, 1865-05-20

uu1AF a1e lnTHtmeh OF Richmond, BY II
cutting Of the canal. and the seizure OF tie Sout
Side Railroad, and the blockade Of the roads ger
orally, city Of 20 600 inhabitants vas cut Oh ffou
al supply oi food: and to eupply the wsnts Of III
robbed ol provisions. When the rcbeis eyscuste,
the city they eet dfe 10 Ill that rortou OF 1t Whic
contained wholesale warehouses IN which an
quan1t1es Of provisions were stored, and the mo
commenced The plu1der Of the smaller store,
When our troops entered the city they found
perfect embodtme me0t Of seceslion- s.afys
ton md destruction; They showed the people Q
Richmond that the Onion reans salvation froI
these horrors, and commenced TO e1tlnRutsh th
fires the rebels had ktndlcd, and to aeize tht III
birds they had nberzstd. ant what was to be dou
IN ss tep H. soah a1
" loyal, however V1rulent the white afistocEsc
may be. No instance Of any Of our co:ozed 8onth
en- ahzeni proving trs,tor has been autheotl
testify TO their fidelity TO the Union at al haxarat
large proportion Of these people Of Richmond
tndernE the horrors Of starvation, arc most uu
Of houfcs are tenzDted by Onion men ard womp
and children Of fsi1er complexion, who at alt hsz
ards have relieved our shEvlnE prisoners, m
aided their cscape. Mingled among these are III
thou.ands Of rebel families whose son. are in tn
rebel armies. and whose womc1 and little chill
dreu, crying Tor hunger, under the eore pressure
composed Of olrepresentatiyes Of th.se three ca se.
eonEtegated around the rnoms OF tha Chrlst1a,
Commts.lon. In General Hinder's headquarters
3lulGbl % eUOU 6S k9b uHR IVES tH1O"A Uul III
the delegates. being human beings, cou!d not lool
ten 10 little children crying for food, unmoyed
sf u s4 aes s =.
they bad lew barrels OF cracksrs and dur re
nninire; ard they eave few crackers to zach o
he children I'D s9R a2e2 "a q Il oa 70 "a edea
Craphed 70 Phlladelphla for further aid in tn.
emergency. ~ yet, tae E. Government; oppressed
With ths gfest wotk Of ths ~ sampaiEn' had no hm
When tie dispatch c,me 10 the Central Office
The Eembegs Of the Executive Committee psesen
approved Of the action Of the asen'. at Rlehmoa I'D
as right under the c,rcums snces; and ]uat wha
amy humane peEron would hive done; but as The
tunds OF the Chrtstian Commission are collected
for sofdiers, and not for citizens. they felt thai
they could not continue the distribution. They
tele. raphed Rev. J. T. Thompson, D. D.. of NeH
York, President OF the Union Commission, whu
directed the shipment Of 5uO barrels Of ont On ac
count Of the Union Commission, and seAt theis
Washington sEeDt Mr. Chsee, to fuperintend the
dietabunon-the Christian CommIsaion allowing
H. nnea the ht5
Upon conE1ltation With Provost Marshal Gene.
ri Patrick, the rule adopted wss that Of eivln. a
as 20 4er Was
ceTtsined through the clergy Of the city, and
through dining committee If resoccta-
ale persons, This distribution was continued
for two week1. al the request IT General Patrick
IN IL bis measures for providing employment for
al willing and able 10 work could BE- perfected; !;
and has now ceased So Tar ~ the Christan Com
mtselon Is concerned, though believe the Union
Commie.ion continues to distribute some rations
on hHised scale To r.. uReee+ The Government,
however, serves ration. still to the desfuu.e with.
out regard to other qualifications.
How influential any Of these starving people
may be do not know; butt do know from CON
versatsou With well dressed ladies among them,
aa Wetl az from the general tone Of numbers OF
that the contrast between The conduct Of their
army in plunueing their hou:es and burning their
cit5, and that Of the Umun army In exungulshtng
the flames and feeding their latnfahtnc children,
desires to see our Union restored will endcavot
to .ugrenL Our battles are not wholly decided
Tits Republic 70 thow the world the moral, no
less Than the military power Of Christian people.
