The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1863-03-03
MR.. sEWARD's ATTEMPT TO DE
CEIVE FRANCE.

lie well told and stuck to il a, good ,s ,h. ,,',h
In his dispatch Of 9th February TO Mr. D,y,on
which is directed to be laid before the Frcrob
Government he says the Confederate States "re.
tain only the States Of Georgia, Alabama. and
Texas, with halt Of Virginia, half of North Caro-
hna, twothirds Of South Carolina, half of Mi.sis.
siPPi, and one-thlrd respectively Of Arkansas and
Louisiana" The remainder of the Coufeder,cv
he claims, has been re-establshed under the a.g
of the Union 80
Such is the statement Of facts presented 70 NJ
Drouyn de L'Huysl 1t is hardly less insulting 10
his intelligence than the answer given TO his re
commendation .or n conference between the he'll
hgerents-tbat mode already exists Eor such con-
ference, By or acknowledging the authority of
the 1ankee Government, and sending Senators
and Representatives to Washington.
or Virginia, Mr. Seward claims half. The
French Secretary finds from hi. reports tha, while
the Yankees hold the Northwest and the Ka.
nawha Valley, the extreme north Of tho Valley 70
Winchester, and few of the more northern and
eastern counties, the Confedsracy holds the capita
nrmiy, nearly he whole Of the railroads, and in
fact about twothirds OF the State.
OF North Carolina, also, Mr. Seward claim, hair
as subjugated. Three fourths OF this Stnte lies
west Of the Weldon and Wilmington Railroad. a.
glance ut the map will show. From the begin.
nlng OF the war until now not a single Yankee
hlreling has put his foot prints west OF that rail
road. Except for period of ten DAYS that road
has been constantly employed, and cars run
through, carrying our troops and munitions of war.
and 1t Is now daily used for that purpose East of
this road the Yankees hold, by liberal estimate,
onehalf OF the remaining fourth Of the State, and
even there the people continue faithful and stead
fast IN devotion to the Southern Confederacy.
Mr. Stewards falsehood concerning North CaronA
ecpses the one upon Virginia
In South Carolina, Mr. Seward claims one.tbird
as in Yankee occupancy What must b. the dis.
gust OF the Emperor and his Minister to find that
at no time have the enemy held any part of that
State west or north Of the Charleston aud Savan.
nah Railroad, and that the road referred 10 has
been regularly and daily used by the Confederate
Government simple inspection of the man
will show that this road does not cut off one twen
teth part Of the State aud yet it embraces oil and
more Of South Carolina soil than the Yankees
have even held for moment.
Georgia, Mr. Seward doeI not claim; nor Alaba-
ma Texas, too, he magnanimously admits 10
ours. But OF Mississippi he claims one-half!
Sometime ago the Yankee army of invasion ad.
vaDced to point somewhat south of the Tslla.
hatctie river, while our line of defence was the
Yallabusha. The enemy held most of the country
north and west of the Tallahatchie, which com.
prised, perhaps, fifth part OF Mississippi Since
then their lines have been much Withdrawn and
1t would be too much to say that they now hold a
sixth part of that State. This is sufficient. how.
ever, for Mr. Stewards purposes of fabrication.
"Give the devil an inch and he will take an ell"
Of Louisiana, according to Dir Seward, the
enemy holds two-tbirds. In fact, they hold ouly
the banks of the Mississippi up to Port Hudson
and the extreme Southeastern part Of the State at
the outside, hardly tenth part of Louisiana.
Of Arkansas, Mr. Seward claims tvo-thirds.
Not less than four.ffths are and have been always
in undisturbsd occupancy of the Confederacy
Tennessee and Florida are claimed bodily by Mr.
Seward. OF the latter, not twentieth part is in
his occupancy. As to Tennessee, our Government
holds East Tennessee firmly; our army, under Con
Johnston, is sncamped in the very heart OF Middle
at Tullahoma. confronting the enemy,
who does not dare to advance; and our cavalry,
unGsr Van Dorm, Forrest, Wheeler and Morgan,
roam almost at will over West Tennessee, Middle
Tennessee and Central Kentucky, burning bridges,
capturing posts, cutting off detachments, and de-
stroyng the stores and munitions OF the enemy.
All these facts were we'll known to Mr Seward
when he penned the falsshoods we have exposed.
What could have been his aimY II could hardly
have been the hope Of successfully deceiving the
Emperor and NJ Drouyn de LHuys, for they ara
men ccustomed to look beneath the surface, aud
supplied by the dispatches of the Yankee Pre-.
mier. No, it is John Barleycorn who must
answer for these perversions of we'll known truths
Seward has for some time past taken to drink.
Animated with the courage thus inspired, he has
thought it fine thing 10 insult the French En-
peror with statements Of facts which he must
know to be false, aud BY deliberately informing
him, in response to grave proposition, that the
Southern States can "confer" with the North By
grounding their arms, submitting to the Union,
and by sending representatives to the Yankee
Congress. A respectful answer, truly, toa hu-
name offer of mediation !-Richnuond Dispotch.
Capture ofd wagon train and priponsrs--
Capt. John II. McNeill, the commander Of gal
liant company of partizans from Rockingham coun-
", has recently been disturbing the peace Of the
Yankees in the neighborhood OF Romney, Va.
The Rockingham Register of the 18th gives the
following account: He caught one Of their trains
about seven miles south Of Romney, on the North.
western Turnpike at the junction Of the road lead
ing to Woorefeld, on Monday last, and took l6t
horses, with splendid harness, and Destroyed 27
wagons loaded with hay
Not content with taking the horses and harness
and destroying the q splendid Yankee wagons
with their forage, he took IL Of the Yankees
themselves, with two negroes in their possession,
which they had stolen from some farmer. Mcneil
made the dash at the train with only twenty-seven
men; whilst it had guard Of one hundred and hf
y-fve Yankees, one hundred and thirty-6vs Of
whom we're infantry, and the balance cavalry.
McNei would have taken the whole party but
tho halanca took FIGHT and ran of