Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1864-07-12
A southsrh View 90 Cavalry Raids.

81
Cavalry raids, destructive as they are, never
conquer country. Rather, indeed, they help
to make Il unconquerable; and that In several
ways. In the fret place, they greatly tend to
destroy that sneaking "Unlonlsm," not yet
quite extinct In some regions Of our country,
which ID willing TO take the oath "to save It's
property" Creatures of this crawling sort
meet no iayors from the Yankee raider; his
business Is 10 rob and devastate, to carry away
what is portable and destroy what he cannot
carry, In order 10 starye out the "Rebelliou;"
and he has no notion OF being cheated by these
"Union poor devils with their FREQ and easy
oaths. 30 ...u. ..as 81. -.. ..-.
When they protest that they have always
been Union men," that they will take the
oath, and all that, raiders reply Indignantly
Gas described BY = letter from Roanoke county,
that they are 60 liars" and tbereupon pro-
coed TO rob their premises. It would be q good
idea, truly II . wealthy farmer OF Western
Virginia, with his barns and meat houses full,
gold In his desk aud silyer In his pantry, could
turn away q regiment Of famishing horses and
their hungry and greedy rid,rs, by merely
proclaiming "Ioyalty," and rendering an oath.
Can Federal soldiers eat and drink oaths
Are oaths good in q horsc's rack aud mAnger
The Yankee gallant who has vowed 10 carry
to Massachusetts some trophy (all stolen arti-
cles they call "trophies") OF his Southern
campaign, can he bring home TO the miscegen-
atriI he loves planters oath, when he expects
his daughter's jewels or his wife's forks and
spoonsi It Is, therefore, with sincere pleasure,
almost with q sense Of obligation TO the very
raiders, that one hears of their contemptuous in
attention 70 professions Of base "lny yalty," and
the impartiality with which they rob all around.
Thus, every district Of country which has been
harried BY Yankee raid or two, becomes q
more staunch Confederate country thereafter.
There 70 another way, too, in which raids
| bring with them a certain compensation, At
least In Western Virginia; they discover and
| bring TO light unexpected grauaries and stores
OF provisions hidden in caves, literally In caves
Of the earth, with which that limestone country
abouuds. The prudent farmers had hidden
| away those stores TO save them. mot from the
Yankee marauders, but from their own Gov
eminent and their own fellow.cItiEens. These
| are the suffering farmers who never had any,
/ thing WHEN Confederate ouarterm asters. i'm
pressing officers, or purchasers ON (}oyernment
account came around; they had nothing 70 sell
for Confederate money; 90 far from that, they
| were always In dlstrssa. almost fstarying and
anxious delegations used 10 come dosn 10
| RIchmond, on their part. 10 plead that aour
should be sent up 70 tho Valley TO sustain life,
and especiaIly that N tha (,oysrnm.nt ahopld
| Teouir. from them loan of their kurpluA labor.
or indeed make apy claim or demand upop
them whatever in the common cause, then ali
was lost. - - ~ ~ 10 - :. :
This sort Of persous have probabIy helpsd
more 10 depreciats our Treasury bills than ali
other classes together, 70 sustain Inc credit OF
that paper was 70 sustain the Goyernm emit and
cause, and the freedom and honor Of their ow n
children. Bat touch Confederate money thew
would not; only the glitter OF gold and silver
could draw forth some Of their boards from
the cayerns, and behold, many OF those secret
grauarles have now been opened and their con.
tents carried of, without money and without