Satan has, through his angels, communicated with officers who were cool, calculating men when left to themselves, and they have given up their own judgment and have been led by these lying spirits into very difficult places, where they have been repulsed with dreadful slaughter. It suits his Satanic majesty well to see slaughter and carnage upon the earth. He loves to see the poor soldiers mowed down like grass. I saw that the rebels have often been in positions where they could have been subdued without much effort; but the communications from spirits have led the Northern generals and blinded their eyes until the rebels were beyond their reach. And some generals would rather allow the rebels to escape than to subdue them. They think more of the darling institution of slavery than of the prosperity of the nation. These are among the reasons why the war is so protracted. {1T 366.2}

Satan har gennem sine engle stået i forbindelse med officerer, som har været kolde, folk som var overladt til dem selv til at regne og de har opgivet deres egen dømmekraft og blevet ledt af disse lyvende ånder til meget svære områder, hvor de er blevet drevet tilbage, med et frygteligt blodbad. Det passer hans sataniske majestæt godt at se massakre på jorden. Han elsker at se stakkels soldater mejet ned som græs. Jeg så at oprørerne ofte har været i stillinger, hvor de kunne holdes nede uden megen anstrengelse; men meddelelserne fra disse ånder har ledt nordstaternes generaler og forblændet deres øjne indtil oprørerne var udenfor deres rækkevidde. Og nogle generaler ville hellere lade oprørerne undslippe, end at holde dem nede. De tænker mere på slaveriets henrivende institution (367) end på nationens lykke. Dette er en af grundene til, hvorfor krigen er så udmattende.