The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-06-05

protected the farms, protected the fami-
lies, supported the armies, and were real
ly a reserve force, a mort important re-
serve force in a fighting nation. These
1000, 900 of negroes did a work that white
men would have been compelled to do.
Yet they are never counted in any
summary of the forces of the South.
They are forgotten as if they never had
existed. And yet they kept the acres
green and the harvest growing while the
white men were in the war. Men, wo-
men and children went into the fields.
The South was really an organized army.
During the war in the South all progress,
all industry came to halt and nothing was
allowed to Interfere with the war. Even
now the South suffers from wal stagna-
ton, from war paralysis. In the North
industry was lever mor brisk ; all the
arts of peace were cherished; society
moved on; inventions were discovered !;
the genius Of the country was as keen as
ever. We supported an army and a
blockading fleet. We never tagged in
our industry. We kept our place as q
manufacturing commercial power. Cit
les like Chicago, New York, San Fran
cisco grew and grew, while Savannah,
New Orleans and Charleston languished.
We not only sustained our part in the
WItI DlL Ill lilhU "tlo S4dl1C lt pSoSSs
In spite of all the drain upon the resour-
ces of the North we were more pros
porous, more powerful, more respected
and feared by the nations than when the
war broke out. Remember, as I have
said, that we had by no means a united
North, while the South was united.
We had to send troops to suppress riots
in New York; we had enemies in our
midst. In every Northern State there
was Il strong party against the war; al
WAYS rejoicing over disaster, always vo-
ting to paralyee our voting; ready for
any concession or surrender. This party
was strong in every State-strong enough
to carry States like Indiana, Pennsylva-
MIA and New York during the war.
Nothing but Morton's courage saved it
from making Indiana a rebel State, like
Kentucky. This was the party that vo-
ted the war was q failure at the time
Sherman was setting gu on his march 10
the sea, at the very time when that great
General and his army were about to COW
er our arms with imperishable renown.
You can imagine the effect such q resolu-
ton must have had upon the enthusiasm
of on army, for it is a mistake to mag
ing that such things did not effect an ar
nv. They did effect it as I know well.
During our war there was scarcely a wind
that came from the North, from u
homes, that did not come laden with cal
umny and disparagement. The South
ern Generals were models Of chlvairy
and valor-our Generals were Venal, in
competent, coarse. 1 am speaking now of
II people, Of writer's and speakers who
were loyal and to a certain extent Re
publican. Everything that IL armies
did was wrong, could have been done so
much better. Everything that our OPP
ponents did was perfect. Lee was a dem
igod, Jackson was a demigod, while our
Generals were brutal butchers. 50 1t
was in Europe. With a few exceptions
here and there the public opinion of the
world was against the North, and our
friends Mt home would often grow nor
vous and fault finding with the army.
You cannot read a file of journals in
England of that time that did not con-
tain some horrible calumny about men
in the army, and copied from u own
journals. If we won a battle k Shl-
lob, for instance-one of the most useful
victories of the war, n OF the most
important in its reSults--our own papers
set to work to bclittle the victory and
give the enemy as much advantage as
possible. These were essential elements
in q war like ourS-tle wal of q free peo-
pic. I do not recite these things to CON-
plain especially. 1 nave nothing to COM
plain about. The more foes we conquer
cd the more important was our victory.
Having conquered it is not for lis to say
anything unktnd or in disparagcment of
our enemies. That is not my purpose.
I merely mention thess points in a gcner-
al way, as points which Il historians
overlook and which show that the North
and South We're not ~ unequal in force
as alleged-that the South had advanta-
ges which we never pos~scssed-and
that, if we had i larger population than
the South to draw from, there were prob
ably as many living under our protection
hearts were with the rebellion rs
there were in the in the Confederacy it.