The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1862-11-26
o. T. McGREGOR, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, NOV. &c, 1862
U. S. GENERAL HOSPITAL, }
ANNAPOLIS, Nd. Nov. 7. 1869. {

% ANNAPOLIS, Nd, Nov. 2, 1862.
DEAR TINES :-Supposing that perhaps
your numerous readers might be glad of a
word from this land Of CLAIMS and oysters,
your humble servant concludes to do as the
McGregor boys say to the fsh-"drop
you line" -
This Seventh Of November, A. D. 1862,
is the first annual anniversary of the bloody
battle Of Belmont. One year ago this day,
about 5 o'clock, p. m, the writer Of this,
with some two Hdhdred others, was taken
vi ct armis by the scowling. bowling, but
ternut.colored minions of jeff Davis. On
the seventeenth of October, A. d. 1862,
just eleven months and ten days afterwards,
We were released on parole at Richmond,
Va. Your correspondent has witnessed
the receptions given in some of our large
towns to distinguished men, but he never
saw anything equal, or nearly equal, to the
reception Of the prisoners by the assembled
crowd on our arrival at Memphis. 1t
seemed as il the denizens OF Pande,nonum
had been let loose to give reception to the
''livc YankH' from Belmont. The large
area on the levee, the roofs Of the buildings,
the decks Of the steamboats,, in short, every
available space in reach of our landing
place, was covered by dense mass Of
people, all half crazy and nearly out of
their wits, If they ever had any, in anxiety
to see "the abolition, Yankee soldiers
Nothing dann,ed, we arrayed ourselves on
the deck Of our steamer, concluding that,
in the classic language Of Yankee Robin
son, we would "go the whole hog or none"
We were treated to the choicest lot of bit
ter invectivcs Eaown to the rebel vocabu.
larry. They hooted, yelled, screamed,
threw mlssil:s Of wood and dirt, and tried
! by every means in their power to convince
us that they appreciated our merits. The
crowd was composed Of all classes, color.
sexes, ages and conditions There were
frishmen shouting for jeff Davis under the
st'mulos of poor whisky, High Dutch and
Low Dutch, Niggcrs, some free and some
slave, some as black as an Egyptian mitl.
night, some as yellow as saffron, some as
white as Jeff Davis himself, dapper little
arenchmen who thought more than they
said, Polanders who were good enough
rebels to escape suspicion rom Richmond
Tennesseeans who were mourning the los.
Of friends and Relatives on the bloody field
Of B. mont, and dirty, ragged butternut.
brown specimens of "chivalry' from AR
kansas, to say nothing Of "a right smar,
sprinkling" from Louisiana, Texas and
Alabama. when we landed, the guards
had all they could do to keep the excited
and exasperatcd populace from tearing Us
in pieces. "IIerc are your live Yanks!'
Heres your mule !" "Here's old Abe,s
boys" ''Herc's the id abolitionists 2
and similar expressions greeted US as We
took up our line Of march through the city
While we were confined in Memphis a
company Of raw recruits arrived from the
backwoods Of Arkansas. 1t was not lone
ere they heard that some ''live Yankees
were quartered in the city. Forthwith they
started for our prison, determined to satisfy
their curiosity. Such, staring gaping and
bis-eyed looks Of astonishment never saw
before or since. Their appearance, as they
stood looking at US, reminded me Of some
green country boys who for the first time
enter the showman's tent to "see the Gle.
phant.' One Of these ass .toot confeder.
ates from the land of pollywogs, after eye,
ing us for some time, turned to the officer
Of the guard and delivered himself thus
II say, captain, is these ere fellcrs the
cussed Yanks who fit SO like thunde: at
Belmont?' "Yes," said the captain.-
well, but I say, captain, whars them
Yanks wots got horns on 'em ~ "Oh,"
said the captain, with mock gravity, 1--WE
keep them locked up out Of sight. One OF
them edged around to where some Of our
boys were sitting on pile of wood. "What
are you uns fighting wc-uns for 2" was his
enquiry, and upon being informed that VIC
were fighting to whip the traitors, crush
the rebellion, and restore the Union, he
very innocenty replied: II dont't think
you can whip US or get our niggers from
us either We uns are all bound to figh,
you.uns as long as there is one of We Gums
left, and after weuns are dead, then the
wimmen and children will fight you uns
and whip you too" +
The poor untutored son Of slave despot
ism would not believe that Abe Lincoln
was not black man, or that we hat. plen
Ny to cat and wear. In fact, | have o5
served that in the eight slave states through
which it has been my misfortune to pass
during the year past, the following propo
| sition seems TO be a self evident truth -
The poor whites who are obliged to labor in
those states, are, as a class, not as intelli
gent, not as honest, not as sharp, naturally
rs the negroes. This Of course applies to
natiues. The majority Of these poor white
men can neither read or write; they know
nothing Of the woodworking Of the his
tory Of this or any other country; they are
ignorant Of the most common regulations
whicn hold good in every refined or civil
lied society; they know absolutely nothing
Of the cause or origin Of this war. and
thousands Of them are to this day firm in
the belief that President Lincoln is q
woolly headed African, black as the ace o
spad.s; that the Yankees and Abolition
lists, as they call all Federal soldiers, are q