CHAPTER XXVI. A UNIONIST FROM THE REBEL ARMY-HIS TESTIMONY-SOUTH ERN HOSPITALS-PATRIOTISM-FEMALE RECRUITING-CRINO LINE "SWEET LITTLE MAN -confederate SYSTEM-NORTH AND SOUTH CONTRASTED-REBEL CRUELTY-DYING PATRIOT-ON THE IMPRESSMENT-BROTHERS' UNION-FATE OF A TENNESSEE MISSISSIPPI-INVISIBLE ATTRACTION—AN IMPORTANT QUESTION-MORAL SUBLIMITY-CONTRABAND'S JUBILEE. A T one of the hospitals near Vicksburg I met a man who had served a year in the Confederate army, having been conscripted by the rebels, and remained that length of time before he found an opportunity to escape. He was an educated, and highly intelligent young man, and it was deeply interesting to listen to his account of the Southern side of this rebellion. He told me that the Southern people, and especially the ladies, were much more patriotic than the people of the North. After a battle, the citizens, both men and women, come with one accord to assist in taking care of the wounded; bringing with them, gratuitously, every article of comfort and convenience that their means will admit, and their patriotism suggest. Farmers come to the hospitals with loads of pro visions, and the women come with fruits, wines, jellies, etc., and cheerfully submit to the hardships and fatigue of hospital labor without the slightest remuneration. Said he: "The women down South are the best recruiting officers-for they absolutely refuse to tolerate, or admit to their society, any young man who refuses to enlist; and very often send their lovers, who have not enlisted, skirts and crinoline, with a note attached, suggesting the appropriateness of such a costume unless they donned the Confederate uniform at once." I have often thought of this trait of the Southern ladies' character, and contrasted it with the flattering receptions so lavishly bestowed upon our able-bodied "home guards," by the New-England fair ones who profess to love the old flag and despise its enemies. And I have wondered if an extensive donation of "crinoline" would not be more effectual in filling up our ranks, than graceful bows and bewitching smiles. And I would mildly suggest that each package of crinoline be accompanied by the following appropriate lines: Now, while our soldiers are fighting our battles, All the brave boys under canvas are sleeping, Far from their homes where their sweethearts are weeping; You, with the terrible warlike mustaches, CONFEDERATE SYSTEM. You with the waist made for sword-belts and sashes, We send you the buttonless garments of woman! Muster the apron-string guards on the common- All the fair maidens about him shall cluster, Give him for escort a file of young misses, 333 And now, while I am contrasting the conduct of the North and South, I may as well give another testimony in favor of the confederate system. The following testimony comes from one who has served in the rebel army in the capacity of surgeon. He says: “The confederate military authorities have complete control of the press, so that nothing is ever allowed to appear in print which can in any way give information to the North or prove a clue to Southern movements. In this it appears to me that they have an unspeakable advantage over the North, with its numberless papers and hundreds of correspondents in the loyal army. With what the correspondents tell and surmise, and what the Confederates find out through spies and informers of various kinds, they are able to see through many of the plans of the Union forces before they are put into execution. 334 NORTH AND SOUTH. No more common remark did I hear than this as officers were reading the Northern papers: 'See what d-d fools those Yankees are. General A has left B for C. We will cut him off. Why the Northern generals or the Secretary of War tolerate this freedom of news we cannot imagine."" And he further adds: "Every daily paper I have read since I came North has contained information, either by direct statement or implication, by which the enemy can profit. If we meant to play into the hands of the rebels, we could hardly do it more successfully than our papers are doing it daily. Sure am I that if a Southern paper contained such information of their movements as do the Northern of ours, the editor's neck would not be safe an hour. But some will say: 'We often see information quoted from the Southern papers of their movements.' Never, until the movement has been carried out. It is always safe to conclude, if you see in a Southern paper any statement with regard to the movement of troops, or that the army is about to do a certain thing, that it will not be done, but something different." Freedom of opinion and of the press is certainly a precious boon, but when it endangers the lives of our soldiers and frustrates the plans of our Government, surely it is time to adopt measures to control it, just as much as it is necessary to arrest the spies who come within our lines. REBEL IMPRESSMENT. 335 Another relates the following touching incident of the Southern style of increasing their army, and punishing offenders: "When the rebels were raising a force in Eastern Tennessee, two brothers by the name of Rowland volunteered. A younger brother was a Union man, and refusing to enlist, was seized and forced into the army. He constantly protested against his impressment, but without avail. He then warned them that he would desert the first opportunity, as he would not fight against the cause of right and good gov ernment. They were inexorable, and he was torn from his family and hurried to the field. At the battle of Fort Donaldson, Rowland escaped from the rebels in the second day's fight, and immediately joined the loyal army. Though now to fight against his own brothers, he felt that he was in a righteous cause, and contending for a worthy end. In the battle of Pittsburg Landing he was taken prisoner by the very regiment to which he had formerly belonged. This sealed his fate. On his way to Corinth several of his old comrades, among them his two brothers, attempted to kill him, one of them nearly running him through with a bayonet. He was, however, rescued by the guard, and brought to camp. Three days after the retreating army had reached Corinth, General Hardee, in whose division was the regiment claiming this man as a deserter, gave orders to have Rowland executed. About four o'clock in the after |