Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-03-18
"FIRING THE SOUTHERN HEART"

! The Richmond journals have printed what
they pretend TO be instructions and general or
ders found on the body of Colonel Uric Dahl
/ gren, and they lash themselves into fury over
the contents of these documents. The unJucky
or awkward fellow Ia whom the manufacture OF
these spurious documents was cOntided IN Rich
mond in his haste, Il good deal overdid the mat
ter. He "piled on the agony too thckly, to
use phrase familiar TO lovers ofthe blood-and-
thunder sensation drama In his anxiety 10
make up "a horrible and startling case, which
must without fail "fire the southern heart, he
put in too much horror.
1t is doubtful if Colonel Dahlgren carried any
papers at all upon his person, of the kind which
the Richmond journals print. Why should he?
! Neither the address" nor the instructions
could be of the slightest use on the march, es-
pecially to the Colonel; and if he had been ca
| pable 10 accept and carry out orders of such a
kind as are imputed by the willy rebels, he would
have taken care not to carry about him any line
which could convict him of such purposes II Ia
| ken prisoner. "Once in the city, it must be de-
stroyed, and jeff Davis and his cabinet killed. >"
Does any one believe that brave and honora
| BILE officer, such as Colonel Dahlgren is acknOwl-
edged even by the rebels to have been, would
undertake such orders? Those who venture to
| impute such intentions To a soldier and a man
| of honor are themselve most capable of them.
The southern people are cooling down. they
are wearicd of war and suffering; and they no
longer believe the Yankees such monsters as
they were taught and persuaded to think them
three years ago. This condition of public SEN
timent in the South is fatal 10 the rebel leaders,
and they have lately taken several extraordinary
means TO stir up the blood of the people. Among
them this forged despatch put upon Col. Dahl
gren is the most desperate and lat the same time,
the clumsest. For, not TO repeat that a man
| like Dahlgren would not have accepted such
orders and that there is not an officer among his
superiors whom rebel impudence would dare
charge with issuing them, it will occur to eve
rybody to ask why he, the Colonel commanding,
should carry such paper and why, if he did
for some inscrutable purpose carry it, it should
have been in writing and not in cipher?
Speaking of "ciphers'' reminds us of a discov-
cry made, in the year 1861, of plan by which
Gen. Beauregard hoped to surprise Washington,
which was frustrated by the capture of a rebel
despatch of very ingenious kind. The mes
sage, when deciphered ran thus:
g | shall cross the river above Little Falls on
Sunday at A. NJ. Signal red and white rock
cts from Turner's Hill. For Gods sake, don t
fail us. Fire the city at all points agreed on at
once. Despatch Lincoln and Scott as you sug-
gest, and let the execution of our plot be per-
| feet. BEAUREGARD."
This despatch we have seen; the plot failed,
probably because the secret message was inter
cepted and the authorities were on the alert
The miscreants who could plan an assassination
in 1861 are quite capable now of attempting by
forgery, to fix like crime upon an opponent
not living to defend himselE-N. Y. Post