The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-12-31

rest upon policy of this sort, and that be
} Is at the bottom Of it.
But II Louis Napoleon does propose to in.
terfere and take us under his protection.
what then9 Another Maximilian for Ss-
for americans "Forbid it my country
men Forbid it Heaven p Our fathers
threw off colonial dependence upon Euro
pean crowned heads 1t would be ignomi-
NOUS in us to 60 back half century and
more to accept what they freed us from.
Much less to risk despot over us. So ca
ger are some of our leaders for this interfer-.
ence, that | am told, 1t is proposed to give
+. Napoleon Taxes as bonus for his good
graces and his kindly aid And the "Lono
Star" may be handed over by Davis at any
moment, 80 far as he can do it. The thought
ought to make the blood of every American
citizen mount to his check. Whenever this
/ is attempted, shall be one to meet the le-
gions of France under the old flag, to bat
le for the sacredness and safety of Repnb-
lcan institutions But, suppose he offers
recognition alone. 1t is barren offering.
Suppose he offers it coupled with assistance?
1t comes too late ! Tmeo Dapaos nsunero
ferentes. No more dangerous and dcstruc.
tive alliance, in our PROSTATE condition
could be formed, however eagerly we might
at first, have grasped it. For, even if we
should succeed with his aid, and the strug-
gle would be as doubtful as terrible, (and
he would abandon US at any moment,) the
French Empire OF Mexico right at cur doors,
would swallow up Cuba and all the cont.
geous islands, and absorb that part of Mex.
leo that we as a nation would hope to get.
And the day we settled deliberately, at
Monarchy on this side of the ocean, we,
prepare crowns for Kings, and letters for
the people, on every foot of gronnd upon
the Amarican continent. Bnt, as I said,
there will be no interference.
DIssENTroNs IN rHs NORTH. aas
Have no hopes from q divided North. 1t
is on the surface. Scarcely goes to the bot
tom of their politics, much less shaking
the great masses of their determined people.
Remember, too, that much of the South ia
with them. There is no division as far, as
fighting US is concerned. The mildest Of
them simply propose peace by reconstruc-
ton. That rejected, they are 10 press Us
with redoubled energy. /, Let us not, after
all our misfortunes and blunders, construe
the struggle between politicians for place
into sympathy for ourselves. But how
could they propose peace Who would
bring the message? Ts whom would it be
delivered ? And should the proposition be
made and rejected we are that much worse
off for it. We must propose peace, for we
ought to know when we have got enough
Of the thing.
GUERRILLA" WARFARE. t.-t
Do not rely upon a splitting up our army
and adopting this mode Of warfare 1t will
contribute nothing to the general result,
and only entail more suffering. If practiced
behind the Federal lines it subdues our own
people. 1t converts many of our soldiers
into robbers and plunderers, and brings down
oftentimes terrible retribution upon the
heads of ou- citixens. What does the
shooting Of q few friends and foes on q Rail.
road train amount to 2 And your own
friends, as prisoners. going or returning,
are on nearly all of them. In order to
shoot citizen or soldier opposed TO you,
you risk taking the life of relative, q
friend, or perhaps brother soldier, who,
having fingered long in prison, is returning
with his sad heart full Of home and loved
ones. .g as
And then to fire upon steamboats,. It is
dangerous to your friends; unmsnly and
unsrldierly in the extreme. Before city
is fred upon, it is the duty of the comman.
ding officer to give his adversary reasona-
ble notice to remove the women, children
and non-combatants. Steamboats, always
have more or less of this class of people on
board. A single shot may destroy steam
boat with all its passengers How much
stronger then the reason not to fire upon il
until like notice is served u
:. F.. .
A few days since Confederate officer
was aboard transport with his family.
The boat Was hred upon by guerrillas. He
stepped forward and entreated the party not
to FIRE, that their friends were on board. A
ball entered his heart and his widow and
orphans are in the care Of strangers He
was the only person touched.
On the boat that transported us, were the
wives, sisters and mothers of Missouri SOL
diers, who had left their home and country
to join their husbands and relatives in the
Southern army. How terrible was the
thought which often occurs 10 me on our
trip, that the ball of the guerrilla, in the fool
ish hope of killing foe. might 60 to the
heart of his homeless wife, then throbbing
With anxiety to be once more pressed to
his manly bosom And this is constant
danger. Not boat but contains more or
less Of these people.
But this mode Of warfare. while contri-
buting towards general resulst. breaks up
the peace Of communities 1t has never
whipped an army, Never retarded its
progress. Never clt of its supplies or in
terfered materially with its operations. 4 II
recoils upon US invariably. For instance
we fall back before the enemy. Our family
is left in his lires. The country around