The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-08-01
auracter are said to be preparing which

But the llerccst storms cXhauSt tncm-
I selves, and SO will even the storm Of
the American passion. Revenge can
not always rule. The full truth will ap-
pear and impartial history will he writ
ten. In that day l venture now to say
no fact will be brought more clearly
that this: The Confederate were not
conquered by either the skill, or the
power, or the numbers Of their armed
enemies. The C%onfedcracy was crush
ed by ideos, and not by bayonets. And
the ideas were very tew-indced may
all be embraced in two and neither had
the slightest foundation in truth. They
were born OF treachery and disappoint-
ment, and nurturcd by those worse than
Gorgon whelps--ambition, scllishncss
and revenge.
Here are the ideas:
/. That the Confederate Government
hid become or would become a parma.
nent military despotism. g.
2. That our people had but to lay
down their arms, and they would be re-
stored, at once, to all their rights in
The Union.
There were several considerations
which made our people peculiarly liza
Bile to be entrapped into believing these
ideas. In the first place, the masses Of
the Southern people really loved the
Union according to the Constitution
In truth, they were the most faithful
ind devoted friends that Union ever
had, or, | fear, ever will have again
1t required many years Of SANDER, and
intcrmeddling and threatened aggres-
sions and bad faith on tue part ofNorth-
ern extremists, and Of importantly and
fiery exhortation by the Southern ex-
tremists to make the masses ofour PEG.
pie entertain the idea that their rights
were not safe in the Union. And, when
finally they did consent to leave the
Union, the great actuating motion in
going was to save the guarantees and
principles Of the Constitution, which
they were persuaded could not be pre-.
served by remaining in the Union. And
they were assured by the extremists,
North and South, they could go peace
ably.
Again: While many Of our intelli-
gent men and counsellors were actuated
with sincere convictions, and did hon
cstly believe division must come soon
0, or Later, and that the sooner it came
the better for all sides; yet, there were
others who had far other motives
These last did not act from convictions,
but from desires. Therefore, they were
very noisy and clamorous. They abu-
sed everything in the North, and de
nounCcd as traitors and submissionists
and towards those of our wi people
who did not believe the Union ought
to be dissolved for existing causes, or
could be dissolved at all pcaceably. As
light things rise when the air is stirred,
s. in the excitement Of passions these
men became Tic rlvoritcs. They eX-
pccted to be the founders Of new gov
crnment, and go down to postcrity as
the Washingtons and Jellersons Of a
Republic,
But the war CAME and that portion of
the masses who were most anxious to
scccde, were disappointed. Secession
was to be pcaccable.
SO the high offices in the new gov
ernmcnt were filled, and alas! how ma
ny Of the noisy and sclf-suliicicnt were
disappointed? Republics were IN,
grateful, and the people strangely
thought it was necessary to select con
sidcratc men to make Washingtons!
AS the war progressed, hardships in
creased. These hardships caused some
to grow unwilling, and the Confederate
Government was driven, as have been
all people who go to war, to employ
harsh measures to make the unwilling
do their duty. These Harsh measures
required agents, and agents, as agents
often do, became eXacting and opprcs
sive. These harsh measures were seiz.
ed upon by the disappointed politicians,
and used as pretcxts to make the pco-
pie believe their government intended
to establish a military despotism. In
the meantime speculation became riot
Gus; the example being set by somo in
high places, Others also thought it no
harm to use these "God given talents
to make money" These evils multi
piled the necessities orharsh measures
to support the army, and the harsh
measures increased the noise o fthc pol
i~ticians and the consequent dcmoraliza.
ton Of the people.
While this internal trcachery was do
ing its work, the United States, in ev-
cry form, and by every department of
their government, were assuring our
people they had seeded under a mis-
take; that their rights were secure in
the Union that they had no purpose
in prosecuting the war but to preserve
the Union unimpaired; and that, in
deed, our seats were vacant in both
Houses of Congress, and we had moth
ing to do but to send members to fill
them. Emissaries came from the North
under pretence Of being driven here as
Southern sympathiscrs, and joined our
malcontents to disseminate these two
ideas. T~reachcry became bold and
desertion became respectable.
In this way the masses Of the South
ern people were conquered, and the
remnant of patriots were overpowercd.
The actual statistics show that du,
ring the last two years of the war, for
every one of our soldiers whom the ex.
ternal armed enemy killed, disabled or
captured, the internal unarmed enemy
induced three to desert. And this work
went on, too, in the face of the fact that
General Grants only policy for defeat
ing General Lee was in wearing out his
army and also in the facSo of the fact