Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1865-05-18
The Rebels Going Home.

Springfield Republican contains the follow
ing:
Yet there was never more of varied inter
est in the sights and sounds at his hinge ol
army movements than just at present. The
officers and men of the army of Northern
Virginia are now hurrying hence to their
homes in different parts of the South, accord
ing to the terms of their surrender, while rep
resentatives of all the corps aiding in their
defeat are passing back and forth, and Union
citizens, long wanderers from their homes,
are returning to the disenthralled cities, or
those imprisoned within the rescued territory
are on their way North once more. Lees
broken army certainly presents-judging from
the large number of its members now here
one of the most wretched sights that could be
looked upon. The lowest creatures in the
vilest dens of our Northern cities, and the for
lorn and semi -barborous isolated dwellers in
the most shamefully neglected border district
of any rural community in our Eastern
States, even the degraded, half-idiotic chill
dren of incest in some of our country aims
houses, seem superior in all that goes to indi-
cate true manhood to very many of the poor
beings who with sallow dirt-begrimed faces,
dull, fish eyes, long, yellow, uncombed hair,
and meaningless expression of countcnance,
clad in rags and seemingly at home in filth,
wallow on the ground near the provost mar
shaPs, while their comrades are having their
paroles stamped for transportation. [ have
often seen rebel soldiers on the picket line,
in battle, as prisoners, and in the streets of
the cities of rebeldom, therefore it is not the
strangeness of the motely attire or the peculiar
southern complexion, of these men which i'm
presses me, but it is the indicated depth which
was reached when Davis's conscription gather
ed up these caricatures upon humanity, not
merely from the cradle and the grave but
from the idiot asylums and the hitherto uncx-
plorcd regions of fslavc barbarism, that is start
ling in this exhibition.
"We rebels look rather hard to you who
arc accustome to seeing Federal soldiers in
uniform" said an intelligent rebel sergeant
as he noticed my expression of mingled won
derment and disgust at the appearance of
some peculiarly repulsive groups near him,
this morning. 1" Yes, indeed ~ was all the
reply could make to him. That same ser
gernt said, few minuts later, that he cried
like child when he learned that Lee had
surrendered. He wanted to fight it out, for
he believed in the cause He was genuine
rebel, and of more intellect than those for
whose appearance he apologized. There were
others like him in the long line which filed
past the provosts window And officers were
there, some of them naughty and insolcht in
bearing as ever. Not few IN snowy uni
forms of gray and gold struttcd about with
all their badges of rank displayed, and swords
gathering at their sides as they walked to the
great disgust of the Union soldiers Cavalry
artillery, infantry, engineers and naval Off
GERS and men were to be seen, not by the
score alone, but by hundreds, and even up
to thousands. There were many glad enough to
be at length released from military pressure,
some who had been always unwilling soldiers,
others who had fought themselves tired of the
bad bargain of their enlistment. "My home
is Norfolk" said one of the latter class
" Ninety-fve Of us came out from there in
one company four years ago, but only five of
us 90 back And one of them has lost the
use of one of his arms" he added, pointing
to his left arm secured in sling. Said an
other, in comment on the fearful loss to the
Southern States of blood of their best sons,
"They says you felers wouldn't miss your
army up North, there's so many men in your
streets" That's quite true" was the re-
sponse. "Why down South you wouldn't
see nothin' but military men 'ccpt mourncrs."
A Renowned Clergyman Of New York late
ly preached rather long sermon from the
tcxt-"Thou art weighed in the balance and
found wanting" After the congregation had
listened about an hour, some began to get wea-
ry and went out; others soon followed, greatly
to the annoyance of the minister. Another
person started, whereupon the parson stopped