The Chattanooga Daily Rebel. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1862-1864, 1864-03-18

FRIDAY ~ pRNiNss. MAR y Isslss4

" the opinion that the ysrktea b. longing |
% the Dahlgen raid ,captu ed y eur forces,
and now in prison At Riehn opd, should not
he regarded as prisoners Of war. bat should
be vigorously and sa~pasiIy deal, with.
Their arguments are nor y Aoat forcs
and pertinenee. They is.ist shat the
orders found upos the teAy OF The leader Of
the expedition, establish the -fa.t, that the
destruction ADD sack Of the city. and sl.neh
ter Of rhe officers Of che eeverpmect. YER.
the primary objects in view, and hat ss
these purposes are slsog~ahe- f"reigu to
the rules of civilized vstfss~ .nd vSolativ.
of the practice Of eivils d tos. uo-~
engaged in the epterp4ise, havtsg tailed.
have no right to expeet ffe re<smest Of
prisoners Of war, and have fairly forfeited
their lives tits therefore .rvu. d, hat no
mercy should be shewn, but 'ha those eho
have been captured shall b. suma ariiy exc
cuted.
lie is intinatsd that expisras ons have
been demanded Of the Lincoln gov-rnmc Mt.
as to whether the programme mm ked cut in
the memorable found upon fshlgrep, wss
| authorized By the government, and if the
policy therein indicated, 10 hereafter to be
pursued IF the yankee government an.
swera afirmatively, Of courss tker. will be
no alternative for us but wholesale retaiia~
| ton As regards the prisoners engaged in
the late raid upon Richmond, if the eev
ernment repudia'es the orders found Hp, o
DahIyreu, it toilsss that the design Of tn,
raiders vas to comeait the horrible offen ces
laid down in the memoranda upan their ews
resro ,sib'lity, in which case they csnDo, be
OF their government, bus rs robbers iatend-
ing to psrpetrate ths most shocking atroci
nea. and III rsfore -neriting desth. IL the
Lincoln government assumes the reaponsi-
bshsy Of the expedition, tad acknowledges
'hat il sa,horiSed the troops 10 murder the
President and bis Cabinet, and burn and
sack the city Of Richasnd, the reply will
be M anm'stafable notification t., US that
I'll war Hereafter is. not t. be vayel acco ding
70 civi!Ix I usase, het upon principles, aud
In a manner, recognized AID acted upon
alone ny savages.
In either case, it would seem that the
fate of the prisoaers would inevitably be
sealed, and that our government would have
no alternative but 70 proceed to their exc
cutisn. hut weuld We be ja-tifi-d in the
eyes of the world ard in our own consciences,
In suOh Wholesale slaughterl TIE idea Of
executing between three md four hundrt d
men, incapable of resistance, 10 shocking to
every Ieenug 4. ---Ia he
without parallel in modern tines and the
Whole world would ring With the horrible
story But suppese on the other hand, that
IN Sc 6ends bad succeeded in their purpose,
can the mind conceive any thisg sore
terrible, than the scenes which would b W
been enacted i'm Richmsad The city y uId
have been Cred !. Q thousar places, men
women and children would have been
Startled from their quie, dr~s m+. 90 Sad
thssr dwellings wrapped in flames Old ee
.sd feeble Innocence, the leirss and the
sex, would have persisted IL the Sfal cos-
hagra.iou from which there ~ ul1 have
been 70 escape, for they could nus kav, re-
ceived assistance in the frrs' 'fui panic
which would have seized upon The healthy
and robust in such q fesrfal time. TIL, Of
fcers of the government. add 20 uht
thousands of Others would Ia rem n,erci
lessly slaug Uttered, and she 'uSt f the !ru
tai soldiery would have sa'Hf.-d itself upos
the Innocence and beauty OF the city. I'm
ayinasion recoiis dismayed at ihe contempis- |
ton Of tho barbarities which would have |
been enacted, and yet tee sympathies Of
the world are to be evoked for she bea tle, g |
wretches who were no BE- the actors 10 rhat
high c,rnivsi of crime
Better than submit to such DEVILS work |
"a this, wcu,d it be TO raise the black ban. |
ner Of extermlnation -as once. aud ask not |
for qnartes, Of grant it. Oil the eiv.'isrd
world to witness tkai the issue was forced |
upon us' and reluctantly accepted opp slte1
the 1sd Of battles for the ju-tiee' Of uur |
a.use, and the parity Of CUR is.cntiun., spd /
either ccoques Or die spots the Reid. let
the Yse be taught that the cruel and unpity
log vasfsre which -hn h-en forced .pea n,
has driven us to assyeration, and tina. the
wager Of bsttls 10 accepted upon their eva