Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-08-11
The Presidents Order.

In another column will be found President
Davis Order, concerning ths inhuman and
base orders of Lincoln's Secretary of War.
and these of the yankee Generals Pope.
Steinwehr and others.s The l~eniency of the
policy adopted by President Davis, seems to
strike every one with surprise. We publish,
ed in our last the cartel agreed upon for
the release of prisoners of war, signed by
the Representatives of both the northern and
southern governments, in which we were
surprised to find not a word guaranteeing in
Identification for the protection of the rights
and property of citizens Of the south, and
no provision whatever for that branch of our
service known as partisan Rangers" when
1T was known to our authorities that yankee
officers had declared that they would not re-
gard such as prisoners of war;" but as un-
authorised guerilla bands, whom they would
hang as pirates would be at sea. Still more
surprise must be felt, on reading President
Davis order, issued since the signing of the
Cartel" On the very day after the agree
ment between the Confederate and Federal
t6eneralss Lincoltis Secretary of War has d.
rected the commanders of the forces of that
Government to appropriate any and all pro-
perty of our people to the use OF their armies
without rendering e compensation; and also
on the very next day after the signing of the
agreement, Maj. Gen. Pope issued an order
directing the murder of our peaceful inhabi-
tants as spies, if found quietly tllling the
farms IN his rear, even outside of his lines ::
and one of his Brigadier Generals, Steinwehr.
has already seized upon five innocent and
peaceful inhabitants, to be held as hostages,
to the end that they may be murdered in
cold blood if any of his soldiers are killed by
some unknown persons whom he designates
as bushwhackers," meaning our Partisan
kanger corps. These lawless and outrageous
proceedings on the part of the enemy have
induced our authorities the order under con.
sideration.
In his treatment towards the base and
treacherons enemy now invading our soil, the
president has shown q ~lcniency calculated to
challenge tho wonder and establishment of
the world. Events almost without number
have already shown that the amiable policy of
our Government only tends to incite the
wretches to darker and more cruel deeds.
increasing from the petit thievishness of the
rascals to robbery on a larger scale, deyasta-
ton and wanton waste of goods and property.
the issuing Of orders by commanding Gener-
ais, directing a brutal soldiery to violate the
persons of our wives and daughters, to say
Rfs6fFeOassspns vs4srH.dst, the expel1ing from
their homes the populotion of an entire city,
until now their flagitious villainly seems t.
have eliminated by forcing upon US a war
which savages would abhor, and in the prac
tics OF which no quarter is to be given, no.
age or sex to be spared.
Then if q policy Of retaliation is to be in
augurated, why wait to capture Pope or som
men of his command ? Have we not now tn
men in our possession to set apart as hostages
And would it not be- more likely to convine
the North Of an esrnestness on our part, wer
we to commence with those already in hand
If hanging a few Yankees is the only correc
tive for the abuses practised by the Govern
ment at Washington, and as this mode
retaliation will be eur alternative, we say |
it be begun, regardless ofcartels. That poll
beyond which forbearance ceases to be o vi
tue, We think is passed.