Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-12-26

contradiction OF the statue. Inc eaLtle
trains are getting SO large that we find
difficulty in driving them along. Thanks
giving day was very generally observed in
the army, the troops scCrning chickens in
the plentitude of turkeys with which they
had supplied themselves.
SUPPLIES ABUNDANT
Vegetables of all kinds, and in unlimited
quantities, were at hand, and the soldiers
gave thanks as soldiers may, and were
merry as only soldiers can be. In truth,
so far as the qualification Of tho stomach
thanksgiving.
In addition 10 fowls, vegetables and
meats they obtain q delicious syrup from
sorghum, which is cultivated on all the
plantations, and stored away in large
tIoughs and hogshesds. The mills here
and there furnish fresh supplies of -four
and meal, and we hear little or nothing of
ohard taclz7-that terror TO weak mastica-
tion. Over the sections of country lately
trRvaTsed l find VaEy little cultivation Of
cotton. The commands of Davis appear
10 have been obeyed and our large droves
Of cattle are turned nightly into the I'M
mense fields of ungsthered corn, TO eat
their fll, while the grsnsries arc crowded
to overlooking with both oats and corn.
We have also reached the sand regions,
so that the fall of rain has no terrors, the
roads are excellent and would become firm
er from q little wetting. The rise of the
rivers will not bother us much, for each
army corps has its pontoon, and the launch
ing Of its boats is matter Of an hour.
TIN. .CoTuzTp,-- PEOPLE
Frequent occasions occur for conversa-
tion with the people. In the upper part
of the State, not meeting with any but the
poorer, more ignorant class, was led to
believe that the rich and the refined class
had fed further south; but although 1 have
made dilligent search for the intelligent, in
tellectual aristocracy, I have met only with
failure and disappointment Rich men
there are, whose plantations line the roads
for miles men and women who own, ordid
own, hundreds of slaves, and raised every
year their thousand bales of cotton; but
their ignorance is only equalled by that
twin sister of ignorance, intolerance, ]
can understand as l never did before why
il was that 3 few persons, who every year
represented the South in Congress, were
able TO WELD that influence as a unit. To
be sure the interest of slavery was aIl-con-
trolling, yet it never would have brought
this people TO the pitch of civil war, had
they received the most common benefits OF
education. The solemn trnth Is that the
scuthern people nave never had any con-
| eeptinns oc tho natinn as did. They do
mol know what it is 70 be an American.
II must not be supposed that we do not
HlaaL many Iarsnna ~ E-> oil
Unionists from the beginning of the war
The vote of Georgia was undoubtedly Civ
en- by large majority against secession,
and most every old man when he sees his
pigs and poultry killed in his very door
yard and gazes with mournful eyes upon
the wagons that are filed with his corn,
protests that he always was Union man. 1t
seoms hsrd sometimes to strip such men ss
clear of all estables rs do our troops who
have the art cultivated to the most eminent
degree, but as General Sherman often says
to them: of it is true that You are Union
lists, you should not have permitted jeff
Davis TO drSgoon you, until you are as much
his slaves as once the niggers were yours. .
HOWELL CoBB's PLANTATION.
lust before bis entrance into Millegeville
General Sherman camped on one Of the
plantations of Howell Cobb. It was CO.
incidence that Macon paper, containing
| CObbs address TO the Georgians as General
commanding, was received the same day.
This IlantPtion was the property of Cobb's
wife, who was Demsr. do not know
that this Cobb ever claimed any very
great reputation as a man of piety and
/ virtue but l could not help contrasting the
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defend their liberties, homes, sc, from the
step of the invader; TO burn and destroy
everything in his front, assail him on al
Sides" and all that, with his own conduct
hero, and The wretched condition Of his ne.
groes and their quarters.
We found his grsnaries well filed with
grain and wheat, part of which was dis.
tributed and eaten by our animals and
men. A large supply of syrup, made from
Sorghum, (which we have found at nearly
every plantation on our march was stored
in an clubhouse. This was also disposed o.
TO the soldiers and the poor decrepid no
groes, which this humane, ibeTty-loying
Major General left to die in this place {
few days ago. Becoming alarmed, Cobt
sent TO the place and,'removed all the able
bodied mules, horses, COWS and slaves. HI
left here some fifty old men-cripples, and
women and children-with clothing scarce
covering their nakedness, with little or NJ
food, and without means of procuring any
| We found them covering over the fire
places of their miserable huts, where tn
wind whirled through the crevices between
the logs, frightened at the spprosch Of tn
Yankees, who, they had been told woult
kill them, A more forlorn, neglected Sc
of human beings 1 never saw.
General Sherman distributed TO the nc
groes with his own hands the provision
left here, and assured them that we wer
friends, and they need not be afraid tbs
we were foes. One old man answere
him: al spoge dat you'se true; but mass
] you'se II 60 way tomorrow, and anudde
/ white man will come" He had nevC
known anything but prosecutions an
fears from the white man, and had bee
/ kept in such ignorance Of US that he di
not dare put faith in any white man.
REBEL LIES To NEGROES.
This terrorism, which forms so strikin
J a feature of slavery has had marked illu
trstions ever since we left Atlanta I'll
negroes were told that as soon as we q
them into our clutches they were put int
the front of the battle, and we killed thel
, if they did not fight that We threw Il
J women and children into the ChattahOOchi
Q and when the buildings were burned
Atlanta, we filed them with negroes to /
roasted and devoured by the flames. The
. stories, which appear so absurd to rs, 81
9 not too extravagant for the simple, untuto
/ cd minds of the negroes. They are easil
s frightened, and full of superstition. ]
most any other instance, such bloody tai
would have frightened them entirely q
: of our right to the woods and other bldin
d places, but they assert, with such earnes
f ness and glee, that mazss can't come d
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