Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-07-17
ATROCITIES OE WAR.

Surely our Government has done at least as
much rs it was bound to do in order to miti
gate in some degree the barbarian spirit in
which this war has been waSed by our cue-
mics. All its efforts in the way of negotiation
have been ins"lently repealed. The example
shown by our army in Pennsylvania, under
the humane order Of Gen. Lee, will probably
be as little regarded. We do not by any means
dent to arrange, a astff nR OF the 'lce-pres
something like civilized and ChriStiafi We.
fare for the future; but it might have been
forcseen that it would fail entirely. lhc Lin
coin Government met that attempt with the
f,lsc statement that the present organs of com
| munication, through the commissioners Of ex-
change, We're sufficient. 1t is quite well known
that they are not and that the very necessity
| fo- this mission arose from differences between
those commissioners on the terms Of the ear
tel. and the consequent retention Of officers
captured until they are exchanged, man for
| man and rank for rank. But there were other
points also, relating to the treatment of
non-combatantI and the respect which civ
ilizcd belligerents owe to the private property
of innocent people, which would naturally
come uuder discussion in any renewed ncgo
tiaton upon this subject.
The cnchy's Government will listen to no
voice of reason or of humanity: We now know ut
last that VIC have no earthly way Of inducing
them to make war as other Christian nations
do,isave insofar as we may be enabled to re-
taliatc every outrage and injury in kind. Gen.
; Ices Order to his troops in Pennsylvania may
nave zen dictated, in part, by the plan of his
| cau,raign: hit in principle, we think that
! General Ice was wrong His Order is no doubt
, r~ai,al highly by our enemies; and may for
angaj ", know. gar: h.:n thn applause Of
European s.2ws. ancrs hut II :nns. read differ
! entiy I, or. IN 'e,a-- people in Tcnussec and
Mis-, ,sipni .,N;H wonder 10 whom und"c
Heaven t..ey can iooS TO arrngc ;he;l rausc,
OF to ensure to chem ana their cruHrrymcn n
the future something Ike the nSas" ), rornan
beings Besides, rctaliatiug : no vla:orcn.
it is public justice: and the whole Of A. ia.
evtable sorrows and horrors falls upca THOSE
criminals who have provoked it. The forbear-
ancc of General Lee in Pennsylvania, was I'M
doubtedly chivalerous and noble; but we be-
ieve that it is unexampled under the circum.
stances, in the whole history of tho wars of
mankind.
Certainly our means of retaliation are now
limited with the exception of Morgans raid
into Indiana, we do not now occupy any por-
ton of the cnemy's soil: for we do not YET
account Maryland hostile State. We have
scarcely any controlling hold upon our enemy,
t, make him observe any one of the usages of
bclligerents save as to the treatment of prison
ers alone. IF we had not as many Yankee
tpriscncrs, as they have Confederate, We be-
liera they would treat captive "rebels" as
the English did their Sepoy prisoners-blow
them from the mouths of cannon. We NAV
as we'll understand that, for the future, there
is absolutely no Irsy of protecting our own
peaceful people, but ny. visiting upon theirs
outrage for outrage. heaecessity is, indeed,
hard one but u necessityie is. and also q
duty, whenever and wherever we have any
portion of their country in our power.
The theory which they choose to set up-
that they are suppressing rebellion"-;s
highly convenient to them itmay Justify them
in their own eyes when they require an oath of
fidelity to their Government as the condition
of leaving the persons and property of our
people unmolested- it is n theory which
we cannot accept or acquiesce in for "A moment
We have precisely the same right to extort an
oath of allegiance from Yankees to the Con-
Tolerate Government: yet as we don't want
their allegiance, and would not admit it, we
ore here left at a disadvantage, unless We in
Kent some other test oath to be required of
them when they fall within our lines. We do
not advise this blasrhcmous mimicrv of their
villainy. God knows it ishard to have 90 base
and brutal an enemy to deal with. Blu, some
method must certainly be devised to make
those who have waged this war feel its horrors
at their own hearthstones, whenever we shall
be in condition to do so.
For the present, we only desire respectfully |
to protest against the principle laid down in |
General Lees order, namely, that christian
ity and civilization" require US to suffer ma
tional outrage and wrong without exacting
national retribution and that public Justice
and private revenge stand upon the same foot.
Ing.