The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-09-07

| the very people who had brought on tho
war, and their deluded victims. The
ignorant people. But still the war went
| on, and its weary years dragged their
| slow length along, and he thought only
how he might best promote the cause he
had taken up, while othersabout him, the
prating demagogues who proclaimed
peaceable secession to the people-these
sneaked away, to escape the dangers OF
the front. Their wretched victims, al
so-weary and wounded and sick-sur-
feited with lies and the vain promises Of
theirtreacherous politicians-crept away
to die, and the ranks grew thin about
him, and defeat and ruin stared then
in the face. They came at last and over
whelmed him, and the little handful
that stood around him, and who We're
they who were found fighting to the
last intent only on saving the country's
honor and her liberties? Were any
claiming Npeaceable secession ?O Not
one. In Gods name, let the South me-
yer again rebel upon such miserable,
miserable delusion as the right of seces-
sion 1t was stealing away out of the
Union; if they went out at all, let them
not 90 out as the fox, stealthily and sly
ly creeping forth in the night but as
the lion goes, with head erect, and proud
ly bidding defiance to his foes. Let us
not secede, but rebel. He hoped most
devoutly that there would never again
be any attempt to separate from the ma
tional government. He was tired and
sick of war-tired of fighting the battles
Of others, who enticed him and others
with lying speeches and when the day
of their calamity came, deserted them to
their fate. @A t
He hoped they would bury this doc
trine forever, and beyond the hope of re-
surrection. A more pestilent, political
heresy never infested and cured any
people. Often had he and his brother
off GERS in times when the confederate
arms were most prOsperous-they lad
been victorious, sometimes-and the
prospect for independence was bright,
sat in their tents at night and canvasscd
the future, which they thought lay be-
fore them. They asked each other,
"what if we should succeed, and estab-
fish our independence What will be-
come of us Shall we cling together, as
now, and become great and united peo
| pie ?n Their conclusions were always
Respondent; they could gather littl
hope from the prospect that cursed
element of secession and division wa
implanted in the constitution for which
| they were contending. and it cast darl
cloud over all that lay before them. He
| said he intended no disrespect whatever
to the convention of 1861, by voting to
declare their ordinance null and void
] Far from it, He meant the contrary
thing. He would be greatly obliged, If
he were in their places, to any one who
would cause it to appear thatthey meant
to rebel instead of perpetrating the
amazing farce of seeding. He wanted
to dignity their action, He would be
greatly obliged to any one who could
convince him that he himself had been
fighting four years for something els
beside the stupid, the absurd right of Sc
cession. He wanted no deception TO
the future. He wanted the people to un
derstand what they fought for (if the,
did 50 foolish thing and not again t
with this pretense of peaceable seces
siOn.'v H Eal af