The Portland daily press., 1865-05-05
The Spirit Of the southern People.

II they are only let alone by the insloioas
and reckless rebel politicians, there Is lar
promise that the Southern people will at once
settle down to their agricultural and other In
dustries. and become peaceable and contented
citizens of the Union. The paroled men of
I,ee,s army. with few exceptions, are making
their way homewards, full Of good nature, and
eager and thankful to return to their families
IN peace We are informed by an officer of
Sherman's army that a correspondent OF a
| Cincinnati journal, who left Sherman's head
quarters, thirty miles from Raleigh, on Tues
day OF last week, rode with two orderlies
three hundred miles through North Carolina.
to Suffolk in Virginia, where they arrived
safely on Monday.
He was net molested in his journey through
what was a month ago enemy's country; he
met numbers of rebel soldiers on their way
South, who bade him "God-speed," but in no
instance were even uncivil. The following
extract from last Sundays Times details the
adventures of another newspaper correspon-
dent, who journeyed in Southern Virginia
through different region, but in equal safe
ty:
After witnessing the surrender of Lees ar
my at Appomattox Court House, 1 had a
great desire to know to what extent the peo-
pie OF Virginia, who were at home, acuuiesc-
ed in that event as return to the old order
OF things, for such it was considered through.
out the rebel army.
With this object in view, I started of, ac-
companied only BY servant, and thus trav-
elled through portions Of Appomattox, Prince
Edward, Nottoway, Dinwiddie and Prince
George counties, encountering on the way the
late members OF the Northern Army of Vir-
| ginia. w. III. f. Lees men, Rosser's men.
Fitzhugh Lees men-siDgly and In squads
some who had been paroled; more who had
not; some without arms, but more carrying a
| gun, pistol or knife, and sometimes all three
| all going home. On the line of the Dam
] vile Railroad it was no uncommon sight to
see men from both armies walking slong to-
gether as If they had never belonged to hos
| tile forces.
The one absorbing idea with all was that
the country. was at peace again, and they
| were intensely gratihed at the prospect of i'm
mediately returning to civil life; they felt re-
leased from the trammels of Lee and Davis,
and no power on the earth, venture to as
sert, can ever force these men from their
homes again to fight against the Union cause.
| Indeed, the rebel soldiery seemed to have
been completely transformed by the capitula-
ton Of Clover Hill; aud they now talk as
glibly OF sour country" (meaning the United
States) as the most devoted Of the Union sup
porters
The people everywhere seemed to interpret
| the surrender OF Lee as a surrendering of the
| whole cause for which the country has been
submerged in blood during the last four years.
What changel One week before this it
1 would have been the height of folly to travel
about alone; my life would not have been
worth rush. Now, without knowing exact
/ ly why, felt perfectly safe, and was safe; for
10 ride OF one hundred and fifty miles, did
not see one threatening look or hear one un.
kind word. The people were more prone to
tears than hard words-to agricultural pur.
suits more than the pursuit of Yankees.
4 1t seemed impossible that so great change
could have taken place in SO brief time. Soil
that had not been under cultivation for two
years, owing to the turbulent times, was now
being prepared for seed on every hand. White
flags were everywhere displayed, and it was
no uncommon thing to see women in tears
some overjoyed, Others mortified at the result.
One lady, smiling through a shower of pearly
drops, said to me, "Well, cir, hope you are
now satisfied; we are at last subjugated."-
did 1t hurt you much |" / inquired, pleas
antly; and the person addressed at once made
1 herself agreeable, and before left her frankly
confessed that subjugation, after all, was more
a bngbear than anything else. This found
70 be the prevailing sentiment. The people
almost without exception, hold the fire eaters
Of South Carolina responsible for all their
troubles in the Union, and Davis and Lee are
now blamed for their final discontinue.
The people Of the South are evidently glad
to get home again, and willing to return to
their peaceable and long-neglected industries
Il is possible that here and there some one o.
the rebel leaders will try to stir them up tc
new rebellion, or to make them uneasy By
misrepresentation andinceAdiary appeals. VIZ
trust,if any such abandoned wretch appears
he will fall at once into the hands of the mil
itary authorities, and receive promptly the
punishment which such barbarism merits.