The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-11-19
pany of infantry or squadron of


horse. There was not a piece of field
artillery; the bells of the churches
were taken down and castinto cannon.
There was no shot; the roofs of the
houses were stripped of their lead.
There was no powder; sulphur was
sought in the minerals, and artificial
beds were formed in thousands of
cellars to produce saltpetre, each
householder contributing his mite to
the officers of the @Nitre Bureau. I"
There were no medicines; the woods
were secured for medicinal herbs.
There were no shoes; tanyards we're
construc ted, and trees stripped of
their bark, to make leather. There
was no cloth; soon in the cottages
throughout the country every woman
had spinning wheel at work. There
were no blankets; carpets were cut
up, even from around the communion
altars of the churches, and sent to
the soldiers. There were no ships-of-
war; steamers were padded with
cotton bales, or railroads were rifed
of their iron; and the South, Il
country without ships or plates, sent
the first armor-plated ship into action.
1t seemed as if the spirit of patriot
ism had created a new people-man,
woman, child-hardeni those who
had been nursed in luxury into con-
tempt for harship; calling out an in
ventive skill where ingenuity had
been dormant, and kindling in the
gent!est of women spirit and reso-
luton that never faltered to the last.
Are we to be told it was a desire to
defend slavery that aroused this en-
thuslasm III the human breast? Could
any other than a lofty motive or noble
aspiration thus impel whole people
to encounter suffering or face death
without fear?
And the results were equally Won
derful. None travel through the
South without being struck by the
scantiness of its population vet for
long time, wherever Federal army
attempted to advance, troops were
found to be there awaiting it. The
armies brought into the field by the
South exceed in their ratio to it's num-
bers anything on record. The genius
displayed for war astonished all who
We're not aware that throughout the
history of the Union every General of
renown has been Southerner. Bril-
liant victories We're won against num-
bers always superior, not seldom two
fold. Washington was several times
in greater danger than Richmond.
The victories of Bull Run, Shiloh,
Fredericksburg, Manassas, Chancel-
lorsville, Mansfield: Olustee, Chicka-
mauga the rout Of the seven days
before Richmond the terrible battles
of Elk Horn, Murfreesboro, Sharps-
burg, Gettysburg, the deadly repulse
of Petersburg the siege of Charles
ton, and heroic, unconquerable Sum-
ter. When within four years were
such names inscribed on the colors of
an army, called straight from the
plough into the field? The whole is
now melting into the past, but there
is much that can never be forgotten.
The noble dignity of Lee, the Chris
tian heroism Of Stonewall Jackson,
the gallant daring of Stuart, the en-
gineering skill of Beauregard, the
selfdevotion of Polk /; Longstreet,
Johnston, Hood, Forrest, Ewell, and
host of names, rise to remembrance
Last, but not least, the calm, resolute
statesman, who was said by one of no
mean authority to have made the
South into nation-Jefferson Davis
of him few words may not be out of
place.
But the other day, Jefferson Davis
was one of the worlds foremost men;
admired as statesman, respected Us
an earnest Christian, the Washington
Of another generation of the same
race. "Now, none so poor as to do
him reverence" In this country,
happily free from excitement, we can
calmly weigh facts which others see
for the time through the Gstorting
media of prejudice and passion.
Jefferson Davis simply followed the
example of GeOrne WaShin ntnn Roth