Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-08-30
Letter from Gen. Seymour, Lately Prison
or OF War.

LUG 4slet "ulcu We print uelOW was WIiuen
by the Union Gen. Seymour, lately prisoner in
Charleston, TO friend by whom it was COM
municated to the New York Times:
WILLIAMSBURG, Mass., Aug. Is, 1864.
MY DEAR SIR You ask for my impressions
of the present condition OF the Southern Con
federacy, aud you shall have them. For the
benefit OF our cause wish they might be impressed
upon every soul in the land, that the confidence
begollen Of my three months observations in the
interior OF the South might be shared by every
man who has the least connection with the re-
sponsbIles Of this struggle And am sure
that these OPINIONS are not peculiar to myself
Every one oi the fifty officers u,t exchanged will
express he some every one Of Them whether
from the Jlls Of Charleston, or the pens of Macon
and AndersonUlle viii confidently tell the same
story.
The rebel cause is fast failing from exhaustion.
Their two grand armies have been reinforced this
Summer from the last resources of the South
From every corner oflhe land, every old man and
every boy capable Of bearing rifle has been
impressed, willingly or unwlIingly, and hurried
to the frost. Lees army was the FIRST 10 strength
ened 1t was At the expense Of Hoods CIV
Brown told the truth with IA palnness that was
very bitter, but il was none the less the truth
Let me extract lew prominent statements from
his pr csmation Of July g. addressed to the " Re
served Militia Of Georgia"
"A late correspondence with the President OF
the Confederate States, satisfied my mind that
Georgia Is To be left To her own resources to supply
the reufcrctmenls To Gen Johna3n's army,
which are indispensable to the protection Of
Atlanta and 10 prevent the State from being
oyerrun by the overwhelming numbers now under
command OF the Federal General upon our sol
But there is need Of further reiniotcements, as
will be seen by the accompanying letter Of Gen
Johnston. And II becomes my duty
to call forth every man IN the State able to bear
arms as fast as they can be armed to aid in the
defence of our homes, our affairs, and the graves
OF our ancestors.
II the Confederate Government will not send
the large cavalry force (now engaged in raiding
aud repeIllng rads) u destroy the long line OF
railroads over which Gen. Sherman briggs his
supplies from Nashville and thus compel him TO
retreat with the loss Of most of his army, the
people OF Georgia, whO haze already been draion
upon more heautLy in proportion 10 population
than those Of any Other State IN The Confdracy.
must at all hazards and at any sacrifice, rush TO
the front.
If Gen. Johnston, army is destroyed, the Gull
States are thrown open to the enemy and we are
ruined"
There must, indeed, have been desperate weak.
ness when Georgia, and the Southern cause with
1t, were so neglected hat Lees army might be
made equal to the task Of holding Grant to the
Potomac or the James aud the people Of tLa
South are intelligent enough to understand, and
TO appreciate The fact, that they ave lost heart
accordingly.
The following j, from a letter written by onr
rebel to another, that accidentally fell olo the
hands Ct one Of my f,low.prisoners and for the
authenticity Of which youch
; "Nery lew persons are preparing 10 obey the
t late call of the Governor. His summons will
meet with no response here The people are
sousick and heartily tired Of Ibis hateful, hopeless
strife. They would end 1t if they could but our
] would be rulers will take good care that 10
t opportunity he given the people to vote against
It, BY lles, by fraud aud by chiclnery, this revo
luton was lnaugeratsd by force, by tyranny and
the suppression Of truth il is sustained. IL is
nearly time that 1t should end, and of sheer
depletion Il must end before long, We have had
enough OF want and OF woe, enough Of cruelty
and carnage, enough Of crpples and corpsts.
There is an abundance of bereayed parents.
weeping widows, and orphaned children in the
land. II We can, lei US not increase the number.
lhe men who to aggrandize themselves, or to
CRAFTY their own political ambition, brought this
cruel war upon peaceful aud prosperous country,
VIII Lave to render fearful account CT Their
mlsdeeds 10 a wronged, robbed and outraged
people. Earth has no punishment sufficiently
meet for their yilainy here, and he'll will hardly
be no, enough to seattle them hereafter"
There is certainly no small proportion Of the
: Southern people despite the lying declarations
OF their journals, as We have good occasion to
earn,) that not only favor lhs progress Of eur
srms' but that daily pray that this exterminating
war may soon be brought to a fnaIily BY our
E complete and perfect success. They have bud
too muoh otGesp Ctlsm-not enough OF the triumph
promised them. Many intelligent Southern
gentl' men do, indeed express strong hopes OIL
their ultimate independence, but such hope is Dot
shared by the massts. Disappointed from the
htSt IN not having been acknowledged by foreign
Po"ers-more bitterly disappointed IN their
general expectation that Northern coWardlce or
dlssen'ion would secure their euds-but single
chance remains, and that is the result OF our neri
/ electlOn for President. liza Democrat succeed.
to Mr.. Lincoln, they profess u feel sure OF
negotiations, and sure Of their Confederacy. They
believe Democrat will be elected. In Mr..
Llncoln'S reelection they see only subiugatoD,
humiliation, 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 il not equally
true in politics? Certain 1t is that the onlg re
naming hope y the South lies IN Mr.. Lincoln 5
defeat.
Now, am not enough Of a politician to know
whether the election OF a Democrat can result as
ayoraby to the South as It anticipates. The
wish alone may 0e the parent of their belief
But, assured all who expressed that belief, that
The North, as mass, is as united as the South
thai no Democrat could be elected on pesee
plaf1rm-aud q a; any President who 9ould
lnauguTate any measure leading TO peace on the
basis OF Southern independence, would be prompt.
! hung, oy loyal reclamation, to the lamp posts
IN front OF his own presidential mansion.
However that may be, il we are but true our.
selves there can be but one result. What ne
nolo need Is men-only men--not substitutes or
hlrellngs who 20 forth for any motive but the
countrys good and produce but little beyond
deprecnting our armies-but MEN,--suoh as really
constitute the State, and boast of being freemen
and the sons Of freemeD. II these fail 10 support
their countrys cause in her hour of peril, they
are unworthy Of continuing ireemen, and should
blush ever to exercise ireeman's privileges.
But il bountes must be paid, let it be in South.
ern land, not in Northern gold and armies Of
emgrants, whose sons may aspire to even the
rule of the nation, will cross the seas to win tho
broad acres that disIoyaty has forfeited to The
State.
To every intelligent soldier who has Tough,
through all these ndecisive campaigns on almost
4 numberless ndecislye fields Tho on,s,io, 49,.