The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-01-14
The Food Question In the South
Objecting 20 TIthcs.

/ = ne = o0Q VueSLtOu IN the south
Objecting 80 Tithes.
Humanity weeps and philanthropy
sickeus st the suffering which must en-
sue through the North, as result of hos
tilities, should they ever come" said the
Memphis Argus in March, 1861. Before
the war has continued six months" said
nearly all the rebel leaders, "the streets
Of Northern cities will run with blood,
in default of. bread; while we at the
South, blessed with abundance, will stand
silent spectators, plying the victims Of
this carnival of crime and ruin, though
we shall not stretch forth hand to save
the race of Yankees from destruction"
Such were the boasts of those who, in
eOntravention of constitutions and laws,
and in defiance of every moral precept,
precipitated the country into 3 war. Ig-
norant of the first principles of political
economy, which teach that the manu-
featuring is the really Independent cOun-
try, and artizsns the really Independent
people, those who made the assertions quo
ted doubtless believed them; had they
not, they certainly would have paused
before they plunged.
HOstilities occurred, and right anxious
ly did the rebels wait to see the con-
summation of their hopss-greedily did
they devour the contents of every North
ern newspaper, expecting to feast their
eyes upon startling head lines, annOunc-
ing the long looked for bread riots; but
they were not gratifed. The war con-
tinued, and the North entered upon a
period OF unexampled prosperity and
plenty, while famine began to stare the
rebels themselves in the face, and the
bread riots expected in the North, broke
forth in the South; in Mobile, Atlantis,
and even in Richmond. Soldier and cit
izen alike began to experience the pinch
ings of hunger, and those who had 50
recently been mourning over inagina-
ry destitutiOn in the North, saw that the
reality had invaded their own thres-
holds.
Impressments of food for the. support Of
the army began; each producer was Or
d red to deliver tenth o. all his crops, to
the Government; and while this was the
nominal tax, the real one consisted in q
seizure of all that could be found though
women and children were left to starVe.
1t is not surprising that the people
should grow disconnected over these
outrages; that they should ask if this
was the species of liberty and prosperity
promised them, the moment tho cords
which bound the South to the North were
severed. At first the practice of con-
ceslment was resOrted to; but this was
of no avail. Articles were discovered by
searching, if possible, and if not, owners
were put to the torture, and compelled to
divulge their hiding places, SO that no
other method remained than open resist
ance to the authorities. That resistance |
has come, and in a form and locality
which gives the rebel leaders the greatest
measure of uneasiness.
North Carolina never entered heartily |
into the rebellion indeed it was driven
into it, despite the earnest protest Of .
majority of its people; and no sooner
was il safe to advocate a restoration of |
The Union, than they made a demand |
that the rebellion should cease, and at |
the late election carried the State upon |
the issue of a return to their allegiance.
Open resistance to the edicts of the
Richmond junto, in such a State, and |
among such people naturally alarmed
the conspiratOrs and they are about to
take the most vigorous measures to crush
it, if within their power, as the follow
ing order from the rebel Secretary of
War, to the Q Quartermaster General, who
was then At Lynchburg, Va, will
eVince:
CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERIoA,)
WAR DEPARTMENT.
RICHMOND, Va, Nov. IA, 1868.