Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1863-02-12

Vui Soin"oh Sounuy' Ahio ciiSouc VIII
make fair comparison with any in the
field for vigor, strength and intelligence,
and are considered equal to the emergen-
cies that they may be called upon to pass
through. We are now in a healthy To-
cation; billy country, covered with tim
Der, with no bottom land. There are
high banks each side of the river, and
rather poor soil not cultivated. Our
last encampment was surrounded with a
beautiful agricultural country ; not titled.
Level fields spread out in all directions /;
and | rejoice to say that the whole coun-
try of Eastern Virginia is literally trod-
den under foot by the hordes of loyal
northern men, that can be seen by the
thousand at all hours, with cleaning bay
onets and polished guns, bidding def
ance to the oppressor of human Freedom.
Oh it is joy to my heart to see the DESC
lation that is told by the fields; the count
less stacks of chimneys, without houses
or barns to tell of their disloyalty; miles
of country, without inhabitants, or a sim
gle length of fence or cultivated patch
of ground all this proves where the war
is felt with all its appalling weight.
You may wish me to give you my feel
ings with regard to the cause | am en-
gagged in. am almost afraid to, it is SO
different from what it was when was at
home. You know | could never see the
virtue that existed in the Abolition doc
toring. | can now see it in all it's shin
ing glory, as the only true sentiment that
the North should live and die for. I now
see the curse of slavery, in all its enormi
ties. | here see class of people living
in enslavement with degraded class of
whites, and having no chance to prove
their capacities with each other. | here
state as my solemn conviction, having
formed judgment by actual experiments
by myself made, that the capacities for
self government are entirely on the side
of the blacks of Virginia to-day. They
have more natural wit, keenness, and gen.
eral intelligence, and you can depend on
their word on the other hand, the Vir-
ginians are deceitful, worthless and ig-
norant set, incapable of communicating
with you on the most common or general
topics of the day. They live and die
without knowing the distance to the near
est village or ever seeing it. This is the
shady side of the picture, that We know
nothing of in the North. If you ask
them question you cannot depend on
their word in the least. The negros will
tell you honestly, There are no school
houses here to teach the youths the first
lessons of either manners or literature.
They generally are very ignorant, This
is all to be charged to slavery. The man.
ner of tilling the land is, as yet, behind
the North. The architecture in construc-
ting buildings shows the line of slavery
in all cases. The war is waged by the
South for no other purpose but to perpet-
uate the system. All the prisoners taken
by us tell the same story to the question
=" What are you fighting for? ?" 1--WE are
fighting to not be subdued, and have our
slaves taken from us. 1t is impossible
to make rebel believe we are fighting for
any other purpose Chan the Freedom Of
the slaves, and | hope that that is what
we are fighting for. [ am of the opinion
that the contest will never be settled un-
til slavery is destroyed. When say this
| am not unmindful of this fact: that the
North can lose all the battles and three
men to the South one, and annihilate the
fighting population of the while South
and still have as many men left as the
South commenced with. 1t may not b.
necessary to do this; hope not; but il
necessary, 1 hope the whole fighting pop
ulation of the North will be precipitat
cd upon the South a war of extermina
tom proclaimed and desolate the coun
try with fire and sword, until the whole
are exterminated. have my reasons fol
thinking the war will continue for years
to come. There is not healthy senti
ment in the North. They must drink
| the dreos of miafortune Thev will avon