The New York herald., 1864-10-31


and generals even. have taken to speaking and
writing down for the benefit Of their cotem-
poraries and the future historian the exact
condition that the Southern confcderaoy stands
in this year 1864. They have painted Its por'
trait They have given US minute and ac-
curate pictures Of The facts Of its life. They
have bewailed its wants and its weaknesses,
sketched it's hopes nd its fear,. and given
us commercially faitniui acc0u Is Of its
armies and it's people. fnss came the
rebel President lie addressed to audi
ences at Macon and Montgomery speeches
bitter az gall. lie spoke OF great dis
asters," and showed us boldly and broadly
the desperate case that the reDei cause was in
and taat the most hopeful men in the Southern
States had begun to despair OF the con'ede'
racy.. He also showed tina. two out OF every
three Southern soldiers had gone home. Next
came the Governors OF six Southern States
They showed that il The last man aud the laat
dollar were to be given they saust be given
soon, or that otherwise it would bc useless to
rebel cause in such danger that they were
ready to give up slavery and State rights TO
save it, and that of course indicates the last de-
gree Of ofdesperation that Southern cause can get
ia; for negro slavery and.Statc rights are more
precious to these Southern leaders than honor.
truth, justice or anything else but life. Then
the little Jew Benjamin wrote to tell the Euro
pesn capitalists what poor concern the United
States is, and how dangerous it is to trust us.
Benjamin, by this poorest Of all old clio
lodges, showed the confederacy had no longer
any hope in its own efforts, and no hope but in
our exhaustion. II Europe will not lend Us
money he declares that we cannot carry on the
war, and that the South will, therefore, have
its independence by default, and that there
will be peace on Garth and plenty of cotton in
Manchester. Alas for the nation reduced to
the extremity of attempting means like thsl
Alas for the cause whose statesmen give suco
patent evidence Of having studied statesman
ship in the old clio liue!
Then we had letter from q member of the
rebel Congress-M Boyce. He represents in
the rebel Congress q district Of the State Of
South Carolina. He may be supposed to
represent, therefore, the Southern extremists.
His letter showed that the idea had penetrated
even into South Carolina that the rebel
cause was failure and ought at once to
be given up. His letter was such as "to
suggest the wish for reconstruction" South
Carolina, by the voice Of one of the men chosen
purposely to represent her, expresses the de
sire to come once more into the Union with
New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,
and even that very Yankee land, Connecticut.
Here is progress. We have heard the cry Of
peace coming pretty loudly out Of Georgia
through Stephens and others-and now we have
an expression from Alabama Governor Watts,
Of that State, was powerless to defend it, and
convened the Legislature in extra session; but
the Legislature would not in any way assist
Governor Watts to combat tho armies OF
the United States with Alabama monoy or
credit, or the Alabama militia No law was
passed to enable the Governor to get an army
together; but the members talked Of negotia-
tion and peace, and debated strong resolutions
to treat with the United States government in
oase that government should fall into the hands
OF . partyoeady to make peace on any terms
less than subjugatiou. So we hear from
Georgia, from Alabama and South Carolina
the wish for peace, and we have heard it'also
from North Carolina. All the Southern States
that are in possession of tho rebels are
divided against them, and in all there
is an open and bold expression Of tee
desire to return to the Union. All the South.
ern people are tired OF the grand attempt, and
hate and fear the rebel leaders; and the great
blow by which our armies shall finally strike
down those leaders will not subjugate the
Southern people, but will free them from
military tyranny more despotc than any ever
knows in Asia.
While it is thus with the Southern people,
how s it with the Southern armies! Davis has
told us that two-thirds of the soldiers had de-
serted the cause, and Hood and Deaureeard
have told us even more in their orders. Hood
declares tha. his soldiers strasgle so that he
hardly has an army at all; and stragglc, not
from fatigue, but only to plunder the homes Of
the Southern people. Early gives even a
worse account. His army, by his own dcscrip-
ton, IS merely band Of thieves Officers and
soldiers are all alike, and even in the hour OF
battle they break to seize the piunder. These
things show, with respect to the Southern sol.
diers who fought the great battles of this war,
thai they no longer have their hearts or even
their bodies in the struggle. Those soldiers
have seen that they were deluded, that they
had been made the tools Of ambitious polit.
Clans and they have gone home, given up the
cause, so far as they had any interest
in it, and left the politicians who
made the war to finish it as they
can or may. Two-thirds Of the men
that were in the Southern armies have
done this Jefferson Davis says so, and Sena-
tor Hill, Of Georgia, reiterates and emphasizes
the statement. Now, what class OF Southern
soldiers are these that have gone homer Gene
raj Hood tells us and General EARLY tells us.
The accounts which these generals give of the