The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1864-03-24

l5O, 1000 OF US have died, be borne down
at last. Is this Christian meekness of
his intended to save his own life ?
They say what comfort are these fine
sentiments, to the houseless families who
have been driven from their homes in
Tennessee or Virginia, when they find
that our armies, even on the enemy's
soil, are withheld from giving the in
vaders taste of real war in their own
quenched hearts and blazing barns?
For what have we set over us gov
ernment at all If it be not to protect us
against our enemies to avenge US Of
our enemies when need is to uphold
our cause in all its fulness and gran
deur, and to keep our banner flying
high? But this is lowering the cause
and dragging the banner through the
dust this is encouraging, inviting our
invaders to ravage and pillage us at
pleasure, sure that they will not be
visited with the like in their turn.
A WAR OF FERooIoUs RETALIATION RE-
ri .i.T 9aT COMMENDED.
From the Richmond Examiner, March,.
Perhaps the people-perhaps even
the government Of the Confederate
States-are now at length awakened
to the true nature of the struggle
in progress. We have been in the
habit of regarding it as a war between
nations our enemies have all along
looked upon it as military execution
upon "mutinous crew." The merits
by which their soldiers are desired to
"write their names in ineffacable letters
on their countrymen," are rushing at
night upon populous city, burning it
down with turpentine and oakum "in
soaked balls :" turning loose some
thousands of rufian prisoners, brutal
lied to the deepest degree by acquain-
tance with every horror of war, who
have been confined on an island for a
year, far from all means of indulging
their strong sensual apetites-having
this pandemonium to work their will
on the unarmed citizens, on women,
gentle and simple, on Richmond, and
on all their property-in word to
sack with the usual Accomplishments
attending that operation-to kill JEFF.
Davis and his mutinous crew, and slip
away as they came.
If they can surprise by any sort OF
artifice, our kraal of Richmond, and
deliver it over to the mercy of their
troops, and hold in it one good carni
val of lust and rapine, they will write
their names in imperishable letters on
the hearts of their countrymen. This
situation of affairs was always well
known to us; but it was doubted or
denied by many Confederates of feeble
brain. Do they believe it now, under
stand it now, that we have thunder the
hand of Federal officers charged with
the task or breaking up this "hatefup
den of Richmond, burning and robbing
our houses, stripping and violating the
virtuous and often refined Christian
women of this place, shooting, stab
bing, hanging the highest civil officers
of the law, and massacreing indiscrim-
inately the population. sr 5e
This is wholesome kind of refec-
ton for our own countrymen. We be-
lieve it will sting them. We thinkft
highly probable that they will perem-
ptorily demand of their government
some practical, unmistakable assertion
of our full determination to be treas..ad
as honorable enemies and civilized
people. And what-some may ask
what then would you have our Govern
ment to do turn the aoar into q aoar
Of erternsi,aationY Certainly }, certain
y? 1t is already a war of extermina-
tion-of indiscriminate slaughter and
plunder on the part of our enemies.
Their sparing the lives of prisoners
and occasional exchanges, form but a
temporary suspension of the rule, nec-i
essitated by our holding prisoners also
but the true aninaats, the authentic Yam
kee theory of the war, is manifest in
the actual proceeding of our enemy
wherever he has the power, and espe-
cially, and most signally, in this code
of instructions for sack and massacre
in Richmond. Our government owes
it to its own army and to its own peo-
pie, if it cannot at the moment retaliate
such atrosities in kind, at least to bring
to condign punishment the robbers
who, in the guise of soldiers and un-
der pretense of war. have been caught
lurking about Richmond with their oak
nm hollis and turpaptina and III cir writ