Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1863-01-20

centuries. My friend, Mr.. c., In whose
house spent a few days, walking with me,
came suddenly upon bis two children sitting on
a feneo with their negro nurse, and all three
wde singing, plainllvely, my Maryland ~
The poor fellows eyes filled Up. N
If they can do no better for tho present, these
Mary.Rndors of the southern counties can, a.
least, help and forward Cohiederates who desire
to'broak the blockade and clear the Yankee
lines; and this they do most zealously. Their
horses, carriages, negroes, boats, all are at the
service OF any good Southern man, and In
short, by their aid aud furthorance, party Of
ten of US, including two ohicors OF the Confed-
crate army, ran across the river (moro than
Two mllea wlde) close BY four gunboAiA, and
under the bows Of Yankee revenue crulzor.
Next morning In old Virglnia and on our way
to the now famous city OF Richmond. We i'm
mediately found ourselves among tho Confed-
crate plcketsi and looked with koon curiosity
at the first that came In Views two horsemen,
one well-mounted, the other not, partly In uni
form, the bits, stirrups and scabbards rather
rusty, and In tho hand Of each, instead Of car
blne, double-baTTelled shotgun. Near the
shore We hired mule wagon to carry us on,
and shortly aftor starting We met some more
horsomen accompanied by an officer who was
very we'll mounted, and with equipments not
elegant, but rough and ready. He stopped US
to ask II We brought any n0ws. 1H .'an
Richmond hnd very little changed. YAM
kce accounts had prepared me 10 see the inhab.
ltants, generally, barefootcd and undcrfed. But
l never saw better dressed people In the streets,
| nor greater show of ladies. All tell me there
was not the slightest apparent panic In tho
town, even during tho desperate seven days
| fight and II is refreshing to hear men, women
and children speak with such sovereign scorn
Of the Yankees. The city is, Of course, thronged
| with strangers, and not even In Paris do you
sec so many empty sleeves, nor hear the clatter
of so many wooden legs. All, however, are
CHEEKY and resolute. Apparently, they do not
know yet that "the backbone Of the rebellion IL
broken, )" as Mr.. Seward assures us, and do not
seem TO have the least apprehension that they
/ will he forced back into tho " Union" They
have given up, think, all hope In foreign Gin
tervention," and though they still demand
recognition as an independent power, (Which
they are) seem fully conscious that not even
this right will be accorded to them till they
shall have thrashod the Yankees In a few more
campaigns.
There are, as l learn, about 40, 600 Irishmen
| in the Southern army; but they are distributed,
as they ought to be, through all regiments and
all arms of the service, and have never been
formed into an Irish brigade. They do not pre-
tend to fight this American quarrel as Irish,nerj
nor do they desccrate the name nor prostitute
the flag of ireland at all. AS for the Northern
Irish, who seem to have got themselves per-
| suaded that tho enfranChlsoment OF Ireland Is
somehow to result from the subjugaton Of tho
South, and that the repeal Of one Union in
Europe depends on the enforcement of another
Union In America, our friends here do not we'll
understand the process of reasoning which
leads to that conclusion; nor do |. They call
those Northern Irish, as well as all the other
Northern forces, by the one general name, YdJi-
hes; and indignantly protest that the green
bunting under which "Irish" brigades have
chosen to march to the invasion and subIuga-
ton Of the South, is not the banner Of Ireland
at all-mercly one of the Yankee insignia. In
all this | agree with them entirely. Nobody
has the right to unfurl the COlOrs of Ireland In
n war Of invasion and plumber and coercion,
These Irish at the South have never pretended
to mix up their native country in the struggle
they indulge in no Fontcnoyism; they naunI
no Sunburstoj they display on their banners nc
Round Towers, Wolf Dogs, or Crownless Harps
but 20 ahead quite simply, under the Stars and
Bars Of their adopted country, TO defend thoi
own homes and hCarths from a host of greed,
invaders. II they should be ever OverpOweret
and defeated, Ireland, ut least, will not be dis
hsnOred in their persons.
But they have no thought of being defeated
and will sum up my impressions by declaring
my conviction, that this Confederacy can novc
he conquered. JoHN mitchell.