Year: 1863

1t is hard to make them believe the re-
ports which are daily circulated by the
newspaper press, of victories achieved by
Southern arms So long as Vicksburg
held out, there was hope, for they regard
ed it as impregnable; yet when the news
Of its fall became known, the people at
once gave up all hope of final success
Nor was this feeling confined alone to the
citizens. Il was shared by the armies Of
the Contederacy. The veteran who had
fought the advancing forces at Fort DON
elson, Shiloh, and Stone River, and had
seen all their efforts prove to be vain, at
once became disheaftened.


These events, continued our infOrmer,
have brosolr the people, both citizens and
soldiers, to reflect calmly upon the pres
o;ic men, who, although they were the
no ardent supporters OF the Southern
cause, began to see the terrible error into
which they had fallen, and arc now vii
linz, to acknowledge that error as he had
done, and are now willing to do all that
yet remains IN their power to correct the
political mistake which they acknowledge
to have made It is useless to disguise
the fact that the people of tie South are
earnestly anxious tlat the United States
should make some proposals of peace on
the basis Of a restoration of the Union.
Nor will they be guided by the opinions,
views, or feelings of those who have led
them astray. The newspapers do not rep
resent the sentiments OF the masses of the
South. On the contrary, they (the news
papers, are ignored, and their sentiments
cursed by large proportion of the peo-
pie. Our info mant has travelled through
Alabama, Georgia and Western North
Carolina, and has come to the deliberate
conclusion that the people are ripe for a
restOrati, of the Union on anything like
an honorable basis.


The army is wearied and worn. The
men are disheartened and desertng by the
scores. The conscription laws are ineffec
tive where there is no force to enforce its
provisions. The people are tired out with
the contest. They ieel that they have
been mistaken in their views, and the best
thing they can make OF a bad undertaking
is to return to their allegiance and duty,
and thus relieve their country, as far as
possible, from the terrible calamities under
which she is at present suffering.


In view Of the above statement of the
feeling among the masses of the southern
people, it appears to us that the following
remarks have a pertinency that will be
appreciated by all who are truly in favor
Of restoration of the Union. They are
ha Nnu- Nor1- <lIon.,..o., n
prominent conservative religious paper:


To us it appears that the present is
favorable momeLt for the President of the
United States to put forth proclamation
looking to the pacification of the South:
exhibiting the strong purpose and desire of
the people to see the Union restored un-
der the constitution, and publishing the
terms on which it is easy to adjust our
national differences, and make such ar
rangements as will secure the permanent
peace of the country. We would not
make such proposals unless the govern
ment is confident of its ability to crush
by force the expiring embers of rebellion.
But strong in this consciousness, and re-
sOlutely determined to assert the supre-
macy of the constitution, we would have
the government bring to its support that
moral power which lies in an appeal to
the patriotism and interests of the more
.iudicious and rejecting men of the South
The tokens of attachment to the Union
which we see in North Carolina encourage
to measures of pacification There must
be thousands of men in the seeded States
who must have learned by bitter expert
ence that the war was unnecessary, suicid-
al and wicked, and that the sooner it is
termicated and the Union restored the
better for them and the country. Such
men would be our outspoken friends, if
we would put the arguments into their
mouths, by which they could successfully
plead with their neighbors, in behalf of a
speedy, just and honorable peace.


A Terrible Scene in Rail Car.