Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1863-03-06
FROM THE THIRTEENTH REGIMENT
CAMP NEAR THE occooUAN RIVER VA, !

CAMP NEAR THE OCCoQUAN RIVER, VA,
Feb. oath 1868.
DEAR JouRNAL:-We wish to express the
feelings Of this regiment the l3tn) as to the
delusive crv of "peace" that Of late has been
sounded over the land, and deceived far too
many honest patriots. This is not the first lime
in revolutionary periods, that men, wise men
have isjudged as to the course events would
take. MIR. Burke-n many respects the
wisest man OF his age-declared, in the fist
stages of the French Revolution, that the
glory of Furopehad departed forever, never to
return. But the storms finally subsidized M
tons preserved, for the most part, their old
boundary lines and now all agree that tn e
world is better than it was before that memoir
able age. Who will allow himself to despair Of
America Though our armies have not ac-
Complished aH that many expected, they have
steadily advanced. The South sees it and on
ly turns with hope to our own dissentions.
Our enemies at home, like the Shiny snakes
in the Eastern tale that never showed them
selves in the pure light OF day, but crawled
forth at night to hiss and bite--now cry
"peace" to divide the North. 1t is not de-
feat nor fear Of defeat, not the loss Of so many
thousands of our brothers, not the fear OF
the national debt, not the hardships incident
to war, nc, none of these daunt the loyal sol
der but the divisions, dissentions--no, call
things by their right names, the disloyalty, the
treason of Northern peaoe-makers, discourage
our armies more than hundred defeats, and en-
courage ouE.-pemies more than a hundred vic
tories. Wiltthe people sustain us at home
viii they fill up the ranks thinned by diseas c
L., -,bo I'LL
able peace, and thus give up for nothing all
that the war has thus far cost us, all, for
which we have been oontending! These are be-
ginning to be the interagetories of the soldier
The question, OF late, too frequently is asked,
" When will the war close :" not h0tg and on
what terms? Webster declared that there
was "No North, no South, no East, no West.
But to-day not more discernible the polarity
of the needle, than that there is North
and a southland that the former must over
come the latter or the latter i0W the former,
The lines are now drawn straight. Both sides
are desperately in earnest. Both sides have
been " an incAloulable cost. Can i0e yield
can zoe afford TO give up this contest; we
can, If we can cowardly submit to the destrnc
ton of our nrtion submit to have South
ern oligarchy become the dominant power OF
this continent. submit to the Jlbes and sneer'
and encroachments Of the dominating aristo
cracy,of Europe; submit to the neve.rendnl
divisions of these States, and live like the
smaller Kingdoms Of Germany aud italy Who'll
/ ly at the mercy Of the larger submit to give
| up all for which our fathers fought, in l776
and in 1910, when John Hampden contende ed
for constitutional liberty, submit to give
| up all, for which all men, that have
loved liberty have struggled to gait
for the last two centuries. If the PEG
pie are parpared to submit to all this, let then
listen to those who now talk OF peace Of al
armistice-ior an armisllce means peace TO
a short time, (no lasting peace can we hay
till the South is thoroughly conquered) peec'
disuhion; dsunion universal ruin, anarchy
ieuds, wars revolution and counter reSolu
tions-aye, everything that shall make a peo