Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-06-24
Testimony of a kentucky Patriot.

Gen. Lowell II. Rousseau, who was one of
the first to declare for the government in the
early days of the rebellion, who opposed Ken
lucky neutrality with the same zeal with
which he fought Kentucky hostility, recently
made a speech in Louisville, of which we
quote the most striking passage. 1t may be
remembered that early last summer he en-
listed a Kentucky brigade for the Union
army, who were for some time camped at
Scamp Joe Holt" in Indiana, opposite Louis
vile. Friends doubted the wisdom of his
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS were active, and old ac-
quaintances ceased to recognize him. He
says Little as love battles and danger, 1
would prefer fighting battle once month to
going through what l did in raising my brig
ade.' But he raised it. His men were called
by the rebels 'Rousseau's Silver Creek Rag
amuffins, and were ridiculed and hated vim
dictively. But at last when Buckner began
to threaten Louisville orders came, and these
Kentuckians, with Rousseau at their head,
crossed the Ohio, and stood successfully for
the defence of the city. They were at Shiloh,
when McCook, after the battle, rode up to
them and said that every man in the Louis
vile Legion was a hero. That says Gen.
Rousseau, was the proudest day of my life &"
The following is the exract from his speech
to which we refer
81 wish to say word of the situation,
as it is called by the reporters of the day.
propose to advise nobody l pretend to
,lt,,n =. i.
state that this rebellion is lie from the be-
ginning. There was never any cause for it.
TO begin and keepit up a system of wholesale
lying was adopted, and is pursued industri-
Ously TO this day. tits the only stock in trade
they have. They could teach the devil him
self much he never knew before about w.
ing. Wherever the army has gone it has met
this fell spirit of falsehood. We have taken
none Of their property; we have excluded
their slaves from our lines when needed we
have placed guards of our soldiers around
their houses to protect them-and yet they
persist in calling us abolitionists and negro
thieves. And in spite of our disclaimers and
our soldiers reservations to the contrary-of
our words and our acts, they have insisted
that our object is to liberate and steal their
slaves.
'And if we fail to restore the Union. che
"ibSNi Will Dt lle cause OF the
failure. They know what thew saw is false,
!et they never cease repeating it, Behind
ana before us this has been the crv Of the en-
S G' 81 inc government. Now, the army of
zen halleck is eminently conservat;yo
believe there is neither an abolitioris, ' n ~
secessionist in it. If there is one of eit 9TH
faction, 90 not know it. So orderly so ', nat.
rlg I ana so conservative a body Of men nj I
believe never before assembled to,,n,li-
That army in its intercourse with tS, so.Sr
sionists has pleaded and is still pleading Sor
peace under the old government, otIar S io VI
our southern brethren all they ever had. and
claiming nothing except in common with tben,
They want to take nothing from any one. bnt
desire that their southern brethren shall cniov
all their right unimpaired But the negro Is
in the way, in spite Of all that can be done or
said Standing before the eye of the seces-
sionist the negro hides all the blessings Of
our government, throwing a black shadow on
tie sun Itself If il had been any other spa-
-'.'-sv@ ssN GfnAj 4, SIe s-.oE ~