Wilmington journal., 1875-07-16
'HEE r. Es E4ESS OF IGNORANCE
NORTH CAROLINA AND THE

Now, really, we never knew TIE
bIessedness of ignorance until we pc
rused the following paragraphs in tha
pleasant Petersburg paper, the NeOs
IN lis issue of Wednesday last.
The N'cars graciously tells its read
ers that:
LAS cur sister State of North Caro-
| lima has been much misrepresented as
! to the part her gallant sons acted in
! the late civil war, we publish in the
| NcES this morning what we consider
! Il Iu!j yindicatiOn of that old Common
wealth from the aspersions attempted
To be cast upon her fame. 1t has been
the mistaken impression of many not
uutrieudly to her, that North Carolina
only furnished a small portion of the
troops who composed the Confedel ate
army and helped fight through the
four years of bloody strife for the lib
critics which we sought to establish.
But, rs the figures We present this
morning Will show, her quota OF troops
exceeded her voting population, and
tquaied, perhaps, any other State In
the Confederacy, except Virginia, in
proportion to population, and constl-
LU;cd Dytc-Sjcfh OF the whole army of
$50, UJO men i'll arms!
We think t. he facts and figures as
t.Ius stated by the able writer whom we
quote, are correct, and that the old
North State can fairl y claim, IN pro-
portion to her population, to havefur-
iisilcd rs much muscle and blood, and
20 have borne her part as nObly IN the
conflict, as any of her sister Sta,es.
+IoCo Iinoo
had never supposed for moment that
thu part North Carolina's gallant sons
acted III the late civil war had been |
''muCh misrepresented'. Nor were we |
aWare that the old State needed ''vin-
tIcatiGn', or that "aspersions' had |
been attempted to be cast upon her
lame. We really thought, if in our
self suf1iciency we ever
thoIght Of the matter at all, that our
State could not be aspersed, and that
she needed no vindication, and that
ae thunder of North Carolina guns
nd the roar of North Carolina mus
letry was too loud and the flashing of
North Carolina sabres too bright upon
very hard fought field from Bethel to
appOmattOx Court House for the part
Ter sons acted in the late civil war to
Je ''much mI5represented''. In fact,
.Gotists that we were, we were as
proud as peacocks of our war record.
t never entered our heads to think it
ieeded yindication. "Where ignor-
nee is bliss lis folly to be wise"
Nor did we know that any one,
lther unfriendly or not unfriendly to ..
ortn Carolina, was simple enough to
olleve that she had furnished only a ]
mall portion of the troops that COM
osed tie Confederate army. We did,
lGgcG, know that there was friendly !
ontest between General Early and
tAcrs, n which a question arose as to I
oW great-but not how small-a por- :
On Of the troops that composed the {
confederate army were North Caro- {
mans also a question, whether '
.cIth Carolina did not furnish a q
5Tgor number Of troops in proportion 5
her population; and also another G
ueatICn, whether she did not furnish r
40 largest number absolutely of all I
{ Confederate States. But nev1e =
oIoIo dId we hear that any supposed :
le furnished only ''small portion of =
le troops No, never! "Where ig- T
ofance is bliss it is folly to be wise.'
But, as III duty bound, we thank our !
'toemed cotemporary for removing : y
ie scales from our eyes. The oper- :.
ION indeed IS not a pleasant one, but -
en hereafter we shall see better. DOS =,
Dly well enough indeed to see our ~ ~
ives as others see us, and others, at =,
asst certain others, as they see not u =.
ienScITes, those sapient individuals ';
i instance who think North Carroll ..
sent only few men to the great b
~ or that those sent did not give az
1d dSSmo account of themselves Iii
= here ignorance is bliss it is folly to p
wise" d'
rlously We thank the NeaUs for a. !.
ts'lnG before its readers "the facts "a
Il i6iLres III question" ~ =.