Year: 1864

AN OFFICERS VIEWS.


1sT BRIGADE, 2D DIV. 20TH ARMY CoRPs,
| NEAR ATLANTA, Ga.
Aug. 18Th, 1864.
Having a few leisure momsrts 20 spare this
morning 1 will write you as 20 our doings in
this part Of the country. see by northern
journals the capture of Atlenta. But from
our present view of things iu front, would
only say I can't see it." \ sither DO l look
for or expect it for some time yet. Were you
here now, you might think i impossible for
the city to hold out single hour, from the
amount of shell and shot thro 1n into it. We
have not less than 800 pieces of artillery
pointed toward the city. We have many
heavy guns bearing on the city. The rebel
works encirels the town. Oars forming some
thing after the fashion of horse shoe:
We now throw into the circle formed by
the rebel works from sixty to two hundred and
| fifty tons of shell and solid shot, during every
twenty four hours.


The enemy are not idle b. means, you
may be sure, for they are g. y to under
stand that they are on hand and ready to give
US all we may want, should dude to ad-
| vance our lines.


In addition to the artilleiy hring, the skirm-
ish lines keep up heavy n~asket fire, which.
strange as it may seem, ia far more destructive
10 Us than the shell or solid shot.


| The Rebs are far more uncivil here than
any place have ever seen tbem. If we speak
| to them, no difference how sivil, the only an
swer We get will be the whi5tliDg of musket
ball in close proximity to CIR heads.


/ You have often wondered when is this to
| end, as have many others Blu, my opinion is
that when we go to work with as much earn
estness as the Tebs then we may hope for the
eud soon. The difference in the way in which
the Tebs and we carry on tie war is plain
/ The enemy are desperately in earnest. They
compel every white man ard boy to fight, eve
ry black man and woman towork for the ar
my they tolerate no dissent or demur where
they have or can get power to suppress it
They conscript every one-as deserters say
who have not been dead over two days.


They do business of this kind in earnest
Once conseripted they must either march or
be shot, it is their only choice. They pay no
bounties, aad have almos.. get over the farce OF
paying the men. Once in the army there is
no chance of getting out of it until the end,
unless they are so fortunate or unfortunate as TO
be shot out. They recognize no private proper
ty, but all as Confederate States property
They take whatever they want wherever they
! find it. They do no business, there is little
trade among them-nothiBg but war, and that
in earnest. The North is not yet in earnest; !;
and until we are, we can accomplish but little.
The sooner the Nerth go to work at putting
down this rebellion in earnest the better de
lays are dangerous go to work at once
| Call out all the men that are wanted-loan the
Government all the money it needs-begin :he
work anew-make a stock concern of it-lst
the South and the world at large see that we
are in for war to the knife, and knife to the
hilt. And if we don't end this war in one
year 1 am much mis- taken. But If we con
tiDue in this milk and water way, we have a
Eve years contract before US. The North has
population of over twenty-one million and
untold wealth, with all the credit any nation
could ask for, Navy large enough to block
ade every port in the South. We have men,
money and all the necessaries for carrying on
the war. We manufacture all our own arms
ammunition and clothing. We have men
over age and boys under age, with those unfit
for service enough TO raise the necesssries of
life for the people at home, and the army in
] the field


/ How different are the chances of the South
for carrying Oh war. The so-called Con-
federate States had only population of about
seven million Qess than One-third of ours,)
with no money, means, credit or navy. Meth
er have they The facility for making arms &C.,
that we have. Their territory for raising
breadstufs, is nothing when compared with
ours But in spite of all this staring them 10
the face, they still fight on with as determined
a spirit when they began.


To my sight the end is as far off as it was
two years ago. Why is this? We must
come to one OF two conclusions, that is we
can or we can't. II the former we must go
to work now, send out the men called for at
once. Don't wait until the draft goes off, and
then only when compelled to do so. But
make up our minds that the thing must be
done. Lay aside ell business until we have
decided whether we are capable Of selfgovern-
ment or not. II not we have money enough
But if we succeed there will be time enough
for money making. How many men have we
at the North who want the war to continue
that they may make their fortune at the ex-
pense Of the soldier, and by cheating the Gov
ernment