Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1863-10-16
lIGGENIt.


gIaGENIs.
THE mere mention of the name of
Virginia il. connections with her past
and historic fame c.usss the bosoms OF
ali her. sens to swell with ullsleakab!e
emotion, and adds renewed pride in
tiscir hearts foi the Site Of their birth.
T'his feeling Of pleasurable emotion
will not be lessened BY a retrospective
view of her course since she secedvt!
from the United States and linked her
destiny with her sister States aof the
South. Her fields have been the
scenes Of bloody conflicts to maintain
those doctrines which have ever been
cherished as the very palladium of her
liberties, her country has been laid
waste and her property destroyed, sto-
len or forced off by worse than IA
natic mob, in the vain attempt TO sub
iect her to vassalage intolerable and
not to be thought of, for amoment, as
possible by her high-spirited and brave
people. This and much more has she
borne of the asperities Of this contest,
vet she has not abated a iot OF a title
in her devotion to the cause she has
espoused, but has rather increased It's
intensity as her acts will eminently
prove. Since the commencement of
the struggle she has furnished near
one hundred and seyenty-five thou
sand men to the armies of the Confed-
eracy, and has armed and equipped
three fourths of that number from her
own bountiful and prudential supplies.
Throughout the entire length and
breadth Of her domain voluntary
preparation has been made to prevent
or successfully oppose the predatory
incursions of the enemy, which in one
instance at least has been done, and to
learn him that ca brave people when
determined to be free are invincible,"
yet her General Assembly have deter
mined to give these preparations the
sanction Of law and require that all
exempts from Confederate service shall
be made ready to defend her sacred
soil whenever they may be needed.
This, after period of two and q half
years of incessant strife, at the very
thresholds of her children, is sufficient
evidence of her intention to maintain
at all hazards her ancient sovereignty
and the veal Of the Confederate States;
yet she has not stopped here but has
added to her already glorious chaplet
a never-dying lustre in the manner she
has met the proposition to inquire af-
ter the peace feeling in the North, de-
Gliding with an unanimity almost I'M
parallelled that it mattered not at all
whether peace sentiments were enter
tanned at the North, or not, she had
put her hand to the work and would
not look back-the blood of many of
her noble sons had been shed in her
defence and the last drop that trilled
thro' the veins Of her children would
be spilled ere she would succumb to
the despised and tyrannical North.
This course Of her Legislature has
met a cordial response in the hearts of
her sons and may well cause them to
be more proud Of the land of their
birth and the mother of States We
confess that we feel an exultant pleas
ure in this action Of the Assembly, but
it is with no selfish State pride or de-
sire to contrast the action of Virginia
with that of other States that we call
the attention Of our readers to this
well acted history of the Old Domin-
ion, as all her sisters have acted well
their paris, but in order to bring the
matter before them and cause them
to refer to the statistics, which. graft
fed us not little in the exhibit and
by this reference to Virginia history to
excite all to stimulated endeayors to
uphold the fair lame of our beloved
State and let not a single blot eface
her bright escutcheon.
G. W. SUMMERS.