Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1862-10-02
From the Petersburg Express.
Tho March into Maryland.

y
We were amongt those who cordially approved of
the demonstration which has lately been made by our
army upon the soil of Maryland. After the brilliant
victories before Washington it important to follow
them up actively By crossing the Potomac, and thus az
ford the people OF Maryland opportunity of shaking
of the vile yoke which the Washington despOtism had
fastened upcG tteir necks 1t only by such
ment Of our forces that the problem could be solved
whether the Maryanders really desired to be liberated
from their chains not If they did, they would avail
themselves promptly of the favorable occasion and
in their might to assist in the great work of their DELI
erance They would welcome with enthusiasm the vic
torous army which thus flung itself n their midst tor
their deiverapce They would contribute of their sub
stance for its support and of their bone aud snew for
its increase. They would readily a0d gladly DO every
thing within their to facilitate and the
accomplishment of its generous mission and thus show
themselves faithful to their radtionary love Of liberty
and hatred Of oppression. These things took it for
granted they would do, if they really desired to be
mancipated from the bond oe which they had been
reduced by the heartess government which, 10 the
of Ua5oniSn, has been trampng into the dust every
right and privilege of freemen. Furthermore, be-
lief was that this test absolutely necessary to
eve the Confederacyof all doubts the actual pop
uar sentiment and feeling in Maryland with regard o
the Southern cause and thereby dsembarrass army
in its operations so far as that State was concerned
We confess that we were not sangune Of enc0uca-
gpg results, especially when considered that W eS
tern Maryland was largely populated by Qnakers and
settlers from the North their descendants in whose
hearts hatred of negro slavery fully strong it
was in the bosoms of the New England abotionists
Still We were decidedly in favor of the experiment be-
ing made to ascertain on which side their sympathes
lay, deeming such knowledge absolutely essential for
the organization of plans for the further prosecu
tion of the
TIE experiment has accordingly been made and the
result we think should Danish from minds the idea
that Maryland is disposed at present to unite ber
destnies with the South. If she had been her people,
upon the appearance of our army upon her SOIL would
have risen en- aSse and rushed by tens Of thousands
into its ranks We speak only of the majority OF them,
for We doubt not that there is very respecta Bile
minority who sympathize warmly with the South
The State Government moreover, is decidedly and in
tensely devoted to the Union So cale and the press
there with scarcely exception is of the same char
acter.
| For these reasons we think that General Lee has
very wisely withdrawn his army from Maryland, the
cooperation of whose people in his plans and purposes
was indispensable for success They have failed to res
pond to his noble appeal in the desired way, and the
victories OF Boonsboro and Sharpsburg, purchased
with torrents of blood have been rendered unpro6tabe
in a matersat point of view They have, however,
deepened the impression upon the enemy of the previous
lessons which gave him in the art of fighting, and
though they may exult, in their crazy fashion over
mmagnary successes heraded in the lying dispatches of
Mcclellan and Lis trumpet-blowers, the no less lying
correspondents and editors of the Lincoln Journals yet