Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-06-11
The Standard.
For III. Standard.
A CARD,

lished articles between Col Heath ana mySeii, VIII
bear in mind that the controversy arose out OF .
Of mine, inserted in the Standardon
the 7th of May last, signed "A Conscript," which
had for its object an Indignant denunciation ofthose
blood and thunder" advocates of civil Strife who,
when the strife came, took every chance out bat.
tie line still to bech out their fiery .vapors, ana
urge to the bio dy fray all others while they sat
quiet in their own houses. few ex.
tracts from this article will answer the purposes o.
this card. In it l expressed establishment at the
tact and ingenuity with which certain inoiV'aaals
could evade rendering that service to the southern
cause which our bleeding Confederacy DEMANDED AZ
the hands of patriots &C. | stated that p9oi'c IN
curry had been made why it was that our Leglsla.
ture placed field officers of the militia different
footing from privates in case OF DRAFT depressed
nv conciction that the fact of the State law being
thus, had induced persons to seek those stations;
that this privilege or exemption in our State Jaw
had been overriden by the CONSUMPTION at; that
the idea had been conceived and acted upon that
probably the dangers of the battlefield might be-
Stunned by representing to the General Command,
ing the number of slaves in certain localities, ana
the danger to be apprehcnded, and petitoning for
home guard; that such was the secret programme
in the county of Johnston-and that our Colonel,
Lieutenant Colonel, and Adjutant, had, under
stood, succeeded in being recommended as nome
guard.
On the publication Of this article Col. Heath, see
ing that the picture was so faithfully drawn OF h''n
SELF instantly swelled up flriously ana
" against the author, whom he knew 10 DC mysei;
as he had hitherto done against the L anhees, sn"
after his approved mode of fighting them, with the
same kind of weapons he turned on me-not WITH
powder and ball. In his tumescent temper, he had
often whipped whole regiment of Yankees, with
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 neio III
his bout with me-
will take this occasion to inform Col. Heath, that
do not recognize his code of spitfre atonement or
conceived wrongs He assumed in his reply 10 "
Conscript," that was the author, and that he was
an aepreyed and insulted man. Under this assump-
ton the obvious course of a man, who wages his
battles with his own blood against the blood OF the
aggressor and not in the bloody thunder OF black
euardism, was open and plain but he preferred his
old game of fighting the Yankees and so ne let loose
terrible volley ofhis 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 puohc
for Yankee fighter. We all know he has hated
the Yankees for many years. and has had one Whoie
year to signalze his armed hostility against them,
and has done nothing but to publicly preach his
,oordy hatred The article signed "a Conscript,"
which Col. Heath took to be his looking glass, as
serted several things as truths: LIST. 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. 3D. that they had taken
active means to keep out Of the ranks and among
others had got up secret meeting IN SmitEteld 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 bis guilt and he
forthwith commenced on me with his accustomed
warfare.
The proofs to establish these conclusions would
be conclusive if we look but to himself and few
incidents of his life for fifteen months past In the
first place he urged on the war 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, as events developed the unex-
pected magnitude of the war, that the militia
might be called out and as the. situation of Off
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 an exemption from service, he sought a
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 q
pale horse, appeared, sweeping away militia exemp-
tons and as he opposed every protection to him
: SELF Here then We have Col. Heath, man in the
very prime of life, and em;nently t by his physique
for the mortal strife, proclaiming 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 mill
itia 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 enroller collector" of conscrpts which
alone he supposed would excuse him; (see subjoin-
ed letter Of K. B. Whitley, our brother in law) and
when he failed in this wretched attempt then as
last resort ION the nert succeeding daH) getting up
petition to have forty men, (himsef It. Colonel,
and Adutant included between 10 and IS years. put
on negro patrol. Why werenot some other ages fix.
ed for the men destined to this gallant business p
Why were shoulders already adorned with epau
iettes of high military rank to be degraded to this
humble work? And why, above ali, did Colonel
Heath consent to serve his country in so humble
and harmless position, when there were so many
higher and nober open to him, where he might
nave gratihed his long pent vengeance by running
Yankee off the field Of battle, instead Of hunting
the farm houses Of his neighborhood, in the proue
reglmentals of subsidized Colonelcy?
After the failure of the military patrol scheme o.
its abandonment on the part of the Colonel for hi,
prudential reasons (Which think are disclosed b,
Inc letter OF Dep Sheriff Thain, hereto annexed.
the Colonel on the very next day, goes through tn
country searching most diligently and annealin,
most lugubriously for substitute, and continues i
pursuit of one, until Barden Hamilton comes to h;
relief at the suggestion of K. B. Whitley: both +
whom it appears assisted in giving the idea to tn
Colonel of home guard, and expressed wish t
oe put on it, one Of them stating that it was hi
only chance to stay at home" They simply as
MI MN 70 "rste to Gen. Holmes to ascertain the fac
ne refuses to write, but deoises the plan or MOD
"nrSn he puts into operation.
Dur'hg all this painful exercise of artful evasion
.ne ooeohel' 1t was believed by newspapers tn;
justices OF the Peace were liable as conscrints an
so he doubtless thought himself At last bpwsa 90
it is announced that these officers are sxsmnt .u
Colonel Heath subsidies into SQUIRE Heath slep' al
In confederation Of what have .ssertaj =, 6. ~.
illustrative of the motives Of Col Hss.h,s as aet
hereto append extracts from sundry iss,srs ~
to mine. 1 have been compelled to resor, - sp y
tracts because Of the length Of the letter. "na ~
evancy Of part to the matter in Controversy