Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-01-27
Letter from Alabama.
On THE CARS sEaK HUNTSVILLE, !
Alabama. Jan. Z. 1865.

Alabama, Jan. 7. 1855
To The Editor Of the Boston Journal:
The news brought by scouts, citizens, desert
ers and escaped prisoners up to this date agree
with an unusual unsnimity as 10 tho condition
Of Hoods army it after re-crossed the Tennessee
The citizens say that when Il crossed il was the
finest rebel army ever seen in the West-full of
confidence, enthusiastic, well fed and well clad
When Hood re-crossed the river his grand army
was mob, il-clsl, ill-fed, downcast, one-iafrd
of them without their muskets- their spirits
broken, their march disorderly rout
They crossed the river with los or los guns,
and they admitted, when they came back, that
they had lost 20 of them. They said also, that
they had lost in killed, wounded and missing,
twenty-five thousand men. This is ten thousand
higher than the estimate made; and ii is prob
ably very near the truth. as the whole country
is infested with their stragglers. We captured
in all about hundred Of them, a company of
fifty in one group, which our cavalry surprised.
We also captured, beside, two 6-pounders. al
ready noted, 800 stand Of arms, with q large
supply Of the finest European cartridges, which
9 lack Of transportation compelled US to destroy.
After the rebels re-crossed the Tennessee they
directed their march toward Corinth; but, on
learning that our cavalry. under Grierson, had
cut the railroad. they changed their course tow
ard Tuscaloosa
Col. Palmer, an energetic young officer who
commanded our cavalry, set out on an expedi-
ton . few days since IRON Leighton, and sue
ceeded in destroying Hoods pontoon train-one
hundred wagons, with six mules TO each. Of
course he could only destroy them as we were
not in supporting distance. When last heard
from Palmer was still trsmping on--"going for"
Hoods wagon trsin and the news came in,
L.. H. Ill al b., o,.1
troyed portion Of il. -..
The people beyond Decatur are rebellious yet.
The section bears the same relation to Alabama
that the Shenandoah Valley bore to Virginia. II
is the granarY of the State. held in large plan
tstions by influential rebels. who hate us, our
ideas, civilization and nationality IL will have
to share similar fate, for the only way IN which
these rich traitors can be made harmless is TO
strip them Of their wealth.
Democracy cannot flourish on large estates.
Its natural home is a small farm, TILED by the
owner and his family. II is absurd TO think
that permanent peace can be made while these
wealthy and large land and SHAREHOLDERS are left
in possession of the territory Ofthe South. Slow
ly the North is learning the lesson, that the poor
whites and the negroes alone are our friends in
all this Southern land. Until they firmly be-
heve il. and set on it, enfrsnchising and giving
homesteads to the oppressed classes and conhs-
eating the property and expelhng the leaders Of
the rebellion, the war will drag its dreary length
along, marking its foul way by the blood of our
children.
President Lincoln shook hands with seven
thousand persons on New Years day.
Another Fast Day is called for in the
Southern Confederacy on the 22d Of Febru-
airy.
FOote announced his intention to leave
rebeldom for ''s0me sequestered SPOT, and
then started for Washington,
A onc-legged dancer, named Donate, who
gets forty pounds night, j. now the great
attraction IN London, and the dancers who
are 50 unfortunate as 70 have two legs are
in despair.
To The LADIEs.-Gen. Terry, the hero of
Fort Fisher, Is 81 years old, little over SIX
feet high, very slim and straight, has
large head, brown hair and blue eyes, Is
cousin Of Rose Terry, the magazine writer,
and is unmarried.
The Brooklyn pastors are favorites Of for
tune. One has salary of Sl2,500. One
Of them has made $50 900 in stock specula-
tions, and another has "struck ile'' and
realized $3.50, 900 from an Investment of
$4,000 IN oil lands.