wn had originally barred slavery from her
limits, but the success of the institution in Carolina, the progress of
other States in subduing land and in cultivating indigo and tobacco in
the Southern savannas, rendered white labor unavailable, and left
Georgia a laggard in the work of the younger colonies. Finally, slaves
were admitted, and commerce and agriculture seemed to thrive. But if the
State had preserved its original charter restrictions, it is not certain
that, even then, the Union sentiment would have prevailed. As Senator
Toombs had declared: "The question of slavery moves not the people of
Georgia one-half so much as the fact that you insult their rights as a
community. Abolitionists are right when they say that there are
thousands and tens of thousands of people in Georgia who do not own
slaves. A very large portion of the people of Georgia own none of them.
In the mountains there are but a few of them; but no part of our people
is more loyal to race and country than our bold and hardy mountain
population, and every flash of the electric wire brings me cheering news
from our mountain-tops and our valleys that these sons of Georgia are
excelled by none of their countrymen in loyalty to their rights, the
honor and glory of the commonwealth. They say, and well say, this is our
question: we want no negro equality; no negro citizenship; we want no
mongrel race to degrade our own, and, as one man, they would meet you
upon the border with the sword in one hand and the torch in the other.
They will tell you, 'When we choose to abolish this thing (slavery), it
must be done under our direction, according to our will. Our own, our
native land shall determine this question, and not the Abolitionists of
the North.' That is the spirit of our freemen."

The spirit of the people was plainly manifested by the zeal and ardor of
Thomas R. R. Cobb. He was a young man who went into the secession
movement with lofty enthusiasm. He had all the ardor and religious
fervor of a crusader. He had never held public office, and had taken no
hand in politics until the time came for Georgia to secede. He was the
younger brother of Howell Cobb. He declared that what Mr. Stephens said
was the determining sentiment of the hour, that "Georgia could make
better terms out of the Union than in it." The greater part of the
people was fired with this fervor, which they felt to be patriotic.
Gray-bearded men vied with the hot blood of youth, and a ve