Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-06-07
The STANDARD.
, For The Standard.
A CARD.

- T,L &c NJ I.st S;ored "a Conscript," which
had for its object an indignant oenu"c'ao' VI ~"
"bood and thunder" advocates OF civil striie Mno,
when the strife came took every chance ou1 o' odS
tLs line still to belch out their fiery vapors, ana
urre to the bio dy fray all Others while they sat
complacently quiet in their own houses lew ex'
tracts from this article will answer the purposes
this card. In it | expressed aStonlshment at the
tact and ingenuity with which certain INDIVIDUALS
could evade rendering that service to the Southern
cause which our bleeding Contederacy demanded at
the hands of patriots, &c. stated that public m
curry had been made why it was that our LegSla-
ture placed field officers of the militia on dInerenI
footing from priVates in case OF DRAFT eSPTeseu
tny CONNECTION that the fact of the State law oens
thus, had induced persons to seek those S1Auo"e,
that this privilege or exemption IN our ola'e "a"
had been oyerriden by the CONSUMPTION I; that
the idea had been conceived and acted upon that
probably the dangers of the battlefield might os
Stunned by representing to the General Command.
ing the number of slaves in certain iocaltieS anu
the danger to be apprehended, and petltlonlng lot
home guard; that such was the secret programme
in the county of JohnStOn-and that our Colonei,
Lieutenant Colonel, and Adjutant had, l under
stood, succeeded in being recommended as a nome
guard
On the publication of this article Col Heath, see
ing that the picture faithfully drawn OF him.
self instantly swelled up furiously and VaporouS-
ly against the author whom he knew to be myself,
after his approved mode of fighting thena with inc
same kind Of weapons he turned on me-not win
powder and ball. In his tumeScent temper ne naa
often whipped whole regiment of Yankees, win
valiant words of terrible import; and having oeen
so successful with the use of these weapons IN ms
warfare with them, he brought them TO the nelo IN
his bout with me.
will take this occasion to inform Col. Heath that
do not recognize his code Of spt6re atonement for
conceived wrongs. He assumed in his reply TO 4
Conscript" that was the author, and that he was
an aggreved and nsulted man. Under this aSsump-
ton the obvious course of man, who wages ms
battles with his bloed against the blood OF the
aggressor and not in the bloody thunder of black
guardism, open and plain but he preferred his
old game of fighting the Yankees and so he let loose
q terrible voey ofbis accustomed foul vapor. with
these remarks dismiss his valorous display towards
me; and here would end the matter, but for his
labored attempt to impose himself upon the public
for Yankee fighter. We all know he has hated
the Yankees for many years, and has had one whole
year to sgnaize his armed hostility against them,
and has done nothing but to publicly preach his
uordy hatred The article signed "A Conscript,"
which Col. Heath took to be his looking glass, as
serted several things as truths lst that certain
persons who had been furiously bent to produce
this war; had themselves, while earnestly persuad-
ing others to enter it and encounter the hardships
of camp life and the dangers of the field, kept a. the
greatest possible distance ID that they had taken
active meanS,.o keep out of the ranks; and among
others had got up secret meeting m SmitEfed to
devise plan to secure negro patrol for the coun-
ty. Col. Heath saw himself accused by these
charges and his heart told him Of his guilt and ne
forthwith commenced on me with lis accustomed
warfare
The proofs to establish these conclusions would
be conclusive if we look but to himself and a few
incidents of his life for fifteen months past In the
first place he urged on the with all his might
and influence.
In the next place he urged all the humblest peO
pie to enlist under the banner of their country and
yet kept aloof himself and preferred to remain in
the militia Fearful, events developed the unex-
pected magnitude of the war, that even the militia
might be called out and the situation Of an otii-
Ger in that event better than that Of private,
he for the first time sought military position and
became Captain. But the danger Of draft soon
becoming imminent and the post of Captain net
securing exemption from service, he sought
higher step out Of the way Of danger, and became
Colonel of militia. Here up to the passage of the
conscript Law, he rested in security; when to his
utter annoyance the coEscript Law, like death on a
pale horse, appeared, sweeping away militia exemp-
tons and as he supposed every protection to him
self Here then we have Col Heath man in the
very prime of life, and em;nenty fit by his physique
for the mortal strife, procaiming in burning Ian
guage the wrongs of his country and urging every
man to put on his armor; while he without any
possible excuse, makes no step that way himself
claiming to be worthy of high military command,
yet content to WELD that command amid the martial
music of drum and fife on the peaceful fields of mil
ita drill
But when the CONSUMPTION act came to select its
victims for "blood and carnage" without regard to
gaudy epaUlettes We then find him applying for the
office of enroer or collector" of conscripts which
alone he supposed would excuse him; (see suboin-
ed letter of K 3. Whitley, our brother in Lao) and
when he failed in this wretched attempt then as
last resort (en the merit succeeding day. getting up
petition to have forty men, himself 1t Colonel
and Adutant included)between Is and 80 years, put
on negro patrol Why not some other ages fix
ed for the men destined to this gallant business?-
Why were shoulders already adorned with epau-
lettes of high military rank to be degraded to this
humble work? And why, above all, did Colonel
Heath consent to serve his country in so humble
and harmless position, when there were so many
mgher and Dobler open to him, where he might
have gratifed his long pent vengeance by running
Yankee of the field of battle instead of hunting
the farm houses of his neighborhood, in the proud
regimentals of a subsidized Coionelcy?
After the failure of the military patrol scheme, or
Its abandonment on the part Of the Colonel for his
prudential reasons (Which think are disclosed by
the letter of Dep. Sheriff THAN, hereto annexed1
the Colonel on the very next day. goes through the
country searching most diligently and appealing
most lugubriously for substitute and continues in
pursuit of one, until Barden Hamilton comes to his
relief at the suggestion of K. B. Whitley; both Of
whom it appears assisted in giving the ideG to the
Colonel of home guard, and expressed wish to
he put on it one Of them stating that it was his
only chance to stay at home" They simply ask
hlm to 'orite to Gen. Holmes to ascertain the fact
he refuses to write, but devises the plan or mode
which he puts into operation.
During all this painful exercise of artfu evasions
by the Colonel, it was believed by newspapers that
Justices of the Peace liable as conscrpts and
80 he doubtless thought himself At last, however
Colonel Heath subsidies into Squire Heath.
In confederation of what have asserted as facts
illustrative of the motives of Col Heaths conduct
hereto append extracts from sundry letters in reply
to mine 1 have been compelled to resort to ex.
tracts because OF the length of the letters and irre
ter this, shall leave Col. Adam j Heath to fobt
his battles in peace.
At IL. =. =