808 



VIRGINIA. 



then under appointment as a missionary to the 

 Karens in Burmah, April 9, 1834. Her early 

 education was obtained at the "Wilbraham 

 (Mass.) Academy, but for some months previous 

 to sailing for Burmah, she had been studying 

 tho Karen language with a native teacher at 

 Hamilton, N. Y., and on arriving at her field of 

 labor she could converse intelligibly in Karen. 

 She possessed decided talent as a writer and 

 teacher, was a poet of fair ability, as her Karen 

 hymn books gives evidence. Her energy, zeal, 

 and perseverance enabled her to accomplish 

 more than most female missionaries in the 

 instruction of the Karens. She was very suc- 

 cessful in teaching the Karen women, who, un- 

 der her instruction, adopted the habits, dress, 

 and refinement of manners of civilized life, and 

 have done honor to their instructress. Mrs. 

 Vinton visited the United States in 1848 for the 

 restoration of her health, and remained two 

 years, when she returned to her field of labor. 

 In 1862 she again returned to the United States 

 for a few months, but returned with renewed 

 energy to her work. 



VIRGINIA. The questions which engrossed 

 the attention of the authorities of Virginia re- 

 lated exclusively to the war ; its success ab- 

 sorbed all their thoughts. The Legislature was 

 urged to pass such laws as would bring into tho 

 field all the able-bodied men not necessary to 

 the State Government. Thus far every officer 

 had been exempt, although without any duties 

 to perform. Between forty and fifty counties 

 of the State were within the Federal lines, and 

 the original State officers in these counties had 

 fled to Richmond. The average number of offi- 

 cers in these counties was about sixty, and it 

 was estimated that they would form a force of 

 two thousand men. By the decisions of the 

 courts they were exempt from military service, 

 notwithstanding they had no civil duties to 

 perform. The Governor thus viewed the sub- 

 ject : 



If all officers designated in the Constitution, and in 

 the laws made in pursuance thereof, are to be ex- 

 empted because they are State officers ; if Justices 

 of the Peace, who, by-the-bye, were never exempted 

 until the 1st of October, 1862, having from the revo- 

 lution to that period been required to perform mili- 

 tary duty ; if all sheriffs and clerks and their depu- 

 ties, all commissioners of the revenue, all surveyors 

 and Commonwealth attorneys, all constables and 

 overseers_ of the poor, all county agents for supply- 

 ing soldiers' families, all salt agents, commercial 

 agents, etc., all employes of banks, cities, towns, 

 etc., are to be exempt, indiscriminately and without 

 reference to their necessity, then, indeed, in the lan- 

 guage of the decision so frequently quoted, the spec- 

 tacle might be presented of a nation subjugated and 

 destroyed at a time when it had within its limits citi- 

 zens amply sufficient to defend it against all the as- 

 saults of the enemy, but whose services could not be 

 commanded because, forsooth, Government had con- 

 tracted with them that they should not be required 

 lo serve in the army. 



The Governor further recommended the pas- 

 sage of a law authorizing the issue of a procla- 

 mation warning all citizens of Virginia in for- 

 eign parts to return without delay to the State ; 



failing in which, beside personal penalties theif 

 property of every description should be confis- 

 cated, and their families sent into the Federal 

 lines. 



The free negroes became quite disorderly, 

 and in the towns, especially Richmond, they 

 were guilty of many outrages on persons and 

 property. It was said: "Theyai-e found coop- 

 erating with the enemy, and occasionally indulg 

 ing in the utterance of treasonable sentiments 

 and threats against their fellow-citizens." 



Tho question of arming the slaves created 

 great discussion. It was said that the North 

 had exhausted all her floating population, and 

 openly recruited her armies on the continent 

 of Europe. Not content with this she had 

 seized their slave?, and in violation of all civil- 

 ization had armed them against their masters. 

 Under every disadvantage the war had been 

 protracted deep into its fourth year, and the 

 Southern people found themselves looking 

 around for material to enlarge their armies. 

 "Whence was it to come 1 The laws of natural 

 accretion would not furnish a sufficient supply 

 of men. Foreign countries were in effect closed. 

 Recruiting from the prisoners would not, ex- 

 cept to a limited extent, supply the wants, and 

 public attention naturally turned to the slaves 

 as a ready and abundant stock from which to 

 draw. 



Some considered this policy as giving up the 

 institution of slavery; others declared that if 

 the slaves were put into the ranks it would 

 drive out the whites from them, and diffuse 

 dissatisfaction throughout'the Confederacy. In 

 reply it was said that the policy would effect- 

 ually silence the clamor of the poor man about 

 this being the rich man's war ; and that there 

 was no purpose to mingle the two races in the 

 same ranks, and that there could not be a rea- 

 sonable objection to fighting the enemy's ne- 

 groes with their slaves. 



As to the abandonment of slavery, it was 

 said that it had been already proclaimed to be 

 at an end by the North, and would undoubtedly 

 be so if the South was subjugated, and that by 

 making it aid in the southern defence, it would 

 improve the chance of preserving it. 



There was a unanimous opinion in favor of 

 using the slaves in the various menial employ- 

 ments of the army, and as sappers and miners 

 and pioneers, but much diversity as to using 

 them as soldiers. 



The measure was finally approved by the 

 Legislature of Virginia, and adopted by the 

 Congress at Richmond, but too late to be of any 

 advantage. 



A comparison of the census of Virginia, 

 taken in 1860, with the census of 1863, showed 

 that of the number of slaves in the whole State 

 in 1860, only 3,803 had been lost above the nat- 

 ural propagation and other increase. Of horses 

 in that portion of the State under Confederate 

 control the loss was 25,201. In 1860 the num- 

 ber of cattle returned for taxation in the entire 

 State was 1,021,132, or ninety-seven for every 



