Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1863-10-23
Ghe free press.
BURLINGTON
FRIDAY MORNING. OCTOBER %. 1865.
observations in Rebeldom.


The Boston JoHrHal recently published a
article which II of great interest as an apla
rently Trustworthy revelation oi the pr,sen
condition and sentiments of the southern
masses The writer il Vouched for hy th,
JoWraai ar a very intelligent man, lawye
and a native Of New England, who was resi-
ding in New Orleans when the war broke out
and was forced into the rebel army as a con
script He escaped about the time of tn,
fall OF Nicksburg, and travelled througl
Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, comm.
within our lines in East Tennessee. after d
horseback ride OF 500 miles He SAYS
In riding some - miles through the State oi
Mississippi, and from the river TO its eastern
boundary, do not recollect of talking with O
single man who really believed the Conf,,leracy
would ever be acknowledged. The prevailing
sentiment expressed by the people in common
conversation was that the war had lasted long
enough, and brought enough Of suffering and
blood>hed upon the country; they were willing
to 70 back and have things Just ~ they were
AttNt. " iliNt II 50 E,nlllt t went
50 fa as to predict the disabilities that would be
imposed upon the reyolted States upon their re
turn To- the Union But upon crossing the Mo-
bile and Ohio Railroad. and entering upon the
rich cotton growing regions of Central and
Southern Alahaiua, the tone Of sentiment WAS
changed. II was admitted that the fall OF Nicks-
burg WIS a great blow, an immense los, that il
removed Ia DIM perspective all hope Of recogni-
ton and peace But none Of the wealthy plant
ers Of Alabama spoke Of submission or recon-
struction They will not listen to an orator or
read a paper that suggests il as a possibility
they have made mp their mini, u a long war
and modified their agriculture to suit the condi-
ton of things. Very little cotton IS raised in
counties which were formerly covered. a. far a.
the eye eau relc with the growing staple The
whole face Of the country has been planted in
corn. and often, a. ! rude through the long
straight lanes that divide those magnificent e.
tates, my eye could reach for mile over the fer
tile plain, and see only one vast corn-dsld brok-
en- here and there by clumps Of trees, or q long
row of huts, the habitations of the slaves whose
labor has enriched these great landed proprietor
Continuing northwiri from Marion aud Sci
ma. we came into the wheat-crowing aud farm
ing portion If Alabama. Here there Is compar-
atyely little cotton produced, and the proprie-
tors are mostly small, and often labor regularly
in the field with their slaves Among them
found a different sentiment. They are not
only tired of the war, but large majority OF
them were never in favor Of secession. and speak
OF the rebellion the act of few restless DEM
agogues inhaming the prejudiccs and binding
the eyes Of the people
There have been vast number uf deserters
among the volunteers from these counties of
Northern Alabama. In every neishborhood the
farmers told me Of gangs Of men, sometimes
fifty or one hundred in number. who were lurk-
ing among the hills. eyadng the conscript law.
and often firing upon the officers sent to enforce
it, committing depredaticns upon the stock, and
frequently robbng the houses Of persons living
remote from frequentel roads. The most com
mon expressions heard with regard to the war
were, - This il the rich mans war and the poor
man does the fighting - - Let them that owns
niggers 20 and fight for EN-. don't own nary
niger and never expect 10, and ! haven't got
anything to fight for;' they say we're fighting
for freedom and independence. For my part, /
Was a. free and independent as | wanted to he
before this thing was got up, and never expect
to be as well Oft again
| made constant inquiries a. 10 the value Of
ands, and found the average price Of all tn,
;Rlds through which passed in riding seven
hundred miles. 20 he six or eight dollars per
acre Everywhere found the poor and those
in moderate circumstances opposed 10 the war.
and in many cases embIttered against the large
slaveholdcrs, who. a they now admit brought
about secession and the war, in order that the
-ich might grow richer and the poor poorer
In Georgia and East Tennessee | saw and
alked with a great many Of Bagg's troops
lbout the war and their convictions regarding
t Not single man carrying a musket but
Sould frankly admit that " il he could have his
way he would 90 home and 20 to work; that he
lad been running about for two years with old
Bragg and losing ground all the time; that the
south couldn't hold out much longer, and for
lis part he wished they would all quit and make
1eace. and let things be ~ they was before
Toombs, and Jeff Davis and them. RAISED all
his fuss.
But, on the other hand all the officers with
whom talked. and all citizens holding slaves
nough to place them above the necessity of la
,or. spoke of th. prosecution of the war till
e,ognition l. forced. the grim hut sole alter
native.
I ndouhtedlly rebellion has become exceeding
Y unpopular among the masses of the people
md with great numbers in the ranks Of the re
vel armies but n II j. emphatically slave
,older's war commenced and prosecuted aNoW-
,dly To maintain property in men, as the Union
irmes penetrate the rebel territory, they must
xpect fierce resistance whenever they reach
PORTIONS Of the country WHERE slaves abound.
Georgia il full Of negroes before the war she
vas second only to Virginia in slave population,
nd since Grant opened the Mississippi and Hos
Grams made his recent advance from Tennessee,
t is estimated that two hundred thousand slaves
ave been run into Georgia. saw hundreds Of
,ancs moving away eastward and southwark
rom the advancing Federal line. The negroes
,ften 20 willingly with masters in whom they
onfIde but quite often the hegira Is made by
listening the men together by their wrists with
landcufis and by claiming them 10 the hinder
1art of a wagon. The women and larger chill
lren walk beside the fettered men, while the
mall children, with the aged and infIrm, ride in
he wagons. The master or oyerseers, generally
With loaded shotgun or pistol at the pommel
II the saddle, acts as rear guard to the train
The rebel government employs a great many
# these negroes as laborers on railroads and at
lepots Of supply, the others are worked IN the
,orn and rice fields. The advance of the Union
lrmics to Atlanta, and the capture Of that city,
would release the greater part of this crowded
negro population of Georgia, and they conjecture
tightly who think that Richmond will be given
Ip and the whole of Lees army carried south,
before Rosecrans is permitted to advance and
invest Atlanta.
am convinced, by all | saw and heard in the
Southern States, that if the people could lie
heard, if there were any practicable or possible
way by which the question could be submitted
o a popular vote, all the revoltel States but
our would gladly return to their allegiance and
esume their former status.
South Carolina, Georgia, Texas and Eastern
'irginia still rear their crests unsubdued, de-
Iant and reyengeful
Dr. Hollands Letters to Young People
Iave reached their fortieth thousand. his
.e,ssons in Life and Mis- Gilbert'- Career TO
- 900 each. and Gold Foil t. 10000. Be
ides new editions of all the>e, and the new
olume of Letters to the Jonesee, >cribner
nnounces another and improved issue of the
Illustrated edition of the same authors poem
I Bitter Sweet.
The PENNSYLVANIA Bulletin figures up for