The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1862-03-04
WHAT THE PRISONERS SAY.

A correspondent of the Cincinnati Con,
naercial, in giving an account Of an interview
with some of the rebel officers captured a
Fort Doneson, says:
held long and minute conversations will
number of these officers which | would Xix,
to narrate in detail, but have not time.
gathered tho fact that not one out of ten O
them have any confidence in the success O
this rebellion. Surgeon w. G.. Owen, O
Graves battery, when asked him what Ia,
candiGly thought about it, said, 81 think W,
are played out" Seeing me making notes
he said, "just add, if you please, "unless W,
have better Generals" "Certainly," said ]
"Please add, also, said the Dr., abut he i
not discouraged" Certainly, and 60 the Doc
tor cannct complain Of being misrepresented
lie says that himself and friends are willing {,
die with General Buckner, who had an op9or
,unity to escape but refused to leave his men
Tho most Of these officers were loud in tn ei
denunciation of the Tennessee troops. Th,
81 Tennessee, they say, fled ngloriousy be
fore the lllinoisans, though their Cclone
(Bfown) acted gallantly. They say thei
gr at error has been in trying to hold Ken
lucky, by which foolish measure they hav,
peried the State Of Tennessee. They make
no secret Of their belief that the larger portion
OF the population are not reliable.
ILere Is one more incident Of the fight, re
lated to inc by DR.. Owen, which, think
coming from him, can be believed. He saw
IN The woods, some three fourths Of n mil.
south Of their battery, two dead bodies, one
with his IL nd clenchod in the others bair
and he in turn with his hand in the other,
collar. and each one of iham With HE knit :"
the others body. The Doctor spoke Of thi:
scene AS a pleasing one, on account Of the
true courage Displaced.
II anything more terrible tnan that scene
can be found even on tho battle field, we b ave
yet to hear Of it,
The editor of the Chicago Journal 10 re-
porting an interview with the prisoners in tha,
city, says:
1t is difficult to convince these msled men
that the object Of this war is not to free the
slaves, or that President Lincoln is not an
Abolitionist. These and similar absurd no.
tions appear to have been so deeply impress
ed upon their minds by their lying politicians
and leaders "down thar" that they cannot be
readily persuaded that they have been de-
celved. One Tennessean told us the reason
why he enlisted was the supposition that the
Northerners were coming down there to free
all their slaves, and "a big pile of them went
into the war thinking so; but, if this is al! a
lie, why, for my part, am sorry ever shot a
musket at any Of your folks, for l have moth
ing agn EN-"
Some of them suppose that they are fight,
ing for the old Union, and that the Northern
ers wanted to break it up so as to abolish
slavery-and they hardly believe you when
told that the Norherners are fighting to pre-
serve tho Union, and that all President Lin.
coin or any of us ask Of the South is that they
shall respect the Constitution, the laws ard
the Governmental authority Of the old Union
of Washington, Jefferson and Jackson, under
which We have lived and prospored so long.
Indeed, very few Of these men can tell us def
initeIy what they have been fighting for. -
Some Of them went into tho rebel army "for
the fun Of the thing Others because they
were forced into it, and not few because
they supposed that they were going to keep
the Aboltionists from invading the South for
the purpose Of freeing their "ngger,," plum
derng their homes, and Jesolating their
country,