The Xenia sentinel. [volume] (Xenia [Ohio]) 1863-186?, 1864-04-05
A Good Reply.
In answer to the Rebel Address from
the 'COnfederats Congress, the New York
Tribune has the follO8ing on
INJURED INNOCENCE

tribune mas the foHOTlng on
INJURED Innocence.
When Abraham Lincoln started in Feb
1861, from Springfield for Washington,
Southern Journals freeiyand openly pre-
dicted that he would never live to be in
augurated there as President For JEFF
6ersOn Davis had left that city a month or
50 before, after giving unmistakable init
nations that he claimed itas a prospect
i've capital Of the Southern Confederacy.
Tc a Yale College student who asked him
what would become of Washington in case
Of a disunion, he replied in substance that
the city would revert to Maryland, and
Maryland would 90 with her slaveholding
sisters. Accordingly he held on to his
pew in the aristOcratic Episcopalian
Church, because he expected very soon to
need it again.
Actual war might have been indefinite
" postponed if the Confederates would
have consented to let Fort Sumter be
supplied with provisions, either by our
Government directly, or by buying them
in Charleston Market 1t is pretty well
established that Mr.. Lincoln would even
have Withdrawn the garrison if the Con
federates would have agreed to leave the
fort empty, when all pretext Of appre-
hension from it by Sou Carolina would
have been brushed away. But nO-the
COnfederates would accept nothing less
than its unconditional surrender into their
hands, with liberty to arm and garrison it
as they should see fit; and, this being
declined, Beauregard opeoed fire upon 1t
april 18th 1861 under express orders
to reduce it from Jef7s War Department
at Montgom y. These orders sent athrill
Of rapture through the entire COnfeder-
acy. News that FIRE had been opened hav-
ing been received at Montgomery, great
open air meeting was held in that city in
the evening to exult over the fact, and
Leroy Pope Walker, Jefzs Secretary of
War, being called out, predicted that the
Confederate flag would float in triumph
over Washington from that date-and
the Sc zure of Norfolk Navy Yard, the
victorious rush on the Federal arsenal at
HarPer's Ferry, the rapid pushing forward
Of Confederate troops from Charleston.
Mobile and Montgomery to the banks Of
the POtomae-Which began within aWeek
after the fall Of Sumter-the murderous
Secession riots in Baltimore, the impudent
demand of her Mayor and Young Chris
tians that no more Federal troops should
be marched or transported across the terri
tory of Maryland-aIl pointed to one re-
suit. The Richmond Examiner of April
23d called for-an instant advance upon
and capture of Washington, so that the
illinois Ape and the arch traitor Scott
might be caught before they could
run away North. And more than two
months earlier, JEFF himself speaking at
Jackson, Miss, while on his way to be
at Montgomery, said he hoped |
there WOu Id be no war; but if there
we're any, it should be fought not on
Southern but on North-rn sil. The |
Confederate journals reiterated this threat
n every conceivable form and with every
variety Of insulting eoneOn1itant.
Three years have not yet passed since /
such talk was universal in rebeldom and |
the Loyal States have been re-
peatcdly and formidably invaded-always |
with disasterous results. Lees first ad
vance into Maryland checked at South |
Mountain and definitely stopped at Antie-
tam-Beauregard's blow at Shiloh, ending
in his retreat to Corinth, followed by his
fight southwark from that stronghold
Bragg's bold dash across Tennessee and
Kentucky, followed by his precipitate re
-reat after the battleof PerTyville-Lee's
invasion of Pennsylvania, re-
llit.rg in his defeat at Gettysburg and
retreat across the Potomac
minus one-third of the force he brought
over from Virginia-these and many mi
1ar disasters, have proved the futility of
he rebel boast that they would dictate
peace from Philadelphia or New York
Fhey do not at this hour hold anacrethat
hey did not on the 1st of July, 1861
While we hold nearly half the area that
vas theirs before the battle of Bull Run
New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, Knox
lille. Baton Rouge, EiekBurg, Natchez,
Newbern, Chattanooga, Brownsville and
Of places Of minor consequence,
-ttest the steady progress of the National
Lrms.-Save the Trgion of the Chicka-
lOminy, there is scarcely a battlefield
# the entire struggle which is not this
lay under the flag of the Union
SuchaFe the circumstances under which
he +gOlFederate Congress puts forth
ong Einded whine against the Unienists
or making aggressive and unprOVOked
var ppeRythem.