Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-11-03
From kickSburg.

| Companies ID and Il did not suffer any loss.
Yours &c,
From Eicksburg.
-4rriual of Exchanged Union Pi-jsoaers-An-
other Story Of Reid Bar5arity-THe Union
Prisoners at Cohau5a-Raljef sent than By
I Gen. Mathematician Of a prominent
Rs6el Roltician-Hv says tie Policy Of tie
7 Rebellion IS to secure a Democratic Triumph
at tie North,
Correspondence Of the State Journal.
VIcKsBURG, Oct. Is, 1864.
Editors State Journal To-day there arriv-
cd at the Soldiers Home in this place, p
prisoners of war; exchanged with the rebel
authorities, They have been staying at Ca
hawba, Alabama, for a long time in a prison
enclosure in which the only shelter was a
large building in the centre, of which so feet
OF the roof was gone. They were not all
soldiers, but some were citizens and were ia
ken on train of cars captured by the rebels,
and the soldiers were from those lost by
Sturgis at Germantown. Some Of the citl-
zens were employees of the rail road. Their
sutferings have been very great as 10 clothing,
food and sleeping; all of them were bare
footed, Or virtually so. They report that at
least so Of cur prisoners at Cahawba are
without pants, as many as 600 without coats,
and an equal number without shoes All
have to sleep on the ground and have about
one blanket to six men. Provision has been
made by Gen. Washburne, through a flag of
truce, oSend them a supply of those articles.
Mrs. Gov. Harvey made application to go
out with the goods and see to their proper
distribution, and that our men got them, but
! Gen. Gardner, of the Confederacy, would not
allow her to 60. Application was made here
to-day, by Mrs Mann, Supt of the Soldiers
Home, to Gen. DANA for clothing for the
destitute soldiers, but Gen. Dana would not
give an order for it as 1T was Gen Wash
burns affair and they must go to Memphis,
and find their regiments, and then they
could get clothing" Oh! red tape, you will
have to give an account some of these DAYS
and what vast amount Of meanness and in
competency you will have to shoulder.
have seen several very prompt and dignifed
officers whose shoulder straps are now off,
and they make very quiet and rather ordinary
citizens.
But to the prisoners. They say they need
axes very much to cut wood for COOKING
! Their fare consisted of about two ounces Of
bacon, cured IN charcoal without any salt
with small allowance of hard tack per dav
made of cow peas and horsefeed ground to-
gether. They report at least one thousand
OF our men there in prison. All of them are
full OF vermln, and with their accommoda-
tons it is impossible to get clear of them.
They bring IN the Selma Morning Rcportc.
of October 18th, containing a letter from
VIM. w. Boyce, addressed to Jeff. Davis and
bearing on the election of President wish
[ could send you the paper containing the
whole letter. but cannot, and so will Give Won
some extracts, which 60 to show the interest
taken by the rebels i'll the success of McClel-
Ian, and the means to be adopted to accom-
| plish his election. You need therefore not
not be surprised to hear that Jeff Davis Of
ters to meet IN convention as States in their
| sovereign capacity" After treating in GEN
eral terms on the theory of Republican
/ form of government and the tendency of a
| state OF war to create a military desnotism
he, In abiding to the Democratic party. saws
81 think our only hope of a satisfactorv
| p9ace, one consistent with a preservation of
the free institutions, is in the supremacy of
this party at some time or other Our poiicv.
therefore, Is to give this party all the canital
we can" y X "When we know what
Mr.. Lincoln wants to do, then we know very
certainly what We ought to do" Before this
he says, " admit in the first place. that a
successful military defence is Indispensable
without that nothing can be anticipated but
utter ruin. But is this all? | think not.
| There is something over and above success in
war. That is political policy If Mr.. Lin
coin remains in power there is no hope of ac
comprising anything by political policy"
Mr.. Boyce appears to think that there is no
hope of beating Mr.. Lincoln by diplomacy
any more than by war, and so emphatically
goes in for "making capital" for the Demo-
cratic party, and feels confident of outgen-
eraling them in that line, and as they do not
even talk fight, it is the easy way "and only
hope Of a satisfactory peace" Well, it would
not be the first time they had "outgeneraled"
Mcclellan. He would doubtless first "ex-
haust all his craftsmanship" before retiring to
"gunboat" Of peace and safety.
Mr.. Boyce closes his able and confidential
! letter to President Davis as follows: " You
may traverse indefinitely the same bloody
circle you nave been moving in for the last
four years but you viii approach no nearer
than you now are. Your only hope of peace
is in the ascendency of the conservative par
ty north. Fortify that party if YOU can by
victories but do not neglect diplomacy. It
was the boast of Philip the Great King that
he gained more cities by his policy than by
his arms. A weak power engaged with a
stronger, must make up in sagacity for what
it lacks in physical forces, otherwise the mon
| uihE IA0o VI us Slois oeCaAte Gue IOlupS Oh It's
nationality"
From the harmony which appears to pre-
vail between the : Conservative party north"
and the rebels south, l should judge that the
"Convention of sovereign States would be
perfectly harmonious and would rival the
Charleston Convention of 1860, and equal
the Chicago gathering, if not in harmony, at
least in ignoring every sentiment of fealty
to the government or the Union. IF not en-
tirely lost to shame, should hope the peace
sneaks north would, after reading such epis-
ties of southern rebel statesmen, hide them
selves till after the election. But the time
will come when the loyal men shall have sub
dued the rebels and peace again prevail
throughout the land, when the just indignation
of an injured people will crush all traitors, as
it were, into the very earth. Then no longer
will C shoulder straps" protect tyranny and
incompetency. $50 mote it be-"
The Esd and 35th Wisconsin regiments
passed up the river on Saturday, leaving sew
eral of their sick in hospital here, detailed
list of whom will try and send you to-mor
81 LOW.
The I'D Illinois regiment voted Thursday
on the Presidential question, and stood, Lin
coin 645 to Mcclellan 3d. Rather strong fol
a Democratic regiment There were nc
Wisconsin men among the prisoners arriving
here to-day. Yours &C.,
GEO. c. SMITH.