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Letter from the Seventy-Fifth.Camp KE.vr. Brooks' Station, Va.,|April 14, 1W53.Messrs. Editors : —As I do not pro- \jfcss to bo any thing of a newspaper cor- j j respondent, it is with some reluctance i-: that I attempt to write you a few lines, ■• if worthy, for publication in your valuable ;I paper, which, through the. kindness of) ! *! friends at home, 1 have had the pleasure jj of perusing a few c opies since I have been j in the army, and I find them a very wel- j come visitor.j I propose giving my opinion of two !I ■ *T- : - v • * 'r ■' • ' ' Iclasses of men—the “copperheads” and“deserters.” I will speak first of the! | copperhoad-peace-makcrs, those dastardly | | cowards at home, who would fall on their knees and submit to anv terms the South jj might choose to dictate, i cannot find c | language to express my contempt for such lt;Imen. Do these men read the the opinionti ttC11teIcIi: of the Southern press of their peace prop-►■ options? Certainly not; if they did tlieyj would learn that any offers of peace, lion- , $ enable to ourselves, would be tpurned by j j the South. 1 hen, ii is evident to any { .sane man, that peace is out of the qites- j : tion, for the South will make no conccs- ; \ sions, neither will the loyal North. Faking these matters into consideration, in what light do these men stand that cryPeace?” Thev are either fools or trait-«■oi, and that of the most contemptible kind. 1 have some respect for a traitor that I meet on the field of battle, but none for those who skulk about under the protection of a Government they seek to W-stroy. For my part I loathe such men. j lt;these men threaten revolution at theNorth, unless the Government concedes to their plans of reconstruction. I say j | let these cowardly recreants attempt j h anything of tliat kind and they will find ! ( it a more seiious job than they anlicipa- cted. Let them coma to Virginia and see |i the effects of war, and they will abandon j uall thoughts of bringing it to their own j ^I homes. Put, Messrs. Editors, 1 have no c; apprehension of danger in that quarter.— |Should they attempt resistance to Federal *authority, I would suggest to the loyal j tpeople to organize a company of young j ladies in each county with broomsticks, | $and thev will soon restore order.%Wo went into this war for the purpose lt;]of jutting down this rebellion and res tor- [ing the Federal authority in every State; lt;of this once glorious I nion, and until the |erebels lav down their arms and submit*unconditionally to that authority, let us ♦^ | wnave no more talk of peace. JTrue, we may incur bv the war an I* *enormous national debt, and leave a burdensome tax for posteiity, but if we succeed in re loring the Government to its! former grandeur, we leave to them what v is more priceless than gold ; we leave to; * them tin* be*t Government ever formed by | 0man. Mv desire is that it may be handed j r* * *d )wu to posterity untarnished. This isthe desire of the army with few exceptions1 iiete arr a number of men in the army ! \who went to the war for a holiday spree ;theyaie disappointed and are willing to accept peace on any terms. This class of men are those that desert and are loitering about home. Loyal people should shun them as they would an outlaw, for they are no better ; they have violated themost sacred oath, and are entitled to nomore respect than a thief. But enough on this subject, for it matter* little where such are, they are of no use in the army.Wo now have orders to march, w ith five days’ rations in our haversacks, and • j the boys an* ail anxious to Lc oil. 1 In* ]health of the men throughout tin llegi-rnent, as a general thing, is good.^ President Lincoln, accompanied by his lady, r was hoie and reviewed our corps on the} M 10th inst., w hich appeared tlt; mspire the boys with renewed energy.My letter is more lengthy than 1 intended it, so I will clone.Beeptetfully your*,•L W. MEKKK,Company Ii, 75th Iteg’t O. V. I.vIlt;cII1II1aN(Ir1tt
Newspaper Details
Athens Messenger
Athens, Ohio, US
Thu, Apr 23, 1863
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Michael M.
NA, NA 26 Oct 2021
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