Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-03-09

/ once assured the Soldler5 W no they were. The
party proved to belong to the 1lth Pennsyl-
vania, and they were but twelve miles from
Williamsburg Here their sufferings and
perils ended.
! Having concluded the narrative portion oil
his remarks, Col Hobart said he wished to
| add few more words as a citizen of Wis
| consin, and a resident of tie state almost
from the date of its settlement, and to give
! some of the impressions which he had gather
| ed from what he had seen and experienced
at the South respecting the war. He be-
| leyed that the rebels would move heaven
and earth in order to achieve success the pres
| ent year. They would dash their entire
| strength upon US. They were massing as far as
possible all their military force and not an ele
! ment of power which they could control would
| be shared 1t was his firm belief that there
| was a strong Union sentiment even in Rich
| m0nd, while it peryaded the rank and file of
| the army, but not the leaders, They were
| determined and desperate. 1t was the pur-
pose of Mr. Davis and his associates to fight
on TO the bitter end. Did the audience
wish to know what he, the speaker, thought
of the result :? He believed that if the North
would stand firm, if our people continue
united as they have been, if we push for
ward the with yigOr, striking resolute
blows, that the worst over, and that the
present season swoud witness the ternina-
might be asked if he believed there was any
mode of settlement except by fighting. He
had seized every opportunity while in the
South to ascertain lat the real sentiment of
the people was. At Atl- lta, Augusta, Raleigh
and Richmond, he had conversed with both
officers and privates in the rebel army, for he
had felt great interest IN this subject.
Certainly if it were possible TO settle the diff
tculties between the two sections of the
try with he trfb eff 1sio If
he should be most earnestly in favor of that
method. But it was his deliberate conviction
that there could be no restoration of the
Union, and no peace until we have whipped
their armies Nothing but hard blows viii
shake their purpose. When their armies
are whipped, it his impression, that the
southern people wonld act as other people do
under like circumstances; they would Weld.
Nothing but vigorous prosecution of the
could ever reconstruct this Union. He
said it with sorrow, knowing what war was,
knowing that it meant suffering, sorrow and
death to thousands.
The subject of slavery was foregone thing.
The Southern people understood well, that if
we succeeded there is to be no slavery. They
are prepared to accept this result in the event
of their defeat. They know it involves an
entire change in the system of labor, for
the ssphiosophic element that underlaid this
the labor systems of the North and South
This war was death grappIe between free
and slave labor. (Applause.) One system
or the other has got to succeed. He asked
his friends to consider what would be the
condition of the country if the South were to
triumph. He was aware that it was said that
the country was in danger from the soldiers,
that there was danger of their allying them
selves with the fortunes of some military
nd Sllb prti he IL
wished to say that for nearly three years past
he had been by the camp fire, and among the
soldiers, and he declared from his own knowl
edge that if there was any zeal for liberty in
this country it could be found tonight about
the camp fires of our army. (Applause.)
When it ceased to exist there, there would be
10 liberty for the North. But if we defeated
their armies, would not the South remain in
sentiment as hostile as ever? No. As the
army advances into the South it effects great
changes. The population there, was chang
ing. Their country becoming filled with
Yankees. The soldiers were marrying South
ern women. We were peopling the country
as we went along. Great laughter, inter
rupting tue speaker for some time.)
Col. Il. resuming and looking to the gale
ries, | would say to the soldiers present, Is it
not true boys? (Renewed Laugbter) Gen.
Thomas made IA remark when with the army
IN Tennessee, that would be historical. 1t
gave a correct idea of the effects of the war
He said " that this war was a slow process of
colonization" Nashville, Baltimore, Wash
ington, and other southern cities had been
almost transformed. Northern men and
northern ideas were gaining the ascendency
in them. Moreover when the war is closed
some of our warmest friends would be found
among those now in the Southern army.
There was no personal hostility of feeling be-
tween the men composing the opposing ar
mics. Many time he had seen the cordial
intercourse of northern and southern soldiers
on picket. He had seen the blue and gray
uniforms sharing the same blanket. They
were friends until the actual clash of battle
came, then they fought fercely and earnestly.
But when the was over, there would be
found no bar to reconciliation between them;
on the contrary it would be the bravest men
on both sides who would make the best
friends.