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THE COUNTRYMAN.
126-
TURNWOLD, GA„ FEBRUARY 28, 1865.
Col. Chamberses Letter.
"We present our readers, in another col
umn, with the letter of Col. James M.
Chambers, to his fellow-countrymen. This
is the voice of a Georgian, speaking to
Georgians. Col. Chambers is emphatic; 1
ly of us, and among us. He is no Con
necticut, nor any other yankee. He is
not even a Virginian, nor a Carolinian.
When we ride, or walk out from the sanc
tum where we pen this, we see the high
old hill, in Greene county, where Col. C.
was born, frowning defiance, like the son
to which it gave birth. When we sit
down to write words of connscl to south
ern people, we write from the same house
where Col. C. wedded the partner of his
bosom. When we ride to the south, we
see the mansion where he spent his early
manhood : and when we commune with
the dead, we read the epitaphs of the
generation that preceded him, and of two
loved children, that he laid away to rest,
years ago, when we, too, were a child with
them.
Is it strange, then, that Col. Chambers
loves his native soil, and does not wish to
see the burial-place of his fathers, and his
children, polluted by the tread of a brutal
foe? Fellow-countrymen, read the letter
of your cQuntryman, and stand by his
words. He breathes defiance to the foe,
and we would have you catch the conta
gion of his inspiriting example. Geor
gians, hear the voice of a Georgian :
“Strike with your owfi strong arms, and
commit your cause to Hod.” And when
Hilliard, and Morse, and Hidden, and oth
ers, foreign to your soil, counsel you to
submit, answer them—
• Down soothlessinaulters! I trust not the tale—
For never shall Georgia a destiny meet
So black with dishonor, so foul with retreat.
Though our perishing ranks should be strewed
in their gore,
Like ocean-weeds heaped on the surf-beaten
shore,
Yet our children, untainted by flight, or by
chains,
While the kindling of life in their bosom re
mains.
Shall victors exult, or in death be laid iow,
With their backs to the field, and their feet to
the foe :
And leaving, in battle, no blot on their name,
Look proudly to Heaven, trom the death-bed of
fame.’
“Gcntclmcns of Eatonton.”*
The provost-marshal of Eatonton, kind
ly handed us, on tuesday last, the follow
ing notice for publication. Surely the
Bchool-master is “ abroad :”
“ Jente tel mens of Eatonton I lliinke
you hade beter take up Jack caw scl lyr
I heird hime sed that he Did not in ten to
go to war know be sed that them had som
that them that had some thing to fight lor
tha might fyr it fyr he Did not in ten to
go to nery nuthcr Batel. fyr to hold them
out Danger to save them frum hel and
hav not time to wright half of it I can
not righ well on my hat
W illiam Thom must farrer
The provost-marshal wishes it distinct
ly understood that he is, in no manner, re
sponsible for the above, and “ them’s our
sentiments, too.” We both exhibit the
foregoing, to the world, simply as a.“cu
riosity of literature.” It was posted in
Eatonton, by no one knows whom, and
“the authorities,” as well as ourself,
thought it too good to be lost.
Mrs. Foote in Washington.—
‘The yankee correspondents, in Wash
ington, are giving full particulars of
Mrs. Foote’s ‘escape from rebeldom,’
etc. A special despatch to the Phila
delphia: Inquirer (filling nearly a col
umn) after recounting lhe movements
of Mr. and Mrs. Foote, after their de
parture from Richmond, and stating
minutely the manner of the arrest of
Mr. Foote, proceeds as follows :
Information reached Colonel Welles,
at Alexandria, that Mrs. Foote was at
Occoquan, and he sent out a cavalry
force to bring her in. She had arriv
ed, in Alexandria, on fviday morning,
and Secretary Seward, hearing of her
arrival there, drove down, brought her
up to Williard’s, aud ordered that she
should be well cared for. It is under
stood that. Mr. Seward expressed the
opinion that Mr. Foote was in our
lines, when taken by the rebels—that
he had renounced his faith in their
cause, and was, consequently, under
our protection, and his safety will be
looked aftei’, by us, as though he were,
at present, a member.
Mr. Foote resigned Ins seat in the
rebel house of representatives, assign
ing as reasons, ‘ the suspension of the
habeas corpus,’ ‘ the passage of Acts,
in secret session, against the interests
of the people,’- ‘ that the senate, and
the majority of the house, are in the
interests of Jeff Davis, and have pass
ed such laws as tend to extinguish the
liberties of the people, and disastrous
ly affect their interests.’
Instead of starvation, Davis, and
his friends, live as well as they ever
did, in Richmond, tho rebel treasury
footing the bills.
Mrs. Foote is a middle aged woman,
not over forty-five, and in excellent
health. She is accompanied by her
youngest son, of three years, the rest
of her family being in Nashville.
Mr. Foote is thoroughly disgusted
with the confederacy, which, instead
of being an independent government*
as lie set out to attain, it has come to
be a question of dictatorship for Da
vis, who is centralizing the entire
power of the confederacy in himself.
In league with him are all but Tren-
holm, secretary of the treasury.
Mrs. Foote does not think the Blair'®
mission, if intended for peace, will
avail anything. Many of the people
of the south are weary of their bur
thens, and losses, and would willing
ly quit and make peace, if they could
be guaranteed an amnesty, and se
cured their property, and slaves.
It is intended, by Davis, to arm
aud equip two hundred thousand
slaves, for the next summer cam-
paign.
Had Mr. Foote reached' here, it
was his intention to try and meditate
for his oppressed people, independ
ent of the rebel chief, and, failing to
make peace, to travel in some for
eign clime, and end his days in a
calm review of his past life.’
Sacredness of Tears.—“ Doctor
Jolins«n observes: ‘ There is a sacred
ness in tears. They are not a mark
of weakness, but of power. They
speak more eloquently than ten thou
sand tongues. They are the messen
gers of overwhelming grief ; of deep
contrition ; of unspeakable love. If
there were wanting an argument to
prove that man is not mortal, I would
look for it in the strong, convulsive
emotions of the breast, when the soul
has been deeply agitated ; when tbo
tears are gushing forth in crystal
streams. Oh ! speak not harshly to
the stricken one, weeping in silence!
Break not the deep solemnity by rude
laughter, or intrusive footsteps. De
spise not woman’s tears—-they are
what make her an angel. Scoff not,
if the stern heart of manhood is some
times melted into tears—they are
what help to elevate him above the
biuto. I love to see tears of affection.
They are painted tokens, but still most
holy. There is a pleasure in tears—
an awful pleasure. If there were
none on earth to shed a tear for me, I
should be loth to live: aud if no one
might wedp over my grave, I could
never die in peace-’ ”
Richmond, Feb. 9.—“The Phila
delphia Inquirer, of the 4th, has been
received, but it contains nothing of
interest.
The impression prevailed, in the
north, on fridaj, that the conference,
at Fortress Monroe, would result in
peace.
Nothing else was talked of.
Gold closed, however, at 207.”