Year: 1863




city, during most of the past winter. 1t
has performed much hard service and
deserves well of tic country and State


THE CoMMANDANr OF THE POST.


Gen. Veatch has won the commenda-
ton of all who have come in contact
with him since he was placed in COM
mand here, by his honesty, strict impair
tiality, tirmness and kindly bearing.
Even the most csptious and fastidious Of
the rebel ladies assert that he is "per-
feet gentleman" Gen. Keatch, at the
time he became Colonel was, pre-
sumo, not military man. understand
tha', ke hundre Is of others now in COM
mahd, he never had occasion to study
military tactics, and that his knowledge
Of military affairs was no more than that
possessed by civilians in similar posi-
tions in life. He has, however, proven
himself an adept scholar and gained the
reputation of being one of the coolest,
bravest and most skillful commanders in
the service. | have heard private sol
diers dwell with unfeigned enthusiasm
upon his bravery and gallantry in battle
and they seldom praise when it is un-
deserVed-and only very short time
since heard an officer of we'll known
reputation express the opinion that of all
the commanders in the field no one un-
derstood his business more thoroughly
or had brighter future before him in
which to win glorious name in his
couniry's history than Gen. James c.
Veatch. To his honor it can be said,
and believe with the utmost truth, that
he has never taken advantage of his
military position to engage in mercenary
speculation, nor has he turned away
coldly from the devoted and truly loyal
and dispensed his favors on men who
have ever been recognized by their
neighbors and tellow-citizens as traitors
to the United States Government I'm
fortunately for the cause of loyalty, Gen.
Wealth is out-ranked at present


PROGRESS OF THE UNION CAUSE.


1t would be most natural conclusion
that, after all the sacrifices in blood aud
treasure which the rebels of Southwest
ern Tennessee have made to uphold and
sustain the most colossal .humbug that
was ever attempted to be created by
demagogues, the Southern Confederacy
that, after all the kindness and protec-
ton which has been proffered them by
the Federal Government-and that, after
realizing their inability to successfully
sustain their cause in short or pro-
longed war, many of them, at least,
would return to the old faith and live
contentedly under the old flag. But such
is not the case. Of all the people who
at first turned their backs on the Gov
ernment to which they owed allegiance
and joined their fortunes to Secession,
RhH FRHhfHHed dhft55A to thefff hfndHt ddty as loyal citizens
Many there are who, upon the occupa-
ton of this part of Tennessee by the
Federals, remained or soon returned
and "took the oath But they did it
for a purpose. They did it to further
betray the Union cause, or because it
better suited their pecuniary interests to
remain within the Federal lines. The
only true Union men in the South were
those who went through the fiery furnace
of hate and persecution-Inen like Bax-
ter and Brownlow in East Tennessee,
and Etheridge, Brooks, and others in
South-Western Tennessee-who faced the
mob and its gibbetS, and bid the whole
race of rebels defiance, rather than be-
tray their country. These men were
and are still Union men in the broadest
and deepest acceptation of the term.
But of those who forswore their Govern
ment and allied themselves with the
South, either in speech or action, NOT
ONE has ever sincerely acknowledged his
error and returned to the support of the
Government They are in Memphis in
formidable numbers. They seek every
chance to aid and benefit the enemy
They rejoice over every Federal defeat
and mourn over every rebel failure.
These are the men who smuggle the
rebels their supplies across the Federal
lines, and who keep up constant commu-
nication with them.


The same rebel population who, on the
day the U. S. soldiers marched from the
river to the post office building and hoist
ed the stars and stripes on the flagstaff
that surmount it, are still the same re-
lentless, spiteful traitorous population
that they were then. So it is in all the
surrounding country, and SO it is in all
JDe DOubu dSSCII II opOdh ITOuI
the book. The Union sentiment in the
South is lnyth-there is no such a
thing. The intense, undying and un-
Welding hatred of these people to the
| Federal Government and the North can
only be classed among the unaccounta-
BILE things that do exist-a phen ,mena in
human government They have staked
Their all upon the issue and spit at and
spurn any overtures towards reunion.
! The experience of the past two years has
shown their terrible earnestness and
their strength and resources and skill,
and the same two years experience by
the government has also proven that the
I South is an enemy not to be trifed with
nor conquered by the process of starva-
ton or other fanciful modes. If the
Federal Union is to be preserved and
] perpetuated the work must be accom-
plished by the strong arms and brave
hearts of the sons Of TIE North. Again
and again has this been told to the loyal
neople of the Northern States Let
them unite, throw aside all party divis-
ions and engage in the work of preserv-
ing thegovernmentb by hard knocks. To
this it must come at last Drive off the
contractors and spectators that follow
the army or force them into the ranks.


Law aside politics and political preiudi-