Weekly Trinity journal., 1864-12-31
NUMBER 81.
A Southern Opinion OF Four Years Ago w..
Actual History.

The following paragraph appeared in the cd
itorial columns of the Richmond Wing, June 4th,
1861. We publish it as being the prevailing be-
lief and sentiment of even well-nformed South
| erners who beyond doubt, expected very little
trouble in the execution of their traitorous
schemes at the outset beyond one or two battles,
in which the superiority of q chivalry" would
be made so apparent that the :" disgusting Yam
kee race" would gladly submit to any terms
they might dictate:
g This vast region, (the South) inhabited by
| a people who are bred from childhood to horse
| manship and the use of arms and who know
what liberty is, and love and adore it. is portion
ed out for subjugaton by this disgusting Yankee
race who dom know how to load a gun, and
look disgustingly on horseback. That they may
| be drilled into respectable military machines by
the Nirginian who commands them, is likely
enough but without disjointing the eternal fit
ness Of things, and dislocating the order of ma
ture, that they should become capable of en-
pire, is simply absurd. Grant that mere brute
force should enable them to overrun the land like
cloud of Eastern locusts, their reign would
pass with themselves. They possess not one
| quality that fits them for command. Since their
beginning nation they have never yet pro-
duced a General or a statesman. That is eff
fort beyond their ability. But for organizing hO-
tells, working machinery, and other base mechan-
ical contrlvances, they without equals in the
world but the very law of nature which invests
them with eXccllencies in those inferior depart
ments of humanity, condemns them to .inferior-
ity in those of nobler and more exalted strain
We are Of the same opinion of the Dalles Noun
taineer, that - since writing the above the editor
of the Wig has doubtless arrived at the conclu-
sion that he was mistaken in his first impress
sions, else that the q base Yankee mechanics''
have not only head for - hash - but the capa-
bility of adapting themselves to " higher pur-
suits almost equal to the people who g are bred
from childhood to horsemanship," and u know
what liberty is" Perhaps by this time the ed
itor has progressed - far enough to admit that
these illiterate Yankees handle arms and man.
age horse remarkably well, and display some
considerable generalship. Itmay have occurred
to him that Grant and Sh erman and Thomas are
tolerably smart Generals that the cavalry with
Sheridan and Fitzpatrick sit saddle respecta-
bly,, and that even pleban Yankees shoot with
some degree of precision. 1t is fact beyond
cavil however, that the ''0rder of things y has
been " dislocated y somewhat, in the Confeder-
acy, especially but the q eternal fitness - is
about right. Such gascon the above para
graph contains is fair sample of the trash with
which Southern journals were filled, and which
had no little share in seducing the people from
their allegiance to the Union. Events since then
have undeceived them. The grave-yards spread
far and wide over Southern valleys and hills
have taught them a far different US well as
costly lesson.