Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-02-19
"The American Crisis"

IUC t4mGIiCGu OIlSlS.
'sThe American Crisis; or pages frsm the
Note Book of State Agent during the Civil
War; is the title of an interesting work re-
Gently published by John Lewis Peyton, L. L.
B., T. r. G. S., &C., formerly of Staunton,
Va, but who now resides in London, England.
The Cosnaopohte, published in London, Paris
and New York, speaking of this work says, ''it
is calm and moderate its tone, eminently calcu-
lated to restore the fraternal spirit which exis
ted before the secession movement among the
several States of the Union; and to obliterate
in American minds the recollections Of that
fearful strife Though the author has suffered
quite as severely as the generality of his South
ern countrymen from the result of the struggle,
and is yet In exile an unamnestied citizen, there
is no trace Of passion, vindictiveness, or vlo-
lence, in his language or sentiments. It is the
work of one who writes more in sorrow than In
anger at the ruin which has already been brought
upon one section of the Federation, and may
yet fall upon the other, unless the sound advice
contained in the last chapter Of Colonel Pey-
tom S work be regarded The views of the au-
thor and the style Of the work, which is terse
and vigorous, may be gathered from the follow
ing extracts In speaking Of the approaching
storm, he says:
81 viewed with pain and modification the
growing excitement, which was at this period,
the summer Of 1860, gradually drifting the
country into revolution, and [ marked the vio-
lence of many Of the popular leaders, not with
out indignation While many of them were
blinded by passion and prejudice, and thought
honestly that the true interests Of the South
would be promoted by disunion, there were
others whose course plainly indicated that they
were seeking to take advantage of the proven
bal jealousy with which mankind always looks
upon power, and it's fondness for change, to
persuade the people that they were badly gov
erned under the constitution of the United
States. and ought to seek redress by abandon
ing-not reforming, if they required reforma-
tion-the institutions of their fathers-institu-
tions which believed gave them more equal
liberty, more peace and security for their per-
sons and property, than were afforded to any
other people in the world however governed
and than they could hope to find in any likely
to grow out Of their ruins Strongly imbued
with these convictions the facility with which
the people followed leaders who frequently shift
ed their ground, and did not always make it
clear to my mind what they were aiming at,
seemed to me marvellous, romantic, almost in
credible-eaders, many of whom were avalllng
themselves of those standing characteristics of
mankind which are verified by all history, to
persuade and mislead the masses to throw away
real and substantial happiness in the hope of
obtaining some imaginary good
On page G2, he further says, In explanation
of his own position and it was that Of large
class of Southern gentlemen who opposed Sc
cession, but afterwards, when the country was
involved in war, gallantly upheld the South -
In the midst of this hospitable and agree
able people lat Raleigh) my time passed pleas
antly enough, Notwithstanding the melancholy
feelings inspired by the war-a war which could
have, as [ believed, but one end-the sacrifice
and ruin Of the South. By no system Of ratio
cination could | bring myself to believe in the
glowing theories of the Secessionists [ could
not see that cotton was king omnipotent; [
could not understand how fragment Of the
country, even if the South was successful, as
the Secessionists declared she must be, was to
become greater and richer than the whole; I
failed to comprehend how a population one
third as numerous as that Of the North, bur
dened with servile population, only kept in
subection by ignorance and lon g habit, could
resist the more numerous and better equipped
legions Of the North coming to proclaim free
dom to the slave and the equality of man.
The work contains some sketches of leading
public men in the South among others Presi-
dent Davis, Messrs. Hunter, Mallory, Benja-
min, and Generals Lee Beauregard, Preston,
and others. We have only space for a descrip-
ton Of one, who We imagine our readers will
agree with us must be a very remar1able-look
ing man =
F'As I passed out of the office of the Secre-
tary of the Navy, expressing hope that he
might enjoy his repast and digest it satisfacto-
rily, which doubted, from the character of the
provisions then in the Richmond market, [ en-
countered in the hall lean, yellow, careworn
man, his back bent forward almost into hump,
his chest bowed inward, one shoulder higher
than the other small arms and wasted legs,
hands and fingers long and bony, dress loose
and wrinkled, and shabby, grey looking, damp,
and mouldy. His face was bony and emaciated,
withered. and twitching; his scanty hair fell