The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-09-10
sulpher Springs Correspondence.
Gen. Rosecrans' Letter to Gen. Lee.
REPLY OF GEN. LEE AND OTHER DIsTIN-
GUISHED sOCTIERNERS.
The following correspondence fully e

The following correspondence fully ex-
plains the purpose of Gen. Rosecrans' late
visit to the Virginia White Sulphur
Springs, in relation to which there has
been so much idle newspaper gossip
The correspondence exhibits in a very
clear light the sentiments and disposition
/ of the intelligence of the South, and ought
TO act as an antidote TO the poisonous
/ slanders of the Radical press, which con-
/ linua!ly misrepresents and falsifies them
GENERAL RosECRANs 7. GENERAL LEB.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRI Gs, w. Va. Aug.
! 26. 18oS.-General Full of solicitude for
I the future of our country, | come with my
! heart in my hand to learn the condition.
wishes and intentions of the people Of the
/ Southern States-especially to ascertain the
! sentiments of that boly of brave, energetic
and self-sacri6cIng men who, after sustaining
/ the Confederacy for four years, laid down
| their aims and swOre allegiance to the Gov
! ernment of the United States whose trusted
/ ard beloved leader you have been.
l see that Interpreting States rights" to
/ conflict with national unity has produced a
/ violent reaction against them, which is drift
I inr US towards consolidation /; aud also that
so great a country as ours even now Is. GER
taiuly is to be- must have State governments
20 attend to local details, or go farther and
fare worse.
I. is plain to us at the West and North
that the continuance of semI-andrchy. such
as has existed for the last three years in ten
, States Of our Union, largely increas,s the
danger Of centrsliSrn. swells our rational
expenditures. diminishes our productions
and our revenues, inspires doubts of our
political and financial stability, depreciItes
the value Of our national bonds and currency.
and places the credit of the richest below
that of the poorest nation in Christe3dom.
We know that our currency must be de
preCiated so long as bonds are below
par and that therefore the vast business
and commerce of the country must suffer the
terrible evil of a fluctuating standard of
value until we can remedy the evil condition
of things at the South. We also see other
mischief quite possible. if not probable, to
arise such as from a failure Of crops. local
instruction, and many other Unforeseen
contingencies which may still more depreci-
ate our credit ard currency, provoke dis
content and disorder among our people. and
bring demagogical agitation, revolution,
reputation aud a thousand unnamed evils
and villanes upon us. We know that the
interests Of the people of the South are for
law and order, and that tEey must share our
fate of good and i'll.
I believe-every one, I know, who re-
, fleets, believes-that if the people of the
Southern States could be at peace, and their
energy aud good will heartily applied to re-
pair the wastes of war, reorganize their
business, set the freedmen peacefully, pros
pernuSly and contenteily at work, IL vite
capital. enterprise and labor from elsewhere
to come freely amongst them, they would
soon rebuild their ruined fortunes, multiply
manyfUld the value Of their lands, establish
public confidence IN our political stability,
bring our govei nment bonds to a premium,
our currency to a gold standard, and assure
for themselves ana the whole nation a 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 Union ask
every thinking man of the great West and
North asks-why it cannot be dor e2
We are tcld by those who have controlled
the government for the las. four years that
the people of the South will not co it--that
if ever done at ALL it must be done by the
poor, simple, uneducated. landless freedmen
and the few whites who. against the public
opiLion and sentimen Mt of the intelligent
white people, are willing to attempt to lead
and make their living off of these ignorant,
mex xperienced colored people mostly men
who must be needy adventures, or without
any of these attributes on which reliance for
good guidance OF government can be Illced.
We are told that this kind of government
must be continued at the South until six or
eight millions of intelligent, energetic white
people give in to 1t or move out of the coun-
try.
Now, I think-the Union army thinks,
and people of the North and West, | dare
III, l., Il L 4
to Le, shorter or a surer way to get good
government for all at the South.
We know that they who organized and
sustained the Southern COnfedcracy for four
years, against gigantic efforts. ought to be
able to give peace, law, order and protection
to the whole people of the South.
They have the interest and the power to
employ, protect, educate and elevate the
poor freedmen, and to restore themselves
and our country to all the blessings of which
| have just spoken. The question we want
answered is. are they willing to 90 it?
l came down to find out what the people
of the South think Of this, and 10 ask you
what TIE officers and soldiers who served in
the Confederate army, and the leading peo-
pie who sustained it, think of these things.
| come to ask more. | want to ask you,
in whose purity and patriotism 7 here ex-
press unqualified confidence, and as many
good men as you can conveniently consult.
to say what you think of it, and also, what
you are willing to do about it.
want written expression of views that
caH be followed by concurrence of action.
| want to know if you and the gentlemen
who will Join in that written expression are
willing to pledge the people of the South to
chivalrous and magnanimous devotion to
restoring peace and prosperity to cur COM
mon country. l want to carry that pledge
high above the level of party politics, to the
/ late officers and soldiers Of the Union army.
and the people of the North and West, and
to ask them to consider it, and to take the
necessary action. confident that it will meet
with response SO warm, so generous and
con6ding that we shall see in its sunshine
the rainbow of peace in our political sky,
now black with clouds and impending storm
l know you are a representative man, in
reverence and regard for the Union, the
Constitution and the warfare of the country,
and that what you would say would be en-
I dCrSed bV nine tenthS of the ubOIa naonla