The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-03-01

that Providence designs, and l believe He
does, this very condition of things to advance
and hasten the return of honorable and last
Ing peace. But of one thing 1 am entirely
sure,-our kind Father claims all you have as
His, and intends you, as His stewards, to min
lister OF your abundance to the sullerngs of
your brethren.
Some one worth million dollars will read
this letter. One word to you, sir, if you
please. If you could, without loss, and with
substantial aud permanent profit, carry one
hundred Of these furnishing families through
their pinch, enable them to make a crop and
save them to the country and to- one another
If you could redeem seven hundred loyal
hearts from death and make them weep tears
of gratitude at the mention of your name, and
besiege the throne of God for blessings on
you and your children throagh life, would
you not feel more than justified in doing so?
An investment of $40 COO of your last receipts
in this benefaction will accomplish all have
supposed. Is there any other investment you
could make of that amount that would
produce more pleasing and beneficial returns
TO your heart than this. Besides one hun
dred of these are soldiers. Your gift nerves
their arms to strike ten thousand heartier.
harder blows at the heart of the treason which
would destroy your Government and thereby
your capital. How small a sacrifice to you,
what an inestimable blessing to the bene-
ficiaries!
Ii address man whose conscience tells
him to give $1,000 out of his wealth, to keep
the lamp Of life burning in 10000 sad but
loyal homes, he onght to obey that monitor.
Where is the individual, corporation or State,
that acknowledges the obligations Of Chris
tianity, or patriotism, or humanity, and can
refuse to lay some worthy offering upon the
breadless table Of gallant soldiers famished
family?
| Ladies of the loyal States. To you turn,
| with confidence twice assured, when remem-
Der that you are mothers, wives, sisters, and
daughters. Last at the cross and first at the
sepulchre of the crucifed Savior, your hearts,
like His, ever palpitate at the sigh of human
suffering, and your gentle hands, like His are
ever open to soothe and relieve it. To the
loyal women of the East and West, appeal,
in behalf of the true and tried and faithful,
daughters of East Tennessee. When your
brave soldier lads came to suffer iu our noun
tains and valleys for our common country, our
women gave them such greeting as only true
women can giye-and a champion ofthe Union
ever found welcome home under the roof of
every loyal citizen in our mountain land. In
health, their smiles cheered him-their word
OF kindness encouraged him. Wounded or
sick, their gentle presence soothed and COM
| forted him-their soft hands smoothed the pill
low which their fingers had made, and wiped
the cold sweat from his aching brow. Dying,
their sweet voices whispered in his ear of Cav
airy and a home in Heaven,-and dead, with
mothers and sisters anguished hearts,
they have wept over his grave. They have
broken the last biscuit, and divided their last
salt with your soldier boys. And when the
yoke was on all our necks, and we were all
groaning under the tyrant's heel, and your
captured braves were carried through our
country, furnishing with hunger-they fed
them, in the face of terror, and strengthened
them for the troubles just before them.
When that young Yankee soldier, who fell,
bravely fighting, at Watauga bridge, in Gen.
Carriers raid, was brutaly exhumed, and his
body stripped, iusulted and left exposed, and
no man dared attempt TO re-inter him,-our
young ladies, my neighbor girls, with their
own hands, after night, dug him grave in
the forest, made him a coffin and laid his body
| within it, and by themselves at midnight, with
tears, bore him to his last resting place, and
there decently buried him.
| a They baptized with their tears, their fathers
and sons and husbands and lovers, dedicated
them to the defence OF liberty and nationality,
and sent them forth, exiles, TO breast the storm
of battle, and bleed for our nations life, with
the injunction to return victorious or glorious
ly to die. The tender hands of many of these
women, thus left alone with their children
around them, before unused to the labor of
the field, bore a large part in producing the
last years supplies, of which the cruel exac-
tions eff war have now deprived them. To
God and to you, in mute but eloquent agony,
and with unwavering faith, they look for re-
lief. Their faith, feel, l know, is not in vain.
God save my country-Lord feed my chill
dren-is their constant prayer
To all let me say in conclusion if you desire
to take part in this labor of love-" organize
at once, at your centres of population (say at
your State capital) Estate Relief Association
for East Tennessee" and auxiliary assoeia-
tions in. every community, in correspondence
with the State organization. Your State as
ISOLATION will receive donations OF every kind
which can aid the sufferers, as we'll as mon
ey. The money will be invested in clothing
and provisions by the agents of the EAST Ten
nessee Relief Association at Knoxville" and
of the State Associations. There will be no
difficulty in transferring supplies to Nashville,
Tennessee, by railroad and steamboat--and l
have letters from Governor Andrew johnson
assuring me, that when delivered to him there
they shall bepromptly forwarded to Knoxville,
East Tennessee. Governor Johnson's home
is East Tennessee, his loyal heart is with her
people, and what he promises he will accom-
plish,
Remember, christians! Remember, philan-
throipsts! Forget not, patriots! That your
Acknowledgment fellow christians, your
fellow-patriots, who have suffered beyond ex-
preston, and sacrificed all they possessed, for
our holy cause, are already experiencing the
horrors of present pressing destituton,-that
the fangs OF unsatisfied hunger are already
yvinu nj THAR ;tals nd tbas