The Placer herald., 1864-04-09
LETTER FROM CALHOUN BENHAM.
HEADQUARTERS CLEBURN's DIVISION,
Georgia. December Odd lS6Y

Christmas; but know of your many griefs,
and | feel deeply for them. This is time
of grief. Think of it. While some of your
people are unhappy, there is not q roof-a
single one-in this broad and beautiful land,
that will see merry Christmas. At every
board there are missing faces. The missing
faces at many will never be seen again
Where are these missing gone9 To in
wade some otherwise peaceful land-to lay
waste with fire and sword-to murder and to
violate-to risk a sef-invi,ed death on some
distan; tieldl No. But they are at the
border stopping, with the bulwark Of their
thnued and wasting ranks, the horde that
threatens to overwhem the country. Alb!
what horde is that' A more helIish crew
was never in arms; proetarian Dutch and
heish passions never seethed and boiled
than in those breasts; more accursed cause
never brought wretches together.
Is this true about the cause! may never
have another opportunity to expose the views
which have directed me in CO operating so
many years with the Southern party and in
embarkng in this war.
There were thirteen colonies on this part
Of the continent colonies of Great Britain.
Their governments were authorized and lin
tied by their several charters granted by the
King. There was no connection between
them-not more than between / rance and
Eng land at that day. Crossing the astro-
nomic boundary line between any two and
the municipal sovereignty was AS completely
changed rs by transition from London to
Pekin They all owed allegiance to com
mon Lord, but no more akin than of necessity
any two yassals must be.
These colonies were petty States and weak
Time assured rights they severaly had were
menaced by the mother country. They
determined upon war. They formed league
for that purpose-a holy alliance. They
fought and were successful, but separately
they were still weak. To part was to invite
attack. So through the acknow ledgment of
their liberty with England, who recognized
their several character, they formed new
Union. Its idea was mutual assistance in
war All else about it was mere incident.
The idea OF Capitalization Dever entered it
a consolidation of such power in the com
mon agent as should enable to coerce part
which its basis were settled industriousy
the several State governments as
Independent sovereign,ies, and adjusted the
forms of the new creation with ingenious
skill to their forms. This arrangement was
secured 10y guarantees. Those guarantees
were broken by the North. The contract
was at an end. The Southern States ceased
to observe it, and demanded the relnquish
ment by the tunctonaries Of the Federal
Government of such privileges as it had
acquired on that soil They were not re
Iinqushed the South resumed them, and
that in the single instance of Sumter, by
force.
The North invades---to re establish by
force a Union originally established by con
sent-a Union which, having once ceased
to exist, cannot be re-estabished otherwise
than by consent, unless through the triumph
of an unjust, dishonest, vllaiuous and des
po'ic will by overpowering numbers.
We have lately been unfortunate. 1t was
he imbecility of our commander, and not
he lack of spirit or zeal. have to thank |
Iod that | was not humiated by witnessing
my scene of our late disasters had the
honor OF fighting, on our right, the Yankee
eft at the Tunnel Hill, on Mission Ridge. |
There the brave division to which | belong
Jleburne annihilated McCook and |
he enemy's right at Murfreesboro-wh which |
irst broke the enemy at Chickamauga on
Saturday at night-fall, and which gave him
The coup de grace by breaking, like the wild
wave ola spring-tde, over his three tiers of
ot,po nj. H. 1
day-there, at the coveted, hill, that brave
division, which has never known shame, stood
like mountain wall-like sea shore-re-
pelling the mad waves of Sberman's battle.
Later in the night, when news had reached
Us of our lines having broken in the centre,
we were the rear guard, and that division
pore itself like Ney on the march from Mos
COW, giving safety to all in front, and breath
ng hatred and defiance to the rear. At
tinggol4, the second day of the retreat, the
nemy pressed us rather close, and again our
'rave division turned, and taught my old
California friend, Joe Hooker, a lesson. |
hink he will be more cautious hereafter
low he presses retreat. Rnggod was to
ur arms glorious day 1t was fought in
little town, in the midst Of women and
hildren. That day the women saw their
nsulters laid low. We killed a hecatomb
The enemy will remember Cleburne.
CALHOUN BENHAM.
To Mrs. George D. Prentice.
Gen. Cleburne, mentioned above is the
on OF an Irish doctor. He ran away from
ZONE at seventeen, and enlisted in the Forty
'irst Regiment. Buying his discharge, he
vent to Arakansas studied law, and got a
,ood practice. When the State seeded he
'ecame soldier, and rose to command
ivision-the highest rank obtained by
foreigner in the Confederate service.