The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1864-01-06
A FEW FACTS"

"A FEW FACTS"
Under this head the Wing makes the
following intelligent observations:
The cry is for great armies. Everybody
is TO be put in the ranks. except such az
are detailed.
Very good. il by SO doing we can end
the war next year and be done with il.
But let US look at a Few facts.
An army correspondent. writing from
Longstreet's corps, says there are 5000
barefooted men in that corps alone. From
Johnston's Gate Bragg's) army. comes a
piteous appeal for blankets and clothing.
Lees army is also in need Of blankets, and
net a week ago a paper, reputed to be the
Government organ, In this city, called up
on the ladies TO devote their energies to
knitting socks for Lees soldiers. For
SEINE weeks past, the Young Mems Chris.
tian Association has been furnishing cotton
yarn TO be knit into socks for these same
soldiers. Woslen yarn was not to be had.
Day By day. the clothes made for the sol.
diers exhibit less wool and more cotton.
What is the prospect Tor clothing next
year: The blockade At Wilmington is
now SO rigidly enforced that supplies from
abroad cannot be counted upnn. An in.
tercepted letter from Nassau. printed IN
the Yankee papers which Cane by The last
gag Of truce. states that " nothing, has en-.
tered Wilmington for month";" wsmu,t
then depend on the home market. for
clothing materials. What do we find !:
Any one who buys beef has discovered that
the quarters and sides are rapidly dimin>
ishins in size. Younger cattle are being
slaughtered every year. II is now thought
we will have 10 fall back upon mich cows.
As cattle diminish, mutton must be sub
s.nuted, and hence the source, both Of
leather and wool may be expected 10 de.
crease every month. Thus the prospect al
home does not encourage the belief tina,
We will be able TO clolhe armies larger
than those which are now shirerlng in ma
kedness.
An army must be fed as well as clothed.
The facts just stated 10 regard to the sup
ply Of beef, apply with even more force TO
the question of subsistence than to that Of
clothing. Merry little bacon 10 left, beef il
going. and mutton will hardly feed great
armies. even if the supply were double
what il is. II il said that Gen. Lee, dur.
Ing his late visit to thi, city, exclslnaed that
th. citizens had no right to indulge them
selves while the soldiers were living on 4
quarter Of pound Of meat per day. The
hue and cry against the starystion Of Yam.
k.e prisoners has scarcely subsidized. and
the excuse that three Of our largest hos.
.p;als were forced TO do without meat for
day or two al time has no, been forgotten.
East Tennessee, on which we relied mainly
for supplies. has fallen into the hands Of
the enemy. The clamor about impress.
m-nts and The stoppage Of supplies on their
way to market, still ringfn the ears Of the
Government. The standing crops 10 en-
tire counties have been impressed az one
fell swoop, under the plea DAT in no other
manner could a sufficient supply for the
army be certainly secured. Under this
system. and because Of real scarcity a,
we'll, -four AZ low grade is selling this day
in the Confederate Capital at $40 a bar
rel. Il appears. therefore, that the pros
pect OF feeding the army already in the
field, much less one twice or thrice its
size. 10 not encouraging.
Without labor there can be no produc-
ton. Our labor 10 that Of the African
slave. who requires the supervision Of a
white man at all times. and never more
than when an unusual quantity Of wsrk. is
demanded Of him. Women, lads, sexage.
narians, cfnnot make the negro do his du-
y fully and faithfullyja man in the prime
spd vigor Of life 10 needed. Already the
fears Of insurrection. occasisned by the
absence Of the greater portion of our arms
bearing population, has produced leni.
srcy and indulgence among the farmers
which has encouraged the natural lszinsss
Of the slave, and resulted in Z rapid and
| yearly increasing dimination OF the crops.