Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Poetry and Incidents., Volume 1.
Frank Moore, Ed.

If the impending war be the most ruthless ever waged, the consciences of our enemies must bear the guilt of the anguish, and misery, and blood. Their course from the beginning of the great movement has been marked by the meanest arts, the hugest falsehoods, the most indecent abuse, the harshest accusations. They have exhausted their cunning by diplomatic trickery, stultified themselves by absurd reasoning, excited contempt by the long views they have persistently taken of high questions, and envenomed hatred by the cool avowal of purposes as base as they are bloody. The feelings now raging fiercely in the bosom of every Southerner have been blown into a tempest by the untold insults, indignities, and wrongs, inflicted since we severed the ties that bound us to despotism and disgrace. Not content with refusing to concede rights guaranteed by the Constitution, they make the tyranny more odious by deception [150] and perfidy. They force upon us the alternative of resistance, and because we placed our flag where theirs once waved, they rush to arms and threaten us with extermination. At first, when gnashing their teeth over their miserable discomfiture, they affected a beautiful sentiment. The symbol of their grandeur and greatness had been lowered at the command of a foe they had taunted with weakness and folly. Swollen with pride, infuriate with passion, and emboldened by the eager rush of numbers to their capitol, they have ceased prating about the honor of their Government; they no longer make specious appeals to patriotism, but, ignoring these high and potent motives, they address brute passions, and deliberately concoct and propose schemes which would shock and disgust savages. Their brutal soldiery are to possess our fair fields; one class of our population are reckoned upon as allies in the execution of their fiendish purposes; Louisiana is to be. conquered by letting in upon her the waters of the Mississippi, and the victors are to prey upon the virtue of our wives and daughters. These are the motives and objects loudly proclaimed by the gathering hordes.

Fierce will be the coming strife. Steel and lead, and iron will be clothed with all their murderous power. The sword will drink its full of blood. Victory will be slaughter.--Charleston Courier, May 16.