The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-07-14
The LATE REBEL LEADERS.
Glimpses Into jeff Davis Desk
Interesting Correspondence.
From the Boston Advertiser, July /.

"
the authenticity of which cannot be doubt
ed, and find in them much readable mat
ter. The letters are all confidential, and
much of the contents is matter OF prl-
yate and domestic character, which Is en-
tirely out of place in print and the publi-
cation of which, whether the rebel chiefor
any one else be the owner of the cores
pondence, would be in exceedingly bad
taste. NJ
There are other passages in the epistles,
however, the publication of which violates
no private rights, and which the public will
be interested in reading. ..-..-
The first of the letters in our hands is
dated at Jackson, Miss, on the 14th of
February, 1861, and addressed by Mr..
Davis to his wife. Just three days before
he had been elected President of the in
FAINT Confederacy by the convention at
Montgomery, and, as might be imagined,
he was full of business, and he wrote brief
ly. He says bis reception at Vicksburg
and Jackson was most enthusiastic, and
that he is constantly ''in crowd Of peo-
pie and events" He had been summoned
by telegraph to Montgomery, and was to
leave on the day of writing. In the
course of the letter occurs the following:
When the military came out on the route, in.
GLIDING company of boys, how wished the
children could haYe seen it, to be remembered
in after years. =, IECm. -- COL q.
The children have seen military enough
since that letter was written to remember,
however, companies Of boys, and of old
men as well, shedding their blood like wa
far for tho info IF vuhs0h tho
writer of those lines was the chosen lead
er. Even then, just one month before by
bis order the guns of Charleston were
opened on the national Gag, he saw so lit
tie of what was in the future that he only
looked upon the gathering soldiers with
curiosity, and wish that bis children
could see the parade to remember and
speak of in the peaceful times to come.
We have letter to Davis from Major
General Earl Van Dorm, q leader who at
tanned some prominence in the outset Of
the war, but has now been almost forgot
ten. Much of the letter, which is dated
in June, 1852, relates to proclamation of
Gov. Rector, of Arkansas, denouncing the
rebel government for sacrificing the States
west of the Mississippi in concentrating
all the troops at Corinth. Van Dorm says
that the people repudiate the Governors
"pernicious opinions" and that he stands
almost alone in the State. Gen. Van Dorm
protests against the appointment of Ma
gruder to western command, and closes
bis letter with the following eulogistic ref
erence to General Sterling Price: a
The love of the people of Missouri for Gen.
nj l. AID 10 kf<ra
mander there go great, that wisdom would
seem to dictate that he be put at the head of
affairs in the West / see the alluring bait to
my ambition, the fall of st. Louis the reclaim
alton of q rich segment Of our beloved South
from the grip of the enemy, and the glory that
might be mine; but shut all this out from
me because think 1t is the best interest of
the country to do so. l drop whatever glory
there may be on the brow of Gen. Price, than
whom there is no one more worthy to wear it,
and by whom would rather see it worn.
Mrs. Jefferson Davis, in a letter to her
husband dated March, 1868, at Montgom-
cry, gives an odd glimpse at an incident
commonplace enough in q, slaveholding
community, and reproves herself very
naively for bit of inconsistent humanity:
The poor girl thought of buying appealed
to me as the wife of the President to take her
out of the tavern, and looking SO weary, said,
II am so tired of being bought by first one
little girl, as they say you have, will wait
upon her till die if she will only be good to
me-" 1t was an extravagant kind of sympa.
thy, which I felt self reproved for afterwards,
though upon inquiry her character proved un-
exceptionable. have found Jeffie D. q very
good boy, &c. .Hi. d .i.s =.
In the same letter Mrs. Davis photo
graphs with feminine accuracy and femi-
nine Impotence the state of Southern feel
ing in Central Alabama. She is writing,
it must be remembered, of the " first fam
lilies" of Montgomery:
never saw such stupefed people as thew
seem out here. They never seem to think Of
any army but that of the West, and not to feel
much interest in that. asked the news the
other day, and was answered "nOthing.- and
upon seeing the paper found there had been an
engagement and victory at Vicksburg. They
seems to be specializing. Colonel Powell ia in
trouble here and fear his having from q warv
moderate MEANS raised the money for ,bree
plantations since he took contracts for tho ooy,
ernment looks very bad. have felt 81 nnSsn.
Ply about the reported attack on Richmond
and every time paper comes feel faint at the
first note of danger. From your letter tb;nS
you feel depressed. Is it so?
The two letters from General Lee, bear.
ing date last December, are rather stifly
worded, as a soldiers military missives are
permitted to be. He writes anxiouslv
about the troops to be sent to Bragg to
stop Sherman's march for the coast, and
does not think any men can be prudently
withdrawn from the army defending Rich
mond. He has sent eight hundred caval-
rymen, without horses, to Wade Hampton,
and thinks they will strengthen his force
very much, and that under present circum-
stances nothing more can be done Gen.
Lee says he thinks Grant is preparing to
make a movement against his lines, and
remarks, perhaps sarcastically, "All we
want to resist them is men," BE knew at
his headquarters south of the James De-
cember 6, that Wright's corps left Sberi.
dan on the Sd to join Grant, and already
had Gordons division and another on the
way from Earl's army to reinforce his own
position correspondingly.