Evening star., 1915-02-21
FIFTY YEARS Ago
* IN THE STAR

IN xuU UXAM
With the approach of spring fifty
years ago the feeling prevailed more
generally throughout
Rebel Prisoners the north that the
rebellion was nearly
SonIeAIeo. at an end. From va
rious sources came Indications that
throughout the south this same feeling.
however it might be concealed. was
prevalent. In The Star of February Is.
1865. is the following:
''The recent movement in exchange Of
prisoners has developed an important
fact. showing the downward tendency
of rebel feeling in a most significant
manner. 1t became necessary to sound
the prisoners Of war at one of our
principal depots. and it was ascertained
that out of 1889 prisoners only 36S
were willing to be exchanged. The re-
mainder do not wish to go south as
prisoners Of exchange, and they do not
even stipulate. as a condition. an inn
mediate discharge. They prefer to re-
main in prison to going south. and are
willing to wait the pleasure of the gov
ernment as to the time Of their dis
charge. They merely wish to be let
alone according to the we'll known
declaration of Jen Davis.
What a commentary Is this upon the
lie SO industriously circulated by their
copper-hued friends as to their treat
ment in our hands! Who cannot see
in the above fact, which may be per
fectly relied upon. the state OF feenng
that would be manifested In the Iene!
OF
elsewhere. il only an opportunlty vas
offered for declaring itself secession
was a delusion: one of those feVefs or
| infatuations which sometimes seiZe
large bodies of people. who need ohiy
| a wholesome lesson to be recovered 70 70
their senses, when they become reacy
| to cast or their delusion 'as a no.rlo
nightmare. Let the people IN reoeioom
show a disposition to return 10 tne
government Of their fathers. ana trey
will be received by the people ., ,ne rae
north with a hearty welcome-oniy re-
| moving the cause of the trouble. that
there shall be no renewal OF the strug-
gle"
pesertions from the southern army
continued to be reported in increasing
numbers. In The Star
Increa sinp of February Is. 1865. fs
| paragraph BtdtlH6 Lilo =
UeSertlon. forty-eight esert ers
from Lees army reached Washington
Monday from City Point by way OF
| Annapolis. They all took the oath OF al
legfance, were released and furnished
with transportation to such points as
they desired to go. In The Star Vi
the next day is a paragraph based on
| information just received from ene
| Army of the Potomac. including the
| following:
| "Desertions from the rebel army nave
| been quite numerous for some nights,
| no less than twenty-five coming Witnin
| our lines Wednesday morning. Ihey
| present the usual appearance. dirty,
most always being, Where can we get
| rations?"
| In The Star of February Is, 1855, is
given the text Of an editorial from the
Mobile Advertiser of a
SIGNIFICANT short time before. indi-
| eating that a spirit of
Eoltoflal. discoura agement was
spreading throughout the south:
| I'VE do not attempt to disguise the
fact that the Confederate cause IS at
this moment passing through its most
dangerous crisis. Large numbers OF
the people-perhaps upon a fair poll a
maiority-are heartsick of the war and
willing to end it upon terms which
would have been secuted at as treason
able two years or even one year ago.
Even the class of Shareholders. having
| the deepest pecuniary stake in the sue
cess of the struggle for independence.
are ready to make sacrthces, the men,
4 - .%ntr a
| not have been tolerated. We have not
doubt that the country. including
| the slave proprietors. large and small.
would compromise today for peace ana
ual and universal emancipation OF the
blacks. We may go further and say
that large numbers would be wiling
give up ,naapenaense thsp %9ss and es
change the institution for naked peace
upon terms of reconstruction. This is
great change. wonderful revolution
of popular sentiment. resulting from
four years tremendous conflict Neither
| Lincoln, nor his cabinet, nor his Con-
gress. nor his mouthpieces Of the press
or the rostrum have yet written or said
one word upon which to found rea-
ton, even on the basis of emancipation.
| that we could get 1t. We admit that at
the present epoch even modern wis
dom and craftsmanship on Lincoln g
/
| Lincoln has not offered 1t, and he does
not mean to offer it"
| Corroborative testimony regarding
| the hopelessness of the southern stu
alton was r &c e " d
Despair in from time to time from
| p1 refugees from tn e
AsenAoA"' south. In The Star of
February 20. 1865, is the following:
| 1--WE learn from an intelligent young
Marylander, who left Richmond on
Wednesday evening last in company
with six deserters. that the greatest
| CONSERVATION exists there over Sher-
mans movements in South Carolina.
and that it is freely admitted upon the
streets there that Sherman can go
wherever he chooses. Our informant
says that there is belief in Richmond
that the city will be evacuated, and
also all the coast cities Of the Confed-
eracy, in a few weeks. The machinery
of some of the large foundries in Rich
mond has been sent farther south, and
| medical stores are being removed; but
as this work is generally done after
l ptohr hox M