There is rumor that the President has received bad news from
the West. This may be without foundation; but it is a little strange that we
are not in receipt of authentic accounts of transactions there. Time, however,
will reveal all things.
Lee is “marching on,” Northward, utterly regardless of the
demonstrations of Hooker on the Lower Rappahannock. This is a good omen; for no
doubt the demonstrations are designed merely to arrest his advance. Lee has,
perhaps, 70,000 fighting men with him — leaving some 15,000 behind to defend
Richmond.
The people in the “Northern Neck” have been much harassed by
the incursions of the invaders. I clip the following account from the Whig of
this date:
“Nearly every house was visited, and by
deceptive artifices, such as disguising themselves in Confederate gray clothes,
stolen, or otherwise surreptitiously obtained, they imposed themselves upon our
credulous and unsuspecting people; excited their sympathies by pretending to be
wounded Confederate soldiers — won their confidence, and offered to hide their
horses and take care of them for them, to prevent the Yankees from taking them,
who, they said, were coming on. They thus succeeded in making many of our
people an easy prey to their rapacity and cunning. In this foray, they abducted
about 1000 negroes, captured from 500 to 700 horses and mules, a large number of
oxen, carriages, buggies and wagons — stole meat, destroyed grain, and robbed
gentlemen, in the public road, of gold watches and other property. There are
some instances related of personal indignity and violence. They returned with
their spoils to camp, after a week devoted by them in the Northern Neck, among
our unhappy people, to the highly civilized, brave, and chivalrous exploits of theft,
robbery, and almost every species of felony committed upon a defenseless,
unarmed, and helpless population — chiefly consisting of women and children! It
was an easy achievement — a proud conquest — the more glorious to the noble and
heroic Yankee, because stained with crime and won without danger to his beastly
carcass.”
This is but a fair specimen of their conduct whenever they
have been permitted to devastate the country with impunity.
A few days ago I addressed a letter to the Secretary of War,
suggesting that the department encourage voluntary organizations of non-conscripts
for local defense, and that they be armed with every superfluous musket that
the government may possess. If this be done, the army will not be so much
embarrassed by vehement calls to protect the people from raids everywhere; and
in the event of serious disaster, the people would still make resistance. But
an unarmed people would have no alternative but submission. This plan would
also effectually prevent servile insurrections, etc.
To-day I received the reply, saying it would be done. But
will the arms be distributed among them?
SOURCE: John Beauchamp Jones, A Rebel War Clerk's
Diary at the Confederate States Capital, Volume 1, p. 343-4
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