The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-05-27

Y,fdltAs Ot -OSSp AAS o"iN
y In passing through the Confedefacy,
have had good opportunity 70 form cor
rect opinion of its strength. That strength |
has been over-estin,ated. They have neither
the armies nor the resources we have given
them credit foH and we have been greatly de-
ceived in fegaFd to the means and power of
the rebels Passing Though their country,
Iahd the passage was not very difficult one,)
found thousands of good Union men, who
are ready and anxious to return to their alle-
glance the moment they can do so with safe
ty to themselves and families They will
rally around the old flag by scores whenever
our army advances. I could have brought
away a thousand with me, who were anxious
| to come-men whom l found fugitives from
! their homes, hid ia the swamps and forests,
| where they are hunted like wild beasts by the
rebel couscription officers with bloodhounds.
Herring visited them in their homes, / have
founded my belief upon what heard and
saw there, that the day is not far distant when
we shall witness the downfall of the rebel
| lion.''
Col. Prince followed in forcible manner.
Respecting the united interests of the North
west and Southwest he said, with great en-
phass
assistance, to put down treason. And in like
manner we will always come to your relief,
when necessary, it matters not who may be
the foe--foreign or domestic When the
Mississippi is closed by hands hostile to our
National Government, we of the West will
open it with our hearts blood, if needful-
Yes, you may always count upon us. Come
as we may, but we toiU come, We of Illi-
i nois have always looked upon the Mississip-
pi, the Great Father of Waters, as our Faith
er, and the people of the Northwest togeth-
er with those of the Southwest must have it
for their great highway of free communica-
ton with each other"
Abiding to the miserable deception to
I which the rebel leaders resort, in giving a
false coloring of us 10 their deluded follow
! ers, he said that whenever our cavalry was
coming there was general closing up of
doors and shutters, and stampede of every
thing with two or four legs. But the people
with whom they conversed, seemed surprised
to find that they were not the savages they
had been painted. The ladies, too, along the
route, they found to be real women-whose
conduct was perfectly natural. They had not
yet learned to act after the manner of the
"refned women'' of the cities-they did not
scoff, or scowl, or spit at them, as the women
in the large towns are accustomed to do but
treated them all as gentlemen. In fact, they
could not help but be pleased with the gener-
al character of the reception they met. They
, could not have been more kindly treated any
where than they were by these people, who
} have their sons, brothers and fathers in the
rebel army, and whose interests and sympa-
thies are enlisted in the rebel cause. They
offered them the hospitalities of their houses
gave information and furnished them with
guides, and dealt with them frankly and in
| friendly manner.
In freely giving us his view as to the prob
able result of the struggle, from what he hac
personally witnessed, he told us that he
. thought from the damage done the jackson
e Railroad, Port Hudson could not be held ter
= days, and that by the expiration of that peri
cd, it would be in the hands of our army
: with all its armament and supplies. Will
0 Port Hudson in our possession, nothing coulc
prevent the same command from passing il
the rear of Vickcsburg, and destroying the
railroad there as it had done beyond jackson
This accomplished, Vicksburg must fall, anc
: he felt warranted in saying that in twenty
: days this boasted stronghold of rebeldon
S would be in possession of our forces-tha
the people of New Orleans wonld drink tn,
,, , waters of the Mississippi unpolluted by th,
/ finger of single traitorous rebel.
Other speeches followed, interspersed with
patriotic airs by the band of the 47th Massa
chusetts. The Times correspondent writes
: Upon the whole, the manifestations o
, those two evenings were such as to fill ever,
t loyal heart with JOY, and to persuade ever!
q secessionists present that the time has COM
for them 10 abandon their cause as hopeless
. in the city of New Orleans. Never perhaps
: since the Crescent CITY was in existence Ger
J, tainly not for very many years past, hav
Liberty and Union found such fearless ant
emphatic utterances within it. 49,