Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-04-16
MR., AMBRosE's LETTERS.
LETTER /.
JANUARY, 1868.

JANUARY, 1853
MY DEAR Ma. SEAroN:
This year, eighteen hundred and sixty-thres.
marks our entrance upon the third annual period
OF the civil war. The quarrel still RACES with IN
abated fury. Indeed, as il grows older, il seems
to become instinct with iercer hatreds and 70
gather new vgor of resistance from its desperation
Is it not strange that such ga zeal to destroy"
should SO fire the heart of American citizens again st
the lie OF nation whose birth and career have
been the theme Of moro incessant boastful, aud
extravagant panegyrio than the afft ction of any
people ever before heoped upon their country?
Posterty will road the history of this commotion
with an interest full of amazement at the intensity
of the passion it has stirred in the hearts Of In
authors, and the utter insignifcance of the provo
cation upon which 1t arose. They will distrust,
with natural wonder, the narrative which inforn M
them that large communities Of intelligent people.
as happy In their homes as propitious Heaven
and beDcfcent Government could make them:
peaceful aud prosperous in the enjoyment of every
blessing coveted by man. fondly addicted to self
graduation for their weearned cminence AMONGST
nations; envied by tho whole world for their froe.
dom !; conscious only Of Government by Its evsr-
present bounty; that they should turn upon the
work OF their own hands, and in year Of singular
cheerfulness-a year Of oyations festivities, and
pageants-should, all at once, convert their own
Paradise into Papdemonium, aud fall to rondinp
the magnificent structure Of their liberties into
fragments; that they should pursue this awful Ia
Dor OF demolition through two long years Of such
md ,.I,a
fore, and should, with still moro bitter hate and
eager ferocity, enter upon third That think
ing, shrewd, kind-beartod, Christian people should
90 this, with unrcmitting effort to render tho OBJ
loquy and disgrace Of the American name immor.
tai how shall after ages study this terrible ano-
maly without charitable doubt of its truth
know how painfully you mediate over this
crisis, and cannot but believe-nay, am sure
that many of our old friends on the other side of
the line are In full sympathy with us in deploriap
the madness that has brought our country into this
unhappy distraction. II we could but reach them
with an invocation to a calm review of those ele-
ments OF discord which now separate us, should
DC full of hope that the wise spirit Of counsel
which won our confidence aud love In past tine.
would bring US, as Of DID, into full accord and that
the kindly and powerful influence they were We Mt
to exercise over the brotherhood, of which thsy
and we were equally proud as citizens of our broad
Republic, would be excited, within their own
sphere, to stay the further rage Of this tempest,
and open the path to that harmony and union
which has been so cause,essly disturbed
With this intent, and the indulgence Of this
hope, address these letters to you, purposing, if
haply the chances of the war should allow them to
cross the line, to send them forth with MESA "a
of kind remembrance to old and cherished frie, ds
there, whom would fain believe have preserved
their integrity and their reason unclouded by the
passions which have hurried the multitudes around
them into the dreadful vortex Of the rebellion.
Your friend PAUL AMBROSE
lie