The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1864-12-02
Our Military Correspondent ce.

OBSERVATIONS OF A MEMBER OF THE l05TH
REGIMENT.
HosPIrAL No. 1, MuRFREEsBoRo. TENN !
l.. Oct. 4ih, 1864.
FRIEND CONVERSE 1t is several
months since | have written for the DEM
ocrot, owing to my not being with the
Regiment; and it is long time since I
have had the good fortune 10 peruse its
columns. Some OF my observations
during the past few months may, perhaps.
be of interest 10 you and your readers, as
being intimately connected with the
present Inomentous struggle in which this
nation is. and has been engaged for the
last three and a half years-a struggle
which, AL have come 10 confess.is between
Freedom on the one hand, and Slavery on
the other. This terrible conflict has re.
solved itself into two parties, the one val
iap,ly fighting for Freedom. and the other
unblushingly acknowledging themselves
the champions of tyranur and oppr ssion,
and waging battle in !heir defense. l
have, many times in the past lew months,
been painfully impressed with :be Jack
Of moral motive, or, rather, the absence
,of all morality in the motives which Sc
tuate too many who are fighting in .he
defense Of the country. and also in the
great mass OF citizens in the South. For
the sake Of few years Of unstable peace.
there are scores OF men who are willing,
nay, more. anxious, to relract those noble
deeds which shall hereafter be our ma
lion's proudest boast to re.enslave the
now freed bondmen ; to give to the inso-
lent, haughty, aristocratic, slavebolding
traitor his human chattel, to whip, TO
main, 10 starve, tc separate once again
his family; aye, TO give up all that Of
which we should be most proud. and con.
tent ourselves with only re.establishing
our territorial limits and 10 acknowledge
traitors as fellow citizens, entitled TO all
the privileges OF good aud free Gov
Southern citizen. who processes great at.
tachment to the Union, and undoubted
attachment 10 the peculiar institution. !"
Such is the creed OF the Peace party, both
North and South.
Let US leave, for a time. these princi
pies of The Peace men, and look to some
facts which they, either willfully or ig,
norantly. ignore. The people in this part
Of Tennessee are extensively engaged in
cotton raising, the greater share OF the
crop being raised by Northern farmers,
or, more properly, Northern capitalists,
for the Northern men engaged in raising
this product Tor the market, are. generally
speaking, men OF means, heretofore en-.
gagged in mercantile or other specula-
lions but are not digging, thriving farm
ers and. il the present experiments fail.
it will be owing to the 100 lavish enpend-
iture Of capital used in running" these
plantations, without sufficient attention
being paid TO the outstanding Of expenses.
Some, the advocates OF Slavery, the
Peace Democracy, have desire TO at
tribute the heavy expenses 10 the new
system OF free labor; but this is their
prejudice, or their meanness, which will
not acknowledge such facts as would force
them 20 recede from their Pro, Slavery
premises. The contraband is willing to
work for wages. The negroes are often
lazy and indolent, bu. it is not true that,
as class, they are more indolent than
the fair, skinned Saxons. They seem to
labor without manifesting that interest,
zeal and emulation which the white la
borer of the North is wont 10 feel. They
all work constantly, ploddiDg slowly, as
has been their wont to DO, but rs though
the hours dragged too slowly along. and.
though sometimes cheerfully, seldom with