The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1862-12-06
Union Sentiment In virginia,


The Baltimore american publishes an in
teresiing letter from resident of Barry
Loudon county, Va. to a friend in Balti
more. in which the following passages oe
cur:
''For two weeks past We have been be
tween two fres-'Fcds' one day aud Con
feds the next. But now the federal fac
overshadows the county Of Loudon. Fed
eral troops are swarming. Burnsids's COM
mand have nearly all crossed the Potomac
They are encamped in large numbers at
Purcelville, at Wheatland, at Waterford,
and between there and Lovettsviile, and
understand that q large force occupies Lees
burg. A pontoon bridge has been thrown
across the river at this place, on which they
cross with more rapdity than they could
have crossed on that beautiful aud costly
bridge SO wantonly destroyed some twelve
months ago by the Confederate soldiers TO
prevent 'Lincoln's bloodhounds' from con
Eliminating the sacred soil Of Virginia.
"War-a bloody, relentless war, is upon
us with all its horrors-at our very doors.
i must confess that my faith in the ability
of the American people for self government
is shaky. Our boosted Independence at the
ballot-box is a myth. The elective fran
chise, where is it? Gone. clean gone. L
fear forever. In the Confederate States it
is now welded by a self-created aristocracy
The doctrine Of Senator Mason. that all
who could not vote for secession must leave
the state is n standing comm entsry on the
not vote at all 1t is a me lancholy truth
that We. the people, have suffered our
selves to be led by the nose or silenced at
the polls. Even Virginia-the old mother
of states and statesmen--witha all her Union
proclvities. with all her hatred for the doc
trine Of secession, by this modern political
legerdemain is made to secede at the polls
History will some day, I trust, set this matter
in its true light. II Virginia. like Mary
land. bad shown her faith by her works, I
We should now be enjoying the blessings Of
peace.
''But what are we fighting for? I can
readily perceive that the government is /
fighting to preserve the integrity, the per.
manenoy Of that Union vouchsafed us BY I
our revolutionary fathers; but have yet to
find the first man that can give good rea-
son why the South is in arms. True. one
will tell you that we are fighting to protect .
our negroes, another that we are fighting
for our homes, for the protection Of our
wives and children, our sisters and daugh
tiers, from brutal, savage soldiery. Strange
a. ii may appear. such has been the poison
Infused into the minds Of the people tina,
many, very many. good, honest. well mean
ing men sincerely believe that the Union
army are q set of Goths and Vandals, come
to rob. burn and destroy: to murder our
children and violate our women, and, il not !
resisted, will take possession Of our lands /
and divide them among their savage hordes.
O.. = ~ Al. l.
among the people by the leading men and /
am ashamed TO own, with too much success.
Hence the desperation with which our sol
diers fight.
elm truth We haze made a series of mis-
takes, not to cay blundsrs. from the start
We made . grand mistake at first in sece- |
ding from tho Union; again. when We rc!us
ed a liberal compromise; again. when We
fred the first gun upon Fort Sumter; again, !
when we relied upon foreign aid: again,
when We believed our bonds would 60 at
par in Europe: again. when we claimed that
the North would bs % divided as TO nullify
any attempt 20 put down the rebellion; and
again. when We boasted that we could whip
the 'cowardly Yankees i've to ons.' The
North has made some sad mistakes also, BY |
not using more vigilance and more energy
Ut the start: by waiting until the South was
well supplied with arms aud munitions OF
war; BY believing that 'sonthern chivslry'
was nothing but gas. and could easily be ex-
tipguished: b.. supposing that seventy five
thousand men could conquer peace in three |
months. Thee, and's long series Of such
mistakes on both sides, have drawn MS into
. war Of formidable aimensions-sw war that
10 rapidly dePls,ing our unhappy eouutry Of