Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-08-26

/ hearted patriot
Ny Dear SIR;
You ask for my impressions of
the present condition Of the Southern Con-
/ federacy; and you shall have them For the
benefit Of our cause, | wish they might be
impressed upon every soul in the land, that
4 the confidence begotten Of my three-months' OBJ
I seryations in the interior of the South might be
shared by every man who has the least connec-
ton with the responsibilities Of tins struggle; and
| am sure that these opinions are not peculiar TO
myself Every one of the 80 officers just ex-
/ changed will express the same. every one Of our
I men, whether from the jlils Of Charleston or the
pens Of Macon and Audersonyille will confident
| " tell the same story.
The rebel cause j. fast falling from exhaustion
/ Their two grand armies have been reinforced this
/ summer from the last resources Of the South.
/ From every corner Of the land every old man
4 and every boy capable OF bearing rife has been
impressed willing or unwIllingiy, and hurried TO
/ the front Lees army was the hrst So strength
! ened. IL was at the expense Of Hoods Gov.
| Brown told the truth with plainness that was
very bitter; but it was none the less the truth.
The following is from letter written by one
/ rebe TO another, that accidentally fell into the
bAuue OF one OF NY lt4-Hh AIl-V4lt4er a-44 AGA t-l
authenticity Of which | youch
VERY few persons are preparing to obey the
/ late call Of the Governor lis summons will
meet with no response here. The people are
soul-sick and heartily tired of this hateful, hope
/ less strife.
They would end il if they could; but our
would-be-rulers Will take gooi care that no op-
por,unity be given the people 20 vote against H.
BY lies, by fraud, and by chicarery this revo.u-
ton was inauguntei, by force, by tyranny aul
the suppression Of Jrajh il Is sustained Il
nearly time that il should end; and Of sheer de-
pletion It must end before long We have bad
enough of want and Voc, enough Of cruelty and
carnage, enough Of crIpplcs and corQses. There
is an abundance Of bereavei parents, weeping
widows and orphaned children IN the land. Ii
We can, let Us not increase the number. Tie
men who, to aggrandize themselves, or 20 crafty
Their own political ambition, brought this cruel
war upon a peaceful aud prosperous country,
Will have 10 render "a fearful account Of their
msiecds to a wronged, robbed and outraged
people. Earth has 10 punishment sufficiently
meet for their villaiuy here, and Hell will hardly
be hot enough 10 seattle them hereafter
There is certainly no small proportion Of the
Southern peaple-iespite the lying declarations
Of their generals, we had good occasion 10 learn
that not only tavors the progress Of our arms,
but that daily priys that this exterminatinc war
may soon be brought 10 a fnslty by our com-
plete and pericctsuccess
They have had too much Of despotism. not
enough Of the triumph promised them. Many
intelligent Southern gentlemen do, indeed,
press strong hopes Of their ultimate iudepeul-
ence ; but such hope is not shared by the mass
es. Disappointed from the first IN not being ac-
knowledged by foreign powers, more bitterly
disappointed in their general expectations that .
Northern cowsriice, or disseusion, would secure I
their ends, but a single chance remains, ami
that is the result Of our next election for Presi-
dent If 4 Democrat succeeds 10 Mr.. Lincoln.
they profess to feel sure Of negotiations and
their Confederacy They believe a Democrat
will be elected. In Mr. Lincoln's reelection .
they see only subjugaton, annihilajion for the /
war must then continue. and continuance is their /
failure and ruin.
In military affairs it is an excellent rule never
to do what the enemy desires Is it not equally /
true in politics Certain it is that the remain /
ing hope Of the South lies in Mr.. Lincolns de- I
feat
Now, | am not enough Of politician to know
whether the election OF a Democrat can result /
as favorably TO the South as it anticipates Their .
wish alone may be the parent Of their belief. +
But assure all who express that belief that the /
North, as a mass, Is as united as the South
that no Democrat could be elected on a peace /
platform, and that any President who would in
augurate any measure leading to peace, on the .
basis of Southern independence, would Re
promptly hung, by loyal acclamation, 10 the .
lamp-post in front Of his own Presidential man
sion.
However that may be, if we are but true TO /
ourselves there can be but one result What /
we now need is men, only men.
The South will fight as long as the struggle is
equal 1t will submit to such preponderance IS
we shodld show in every field.
Glance at the Summer campaigns. If Sher-
man had but fifty or seventy-fve thousand more
men the South would be lost, because Hood
would be annihilated. If Meade had novel in
the Spring, with reserves OF seventy-hve TO one
hundred Thousand men, Lee would have been
hopelessly crushed. Even at this moment a
third column of forty to fifty thousand men,
rightly moved, would give unopposed blows to
the Confederacy from which she could never
rise.
What folly, then, to struggle on in this way,
when we can send TO the field five times the force
already there What weakness to think we can
not conquer the South. Behind the James only
boys and old men are to be seen, while here men
buy and sell as in the olden days of quiet, and
of able-bodied citizens crowd the
streets Of our cities
There is but one course consistent with North
ern safety and honor. Let the people awake to
a sense OF their dignity ana strength, and a few
months Of comparatively triling exertion, Of
such effort alone is worthy of the great North,
and the rebellion will crumble before US. Fill
this draft promptly and willingly with good and
true men, send few spare thousands over rather
than under the call, and the Summer sun Of
1865 will shine upon regenerated land.
There are some who speak of peace OF all
Yankees the Southron most scorns those who do
not fight, but are glad enough to employ them,
as they do their slaves, to perform their dirty
work. Peace for the South will be sweet indeed;
for US, except through southern subjugatiou,
but anarchy and war forever. The Pacific, the
Western, the Eastern States would at once fall
asupder. The South would be dominant, and
the people of the North would deserve to be driv-
en- a-feld, under negro overseers, to hoe corn aud
cotton for Southern masters.
But no faint-hearted or short-sightei policy
can set aside the eternal DEGREES of the Almighty,
who has planted no line of division between the
Atlant and the Western deserts-between the
great lakes and the uuf of Mexco-that Signify
His will that we should be so separated; and un-
less so separated peace is delusion, and its ad-
vocacy treason against the wisest interests and
hottest interests of our country.
1t has been with "A trust that renewed hope
and vigor might be gven-when yigor and hope
my consent TO use this as you please; and
am, very truly, yours,
TRUMAN SEYMOUR,
Brig. Gen. L. 5. Vols.
Tc. W. E. Dodge, Jr., Esq, NewYork