The Portland daily press., 1862-10-14
"Seniemher "a IaRo


In CAMP NEAR HAGERsTowN, Md. !
"Dear Jim: We arrived here yesterday after
the march you ever heard OF. We march,
ed over to Nd. on last Thursday week Ever
since we left Gordonsvlle we have had a.
of time; first fighting with old Pope, then
hard marching after the - Yankees, and liv-
ing on green corn and muddy water. Hard
fighting, hard fare, and most - hard march
es my feet got so - sore | was first to 90
barefooted. l can hardly get along. Our boys
Is nearly worn out, but still we are dragged
along at the point of the bayonet by our -
officers, who don't care Il - for ms, so we do
the fighting and they get the honor of the
whipping of the - Yankees.
Il am getting most dead sick of this war
and If | had only known when l entered in the
service that the war would be SO long. and we
would be led such - eternal dogs life
would have run away from the whole -
Southern Conlederacy, for / begin TO think
that we have been humbugged the - by our
officers in the war. What in - difference
does it make to us, jim, whether we live UNI
der old Abe or under JEFF Davis; neither of
them care for us, only to do their fight
ing and voting, and then we may go to
for all they care. You must not think that
am turning Yankee. am as good southern
right man as ever, but begin to think that
we have been fooled by - set of Office
seeking villains who are too - lazy to work.
and have lost good fat living by the cleo
ton of old Lincoln, and want us poor white
niggers to build their house for them, while
they don't care - if it fall on US and kill
every - one of u.s. if they can keep their
- niggers and grow fat in office. You may
think that talk - queer for sergeant in
the Confederate army, but I'll be if i
don't think its time to stop this - killing of
poor white men that the rich may grow richer
sIfour captain was to hear me talk SO ex-
pect he would have me Reduced to the ranks
and put in the guard-house and bueked or per-
-haps sho. like poor Max; but l tell you, Jim,
] have been thinking good deal lately over
this matter. seince have got into Maryland /
have talked to good many Yankees or Union
men as they call themselves, and they gener-
ally Talk very sensible; they to be down
on the niger as much as any one in the South
and say they only want to preserve the Unicn
under our government; and almost begin to
think that il would be a-shame to deyide
it for the sake of a few office seekers. l have
found great deal Of hospitality among the
people here, and find they don't differ with us
ON many points. They only say preserve the
Union, and let the--nigger 90 to. They
ask US what we are lighting for, and we tell
them for our rights, they say they have all
they ever had, and it would be - folly for
them TO join us, and, in fact, to speak candid.
can't finally see what rights we have lost to
Il
quite different here from what | expected We
was told that Md. was ripe for revolt, and as
soon as we entered her borders 10000 or So
600 would flock TO our standard; but we found
we had been fooled the -, for the people all
appeared to be very well satisfied with their
condition, and ii can judge from the appear
ance of their country and the prosperous con-
dition of the people, / think they have made
- good hit OF it by staying in the Union.
and it would have been a - sight better if
we had all remained contented with our condi-
ton and not made - set of fools of our
selves. ] am afraid we are in IA trap here, and
the half will never get out. | think it was
- bad thing in coming over here, but we
was forced in manner, rs we was nearly
starved ont. and this is aland of milk and hon
ey; everything in abundance. tell you, Jim,
We 1--we nign TO what we used to do in the Old
Dominion.
We now get salt enough on our meat which
makes IL eat a - sight better than we have
been used TO. jim, burn this letter, or il may
fail into the hands of some of the officers. and
if ours get hold Of it | may catch - right
soon. hear your regiment has been ordered
to report to Gen. Smith, in Kentucky. Let
me know if it is so. wish you were with u.s.
&c we intend to 60 in shortly and give the
Yankees -. Your friend, WI. GREEN.