The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-01-13
STATE OF FEELING IN THE
SOUTH.
The Disposition Never to Surrendsr sr the
Contest for Ind ..What
Southern Clergyman Writes
From the Nashville Dispatch.

The following letter was recently received
bya gentleman in this State. 1t comes
from distinguished clergyman of Virginia
who was q strenuous "Union man." up tc
Lincolns proclamation, calling out $4,000
men to eoerce the South. The writer is
no politician, but earnestly devoted to his
profession, and the sentiments he express
es are important and interesting, as showing
the state Of public feeling in the South;
have Just returned from visit to our
army in Northern Virginia, where found
a wonderful presence of religious interest,
and, am persuaded, Of a genuine work of
Of Gods Spirit. In the % Corps, once the
lamented Jackson's, the corps chaplain told
me there were fifty sermons preached eve
ry evening the weather permitted, to i'm
mense congregations usually, aad amidst
melting seriousness. This great work is
done partly by chaplans and partly by
missionaries from the churches at home, who
are usually distinguished pastors The re
ported conversions are counted by thousr
ands and have it from the highest source
that the discipline and .steadiness of the
army are vastly improved since last year.
TIE tyrant will find tAt these penitent,
believing, rejoicing soldiers, Will be terri
bic adversarles TO meet in battle, fighting.
as they are, in the holy cause of their coun
tlv, their homes and their altars.
| think the state'of feeling among all our
respectable people is this: In June, the re-
pulse before Charleston, the state of Lees
army, the hope that he would be able TO DO
something in Pennsylvania or Maryland,
had encouraged the more sanguine among
us to believe, end all Of us to hope, that the
radical party in the United States would
speedily become hopeless and tired of the
war; and that the day of peace was there
fore beginning to dawn. The capture Of
Vicksburg, the repulse at Gettysburg the
pcrsevering resumption of the siege OF
Charleston, has convinced US that this hope
was dashed, that is, that an early peace
cannot now be expected; and that we must
return to those expectations which we had
entertained previously, during al Of 1867.
Those expectations were that the popula-
ton and resources of the United States be
ing so mu ,h greater, we should have to wi n
our way to independence by a long and suf.
tering defensive warfare, patient enduranc e
and hard fighting under disadvantages
The events of the early summer of 1863
had encouraged us to fatter ourselves with
a more happy and speedy success, 1t was
painful and bitter to give up the hatterng
hope, md return to embrace the old pros
pect Of the long continuance Of our trials,
and that prospect darkened still more. The
feelings Of all of us were dashed by this.
and of some discouraged for time But
the people are nerving themselves again to
the task.
They feel that after the fall of New Or.
leans, they had all made up their minds to
the necessity Of stubborn, patient, de
termined defensive war, with all its suffer-
iugs, that this spirit bore them through
1862, and laid the foundation for splendid
partial triumphs; that they must recur tc
it again relinquishing tins more pleasing
hope of speedy peace through happy
offensive operations; and that This spiri
will bear them through the remainder o
1868 and 1864 as it did through 1862, anC
win the prize in the end, All sensible mel
feel that submission is impossible; that th'
intensely cksd and malignant spirit har-
bored by the Black Republican party, anc
more and more manifested, leaves them NJ
alternative whatever but to fight it out L
tue bitter enu Liucoln eHeCtuaiIE cure
all weak knecd "Reconstructionists anc
Submissionists" of Their temporary fits o
despondency, by his senssleSs and deyilisl
barbarities. The Confederate Governmen
would have good deal to fear from Uni
ted States Administration that would adop
truly magnanimous policy; waive the in
saltinp nonsense about our being t'rebels'
aid "traitors, recognize the fact that ",
w.re freeman under Constitution, fight.
ing for rights really endangered; Offer som'
sensible guarantee Of those rights for .th'
tuuare; reiisquish the -monstrous proposal
Tor eonfscation and offer general amnesty
Bnt ,hs security of our leaders isEin tn,
madness nd uickAAness of the WaShinQ toI