The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-09-09
GA,
March I'd, 1855

DEAR DUDLEY: Mr.. q. q. Clay our
late commissioner to Canada, who has
been spending about one month With
us, leaves tomorrow for Richmond, and
avail myself Of the OPPORTUNITY Of
writing to you. Sallie will give you all
the local news. She and the children
and julia are in excellent health. She
wrote you last night by one Of your
Captains of Cobb's legion. One Of
your men Of the same battalion called
this morning and brought the papers
you sent me, which are the latest we
have from the North.
l have the most painful apprehcnsions
for the future, and they arise solely
from my conviction Of the total incapac-
ity Of Mr.. Davis, and consequently the
utter failure Of all his petty schemes.
We have given all the men who would
volunteer, allowed him all the men he
could catch at first from 18 to 35. then
up to 45, then MI from II to SO. And
the army is smaller to-day and less eff
cirnt than OH the day the first conscript
bill was passed. Now Congress has
given him all the negroes, and the result
will still be the same, superaddcd to
the most fatal consequences which have
ever darkencd our prospects. The ne
gro, first, is untitled for a soldier. Sec
ondly, if | am wrong in that, he is un-
fit for our soldier. If he is capable OF
making a soldier, he ought to be and
will be Il Yankee soldier. If two-thirds
of the white freemen Gas Mr.. Davis
says) have ingloriously abandoned their
flag and ran away from q standard in
which all the hopes of u true man are
conferred, superadded to every ,ndignity
inflicted by the Yankees upon their
wives children, friends, home and prop
7 Tty, do We expect that the negro slaves
will stand by it? What for? In the
name of heaven what for L? Is their lib
.erty involved in our success ? Yes:
but against them. Are their homes and
property. wives and children, and coun-
try, and all that men hold most dear to
be ruined by Yankee SUCCESS? think
not. Have they kccncr sense Of honor.
or more courageous hearts than their
masters? If so, they ought to change
places. In my opinion, the worst Ca
lamity that could befall us would be to
gain our independence by the valor OF
our slaves, instead Of our own. If We
are conquered by the fortunes Of war,
we may save our honor and leave the
Cause to our defendants, who may be
wiser and drawer than we are, and may
avail themselves of the accidents of hu-
man affairs and yet win what We are igno-
m~iniously throwing away. The day
that the army of Virginia allows a ne
gro regiment to enter their lines as SOL
diers they will be degraded, ruined and
.disgraced. Lee had just MS soon have
q negro as a white man in his army. So
had West point generally. Their system
Is to make all slaves Of frccmcn it fail
ed, and the men ran away. Their rem
edy is to make freemcn Of slaves.
That will get far enough along to fail :;
it is a piece of embccile stupidity, as
we'll as trcacllcry to the cause, we'll
worthy Of Davis and Lee. the base trail
tors from Kentucky and Missouri, ETC.,
who have no constituents to bear, to
suffer, or to be disgraccd by them We
have q plenty Of men in the Southern
Confederacy to whip two such r~cvolu-
lions, if Mr.. Davis did not keep them
out OF the bullet department. Hc has
more men on the pay roll not in active
field SERVICE than he has mnskcts. And
you may throv in the negroes, and no
increase the army. Bnt if you put our
negroes and. white men in the army to.
gether, you must and will put them on
an equality; they must be under the
same code. the same pay, allowances
and clothing. There must be promo
.tions for valor, or there will be no NOR.
ale among them. Therefore. it is n sur
render of the entire slavery question.
Phe government is becoming n stand
ing menace and terror to every interest.
Our credits arc squnndered among OIL
cials. and nobody, neither army nor peo.
pie, paid for services or Supplies. Thr
tax in kind is doubled and s%nnandcret,
among post people, and the army half
.snbsisted by pillagc and plumber of tho
industrious classes. All the revenpes
OF all the countries in the world woul,:
not sspport Dayis's government on,
year it is one wild waste and pilceriny
by his thousands Of officials in the rear
we have a post in all the villages
Even here we have John Wccms, Gem
mandant of the post, six or seven quar-
tcrmasters and several hundred soldier.
and other employees. The ountry does
not make enough to maintain them Mi