Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-09-18
Counter Revolution in the South


zette at Stevenson, Alabama, reports in
teresting information received from
Union man lately arrived from Georgia
in whose word implicit reliance is placed
The correspondent asked the Georgian
if the stories about numerous deserter
being in the mountains OF North Georgii
were true -
"You have rot heard half the truth,
said he. "There is not in all Nortl
Georgia a cave, dense forest or rock
of difficult access, where these men may
not be found. My own county is full Of
them, and so also are White, Dawson and
PickenS, especially the latter. In the
vicinity of Prince Edward and Stock
Hill large number Of refugee conscript:
and deserters are banded together. The
rebel authorities made some vigorous eff
forts at first to break up and capture this
band; but so formidable in numbers are
they and SO inaccessible are the noun
tains among which they operate, that ev-
cry attempt to dislodge them has proved
failure, and the rebel government now
virtually leaves them to themselves
Since the retreat of Bragg from Tulla-
homa their numbers have largely increa,
sed, and before left they were in the
habit Of coming down boldly from the
mountains in the towns, purchasing (and
in some instances taking without purcha-
sing,) and then returning to their haunts,
no one offering to modest them. Indeed
the people of North Georgia are, in GER
tain sections, governed by them. They
are kind and clever to Union citizens,
but hate implacably every avowed rebel,
and visit with speedy vengeance every
one whom they suspect of giving infor-
nation against them
care these men mostly in favor of the
Union ?" / inquired "All are now," was
the answer, "bccause all look to the tri-
umph of the Union arms to assure them
of their safety and restore them again toI
friends and home. Among the deserters,
however, are some who were bitter se~
cessionists from the start, and were among
the first 20 volunteer in the rebel army"
"And do you think these men are sin
cere Unionsts now?" | asked. mo, n
was the remarkable reply, they doubt
less love the Union now no better than
they did at first, but so terrible have been
their suferings in their attempt to over
throw it, that hereafter no men will be
more iiercely hostile to secession than
they" "Were most Of the deserters to
whom you refer enlisted originally in
North Georgia ?" 81 cannot say that
most of them were;" he answered.
"They are from every southern state. j.
knew Of an entire company from an AL
ALBANIA regiment who are now staying in
the mountains, and one at least of their
lieutenants is with them. Hundreds are
there, also, from Tennessee, and even
South Carolina has contributed to swell
the number. Notwithstanding this" be
continued, sit is still true that, from some
of the neighborhoods in Georgia, almost
every man who went into the rebel SER
vice, ard has not persisted on the field or
in the hospital, had deserted, and is now
safe among the mountains ~
Not long since | heard one man, of
party Of eleven who had deserted from
single company in Louisiana regiment,
declare that there were secret associa-
tons among the rebel soldiers for aiding
each other to desert; that thousands in
Bragg's army thought of nothing else
save watching for an opportunity to es-
cape that the number leaving must
sometimes be as high as two or three
hundred in single day ; and that Rae
coon and Lookout mountains are swarm
ing with these absentees. A Georgian,
who was Vcksburg paroled prisoner,
and had received a furlough to 20 home,
declared that not a man of his company
intended to return, except the orderly
sergeant A Tennesseean stated, upon
another occasion, that when he took
French leave Of his company there were
but seven men remaining in it, number
having been killed in battle, and more
than forty having deserted. A Kentuck-
ian stated that ever since they heard OF
John Morgan's capture, the men from his
state were in utter despair, and only
wanted a signal from their officers to
break out in open mutiny against the re-
bel authorities.
---------~-@s l..
ca | began my ministry in church
in the wilderness, where there were nine
teen women and one man, and | wished