Never did orr n1ton's mattyred President ap-
pesr nore truly tublime than when he walked
unEuardcd though that conquered city, extend
ting the oliTe branch his foes and relieving the
roiseHies they had brought on his and their ft!-
luE-ciuzcrs- Wnen Grants heroic deeds arc
n,tingly chronicled the historian will not fal to
uarrase ho1 1ne Of his first noble deeds on enter.
inr Vieksbnrg Wsx to direct q division Of the
acant 1ations OF hts totwoEu army with the .tarv
Ing wives and children Of the rebel eo1diery. Ths
trne soldier does not retanate on the unodending
nor Will civilized Chgfet.tn nsdon deeply re-
eret hereafter II rome influential rebels, redncei
= 9og9a
| they had Iften In arm.. Among the great mora
victories Of the Onion It ispot the :east, that VI
have resisted the pressure Of example, an
oi the terrible ruhedngs Of our patient soldiers
| urging US down ln:u the barh1r1tm Of the slaV+
hodezs. Liberty has 10 Belle Isle, Anderson
Vile or Libby, to STAIN It's record. The Cnrtala1
follow the generous policy Of our government
which IL to day carrying ont, a. the necessity de
mandf, The very work begun by the Commission
Every Christian patriot will co daily sust2in sue
ttr]y msenaptnous heneactnce; pes;aaded TIN
! ou1 glorious Union shall never be overthrown L
fnfan1, 80 long ae Heaven records aRainel her n
greater e.,ofs u than % shst When hsE enemies Mst
they had klndlea to destroy their own house:
tteE1 from anarchy and perdttion.
RonEnT PATTERSON,
RxAARKs.-The statement upon which on
comments were based was that the Christia
Commission had been feeding number Of IL
| dnent{al rebels at Richmond, who had fled o.
the occupation OF that city by our forces
and who had subsequently returned. N
complaint was made Of the dis ;ribution o
food to suffering women and children or ne
groes. nor 10 an indis:riminato distribute,
in the turmoil Of the first days Of the occu
patton. Our remarks referred to what ap
pearcd to be system Of diverting fun Is con
tributed for the benefit Of wounded Unio1
sulQltIe 10 LII NsG VI 4AAASAt4al 1COE1st WIN
had had time to run away from the scene 0
supposed danger and to return again. vi
protest against su:h action on the part of ths
Christian Commission, the Union Commis
sion, OF any other charitable institution il
the North. If these influential rebels m,
starving, let them apply to the nearest guar
termaster for employment upon the termt
advertised in the Richmond papers. If they
will not work, neither should they eat.
We are gratihed to receive the assurance O.
the Rev. Mr.. Patterson that the Christian
Commission have not diverted their funds II
this manne1-that probably the Union Com
mission is the Organization referred to. nso
our criticism lies against the Union Commla
sion, un1ess their funds were collected for the
aEowed purpose Of feeding influential rebe1s
VI course The women and children and Other
helpless persons IN Richmond must be Kept
from eta1Eauon, not"1tnStanolng Inc oars
oaSous treatment OF Union prisoners IN mat
city, but no aple~eoaled rebel should be sup.
ported from any eleemosynary fund
We eannot concur IN Inc statement that
1.-THE peop!e OF Inc south are thorooshiI
loyal" Inc blacks have been true and
steadtast, but the whites, with lew excep-
'ionf, nave been bitterly. and Indignantly
dialoJd. The "poor whtte trash " were Just
as dlsloyA and rebellious IS the aststocrac5,
with the exception Of those in East Tennes.
see and faw Epots in the Border States.
That they were led astray by the slave oil,
garc1fy, who poisoned their minds with false.
hoods. il the most that eau be said In their
justification, The word *tloyaltYn does not