Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1862-05-12
s. And thou. my Country, thou shalt never fall
But with thy children

And thou, my Country, thou shalt never fall
But with thy children"
The darkest hour of this fearful war is
now upon us. Our own and the destiny of
millions yet unborn, depend upon the success
or defeat of the Southern arms in a few brief
days. The enemy hath hedged us in on eve
ry hand, and the next blows that are stricken
will be decisive of the contest, so far as the
enemy is concerned; but will only decide
whether we of the South are to gain our indie
pendence now, or have longer days, or
weeks, or months or years of struggles, sui
ferings and sacrifices to endure before it is
achieved. If we shall vanquish the foe in
the great battles impending on the Peninsula
and the valley of the Mississippi, and rout
and capture him, with his stores and muni-
tons of war-as we verify believe in God we
will-then the day of our deliyerance is at
hand, and the war will be brought to a
speedy close, But should reyerses oyertake
us and defeats befall US, it will only protract
the struggle, for we shall be no more nearly
conquered then, than when the Infamous
threat of s~u6jugation was first proclaimed
against us.
How can it be o~therwiseS How caa the
people OF the South for a single moment en-
terrain the thought, even, of submission to
yankee ras? 1t cannot be, unless we are
content to submit to injuries, expressions
and outrages Of every character, such as no
people on earth have ever endured. These
threatened outrages and suferings are no
frenzled imaginings OF the timid and irreso-
lutte, but are fearful realities, the f~oretaste Of
which many of the people of the South are
now already suffering from the Vandal
hordes who hoFG temporary possession of
many parts of our country. Witness the
hundred outrsges committed on female hon.
or, childish innocence and decrepid age
Listen to the cries of hundreds of citizens in
chains and dungeons, for no other offence
than loyalty to the land they live in. See
the nine hundred citizens of Nashville ar
ralgned before their courts for alleged 'trea-
son. And hear the sentence of death to
some, to the penitentiary of others, and of
conhscation OF property, real and personal,
to all. And then contemplate the slavery,
abjeet, tyrannical, to which we shall all he
subjected; and then let every one ask him
self-Can this war end, except in Southern
Independence? PaIsied be the tongue that
would utter, and putrid the heart that would
entertain a hope or desire for peace on any
other terms.
But we have nc. fears of being conquered
as q nation, or la~ssiagated as q people
Tnougn all eur sssports may be captured,
and our harbors bs IN possession of the vile
foe, and our rivers be blockaded with his gun
boats, still will our u%nconquered hosts rally
on our inland plains and in our mountain
Businesses and deal death and destruction tc
his serried hosts. And victory will be ours
We have no more doubt of this than we had
in the beginning of the contest. But to Sc
cure the victory, we must 6ght-fght terri
5 bly,, fercely-resolsing never to give way
or abate the struggle, whether it be for a few
, months, or a long series Of bloody years
trusting in God and the righteousness of on,
cause.
To do is to succeed-our fight
I Is Wag'd In Heavens approving sight
The smile eff God is victory