The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1868-09-11
The White Sulphur Springs Cor
respOndence
LETTER OF GEN. RosEcRANs.

The following Is the Rosecrans-Lee
correspondence, illusions to which have
been in the papers for some time past.
We bespeak for it general and careful
pcrusal:
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, Va, Aug.
2. 1861 Generdl-Full of solicitude
for the future of our country, come
with my heart in my hand to learn the
condition, wishes and intentions of the
Southern States, especially to ascertain
the sentiments of those brave, energetic
and self-sacrificing men, whose trusted
and beloved leader you have been, who,
after sustaining their confidence for four
years, laid down their arms and swore
allegiance to the government of the
| United States.
see that interpreting State rights to
conflict with national unity has pro-
duced violent reaction against them,
which is drifting us towards consol-
idation; and also that so great a coun-
try as ours even now is certain to be,
must have State governments to attend
to local details, or 90 farther and fare
worse. 1t is plain to us of the West
and North, that the continuance of
semi-anarchy, such as has existed for
the last three years in ten States of our
Union, largely increases the danger of
Capitalization, swells national cXpendi-
lures, diminishes our productions, and
our revenue, inspires doubts of our po-
litical and financial stability, depreciates
the value of our national bonds and
currency, and places the credit of the
richest below that of the poorest nation
in Christcndom. We know that our
currency must be deprecated so long as
our bonds are below par, and that there
fore the vast business and commerce Of
our country mnst suffer the evil of q
fuctuating standard of value until we
can remedy the evil condition of things
at the South. We also see other mis-
chief quite possible, if not probable, to
arise, such as failure of the crops, q
local instruction and many other I'M
forseen contingencies which may still
more depreciate our credit and currency,
provoke discomfort and disorder among
our people, and bring demagogical agi-
tation, revolution, reputation and a
thousand unnamed evils and villainies
on us.
We know that the interests of the
people of the South are for law and or
der and they must share our fate of
good and ill. | believe, and every one.
| know. who reflects, believes that if
the people of the Southern States could
be at peace, and their energy and good
will applied to repair the waste Of war,
reorganize their business, set the freed
men peaceably, prospcrously and con-
tentedly at work, invite capital, enter
prise and labor from elsewhere to come
| freely among them, they would soon re-
build their ruined fortunes, manifold
the value of their lands, establish public
confidence in our stability, bring our
government bonds to premium, our
currency to gold standard, and assure
for themselves and the whole nation q
most happy and prosperous future.
Seeing this and how all Just interests
concur in the work. ask the officers and
soldiers who fought for the gnon, | ask
every thinking man of the great West
and North, | ask why it cannot be
done? We are told by those who have
controlled the government for the last
few years, that the people of the South
will not do it. that if ever done at all it
must be done by the poor, simple, uned-
ucated landless freedmen and the few
whites who, against the public opinion
and sentiment Of the intelligent white
people are willing to attempt to lead
and make their living off these ignorant
inexperienced colored people, mostly
men who must be needy adventures or
without any of those attributes on which
reliance for good guidance or govern
ment can be placed. We are told that
this kind of government must be con-
tinued at the South until six or eight
millions of intelligent, energetic white
people give into it or move out of the
country.
Now, ] think, the Union army thinks,
and the people of the North and West
| dare say believe, there must be or there
ought to be shorter or surer way to
get good government for all the South.
We know that they who organized and
sustained the Southern Confederacy
for four years against gigantic efforts
ought to be able to give peace, law or
der and protection to the whole people
of the South. They have the interest
and the power to employ, protect, and
elevate the poor freedmen, and restore
themselves and our country to all the
blessings Of which | have just spoken.
The question we want answered is, are
they willing to do it? | came down to
find what the people Of the South think
Of this, and to ask you what the officers
and soldiers who served in the Confed-
crate army, and the leading people who
sustained it, think of these things?
come to ask more. Iwant to ask
you, in whose purity and patriotism ]
here express unqualified confidence, and
as many good men as you can convent
emily consult, to say what you think OF
it and also what you are willing to dc
about it. l want written expression
of views that can be followed by con-
currence of action. | want to know il
you and the gentlemen who will join in
that expression are willing to pledge
the people of the South to chivalrous
and magnanimOus devotion to restoring
peace and prosperity to our common
country. l want to carry that pledge
I n Il