The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-02

June 8, 1861, and though Tennessee had in
1t far larger Union sentiment than was
to be found In any other state which seced-
ed, its people voted, when the question was
submitted to them, for secession, 104913
against H,238-which was considerably
m than two to one. And of tho 47239
votes against secession 1000 of them we're
in East Tennessee
10 sum up no people were ever more
united in favor of any one thing than were
the people of the eleven states which Sc
ceded in favor of the confederate cause af-
ter they had embarked in it. For there was
then practically no union sentiment
amongst them, except in East Tennessee
and few counties in Northwest Virginia,
now part of West Virginia. Everywhere
else among them, whatever sentiment of
that Kind there may have been, rapidly dis
appeared. The four border southern states
OF Delaware Maryland, Kentucky and Mis-
souri, did not secede, and there can be no
doubt that at first majority of the people
oil each OF them were opposed to it. And it
may have been that the union sentiment
continued to prevail in them even after the
war commenced, though there is great rea-
son TO believe that such was not the case
IN the three states of Maryland, Kentucky
and Missouri, as there were certainly many
changes in them from the unionist to the
secessionist ranks, as in the cases of Gem
eral Sterling Price, of Missouri; General
Buckner, OF Kentucky, and many others
But be all this as it may, those three states
mad no chance to secede after the war be-
gan, no matter if majority of their peo-
pie mad desired 1t. For being in the union
they were practically In possession of the
ieuerals when the war started, and were
neld on to by them with firm grip. Had
they have seeded, and had their people
been as thoroughly united In favor of tho
confederacy as those of the eleven states
which did secede, there Is nothing more
certain, unless it be something which has
already taken place, than that there would
nave been today two Anglo-Saxon republic
on this continent, where there Is now only
one.
Because Notwithstanding its vast supe-
rlorlty in numbers-several hundred thou
SAND or which superiority was obtained by
enlistment among Union men and negro
population of those border southern states:
and Notwithstanding it had that which the
confederacy did not have-the aid of fleets
TO cooperate with its land forces and
winch cooperation most certainly saved
Grants army from utter and complete de-
struction the first day at Shiloh and saved
McClellan's army from final capture after
Its defeat In the battle around Richmond
besides which its fleets enabled 1t to block
ade the ports of the confederacy, and thus
prevented them from shipping their cotton
to Europe and obtaining the supplies which
they needed-in spite of all those and other
advantages, the north had a close, a very
close, call in the struggle so close that had
the full weight of the three populous and
wealthy southern states of Maryland, KEN
lucky and Missouri, with all their other
great resources been thrown into the scale
on the side of the confederacy ii would
have been sure winner.
Richmond, Va, March 15 1899