The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1864-08-03


the East. On the river side of the parish
in which misunderstanding over dis
tance of seventy miles--I know Of but two
houses standing, and but two Of the old in.
habitants who remain. In the entire parish,
out of several hundred, there are now but
twenty voters left, and instead of the net
annual revenue of three millions realized
before the war, there is not now produce
sufficient, even Of the necesssries of life,
for the few negroes who still hang around
the locations Of their former abodes.
The immense levees that lined the en-
tire extent of the river front, and which in
their magnitude attracted the attention Of
foreign travellers, and, that, for the last
twenty years, have enlisted in their con.
struction, at an enormous cost, the best
engineering talent of the country, have
been destroyed, and the Mississippi river
now floods large extent Of country, in
many instances more than fifty miles be-
yond its ordinary channel, heretofore in
high cultivation. Add to this the cOnver-
sion Of large interior region of the State
into position Of almost entire isolation, BY
the destruction Of all means of communica-
ton and postal facilities, together with the
reduction. of many the oldest and wealth.
est citizens from opulence to extreme po-
verty. consequent upon the demoralization
Of the blacks, and their incitement by Sc
ceet emissaries, to rapine and plunder,
even where not reached by The gunbnats,
and you have but feeble picture Of the
suferings.of large porlien of the people
of Loaisiana.
Born and raised on the banks Of the Mis-
sissippi, | Gay feel more sensibly than
others the desOlation have described ;but
to appreciate the spirit and fortitude with
which these mistortunes have been borne,
you, sir, must take yet another view. Al
no election prior to the period of her ses-
sion had Louisiana ever cast more than
50,0 900 votes. Immediately on the break.
ing ont Of the war. she sent $4,000 volun-
;eers into the field, and. before the end OF
the FIRST year, she had Increased these to
nearly as many men in the service as shs
had voters; and when New Orleans fell,
and, subsequently, when the Mississippi
river passed into the possession Of the ene-
nv, the majority Of those men were doing
duty in Tennessee and Virginia. So that,
while their State was being oyerrun, their
homes laid waste, and their families scat
tered or driven into exile. they were stand.
ing guard on the Potomac orthe Rappahan.
mock. oyer the homes of Virginians, OF
keeping back the enemy from entering
through Chattsn 1ogs, upon the happy home.
steads OF Alabama and Georgia.
NJ. Speaker, | 10 not, nor do these brave
soldiers, now scar-worn aud decimated
complain Of this for every where the LOU
isiana soldier has been appreciated. both on
the battle field and the hospitabte homes
Of those among WHOM he has been thrown
but allude to It that may have this House
and the country appreciate the generou:
magnanimity Of the State that can pass re.
solutions speaking of her sacrifices, and
yet forbcar 10 name this, the noblest one o
them all, lest she should seem TO make of i
a grievance. or appear to regret what sht
had done.
i FIR. Speaker, | will rot pursue this sub
I ljeci, lest | should even unintenticnall,
seem to magnify the merits OF my State, il
ldisparagsment Of any other State. To d,
this would, indeed, do violence to the spi
rit of the resolutions ! have presented
But sir, should, in the fortunes OF war, Vir.
ginia, now nobly breasting the advance o
the enemy. and standing in this respect to-
wards those States east of the Mississippi
river, much as Louisiana does towards
those States west Of the Mississippi river
having given up her sea coast-be force.
10 see Richmond, andihen Petersburg, ant
then Lynchburg fall, and, finally. the Con
federate Capital removed from her borde
j the enemy in full possession Of the rail
road between this and Tennessee, as high
way for troops and suppliss--and shouls
she then, under suck circumstances, ASST
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