The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-10-20

A"G AAEDGA-LAON IN IEAA!
TESTIMONY or AN EYE-wrTNEs
Letter frem Jessc Rrookshir,
laiha EuF.i siH'S f-------r-ssi 20 s.ten a,iT
At the request Of friends that L have %.
from yopr State, and feeling it a.duty Low
tony old friends, to let them .isno
where stand in this rebellion; 10 this bri
letter | will review part of the past histor
of this rebellion as it was in Texas. and II,
you, the facts as they occurred in my hearin,
and before my eyes. Ny feelings I will nj
attempt to- describe, but when you read m
letter you viii we'll nhdesstspd them.
have hssnsxpsllsd from my State, from m
wife and Children. Who are iearer ,om tha
life, for over seven months, and all this wa
done because Iwould not join the conspirac
to overthrow, free government. When W
were forced by 2 minority into rebellion, "
we're nthe enjoyment Of every blessing eve
conferred by civil government upon man =
Not = single wrong had we ever suffere,
from the government We hal liberty
peace and prosperity. and were in the dali,
and undisturbed pursuit of happiness I will
here state some ofthe promises made to us
We were told that secession was riehtfu
sand ptaceable remedy for anticipated evils
that the United States was Inherently foe
weak to resist disruption, and therefore the
revolution would be- bloodless. We were
piled witha thousand arguments to induce
rs to believe that the South absolutely con.
trolled the destinies. not only of our own
country, but Of the civilized world, because
OF her supposed monopoly Of the production
of . single article oi commerce. "Cotton is
King" wss the sensetess declaration rp,n
the lips Of Every man who was seeking the
Of the government. Atthe mere
frown of this imperial despot, it was from.
ised us that France and England would bend
in supplimt sttitude sndra permission to
serve Us upon any ter,t,s Il was confident.
y asserted that the org,niz,,ion Of the new
would bresk the claims that hrl
so long bound the South 70 The commercial
chariot wheels Of the North, and that it
would At oncs inaugura.e q new and unex-
IMPLIED prosperity among southern people,
esulting in the attainment, for the Confed.
eracy. of a national progress and power n.
known in the previous history of the world.
We were promised government more po.
ent to bless, and less liable to abuse than
he one established by our fathers We were
assured that in severing from tn. States Of
he North. we would promote national and
happiness. by- -th.- -...i-:--.--A
,ractice Of the wiscst political economy, and
he purest principles Of morality and ralgion,
,ncontaminated by the terrible beresies of
he North; that we would thus reach at no
Iissans day. point in civilizati6n from
vh,ch We conld gaze down upon tfne benight-
d world outside NJ the Confederacy, and
hank God'that we are not as other mem
Al this was to come within the frs; decade
e years but II was not the limits assigned
o the noble work destined 10 be accomplish.
d BY the altconauering arm OF the Confe6-
'rncy. Within the first quarter of century
fits existence this paragon Of government
vas charged with the duty of employing its
moulding hand and humanizing influence in
'escuirg Mexico, Central America and Cuba
rom decay and ruin, by Incorporating them
's parts Of its territory. and thus enlarged
N capacity for the employment Of slave IL.
Dor and the unlimited production Of cotton,
present the blue waters ofthe Caribbean
sea and the Cult Of Mexico as the cradle
md lap Of the eommerce Of the world. No
rebel ever doubted, when secession occurred,
whether peace OF var followed, that the
North would fall into rapid decline, soon to
end in the destruction Of democratic govern
ment. They told us that the great ccmmer.
cial and manufacturing wealth OF the North
ras just 50 mach unjustly distracted from
the products Of the South, and that the mo-
ment this source Of supply was Withdrawn
her looms would be still. her people idle,
and insubordinate, and the grass
growing green in the streets Of her great
commercial cities. Famine. civil war and
anarchy was to be the doom Of the North
We were told by those who assumed to know
and among them were northern men, that
II the "imbeciie and contemplate old gov
eminent should attempt to struggle for its
existehee. the effort would be farce, That
the Yankees would not. could not fight
southern men. There was scarcely south.
ern brave Who did not pledge himself 10 dill.
patch at !east dozen Yankees. The terri
bls threatswas made that II var VA were wra.sed
By tbe government to coeree the SoGtis- es.
pecially IL the footprint ofa Yankee soldier
khon!d prohns' nis:ri ssaibcrsd soil. she would
muster hsr chiyalrous and resistless hosts
ana seiis ths National capital. aha Thence
marching northward lay sn+uins successive
W Phiiadslphia, New York and Boston, and
over their emouldering ruins dictate the
terms Of peace. These are some Of the
things We vere promised. On the other
hand those who opposed disuniop predieied
what me seonsequenoes sfrsbeIlion would be.
and said'tbe trainers Of nu, 'eosernmcnlh.d
not provided for the destruction OF the fabfic
they were rearing-that revolution against
organized government Vas a merat right
having its oig:nin tf,e perversion Of powers
intended for good, s~d 10 the usurpation Of
Others fse the accomplishment Of ftyranrical
parposss--tbat the egoternment ofthe United