The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1862-08-16
BY REV. 4. $. rIsKE, CHAPLAIN.

Z
War has been counted s:ourge and des-
oiation, as it is to us. But there Is an old
notion in. the wor,i that war is especially a
scouye and curse to the sections ofan en-
eay's country in which it IL waged. We
are here In q hostile, traitorous section
;, Malignant enemies do not fear to wag malig.
pant tongues in our faces at every turn; do
not hesitate to speak approvingly of fathers,
brothers, husbands, sons in arms against
us to wish us utter annihlation to taunt
us with reverses and decry our victories.
They see our sickness, hardships and death
with undisguised satisfaction. They move
all the powers of domestic labor and econo-
my, all the energies Of agriculture and a
necessity born manufacture, to the susten-
ance ofthe treason we are here to crush
The wheat that is to, feed their, armies,
!. grows, ripens, and Is gathered into rebel
garners. The corn waves and mods its re-
a bel plums and tassalsin the sunlight as we
march past. Hospitabe trees stretch out
their arms full Of golden fruit to our tired
and fainting troops-fruit forbidden as was
that Of the tree Of life to Adam fruit saved
TO be poured in refreshing, healthfnl abund-
ance into hostile camps, to invigorate the
arms Of traitorous fratricides.
- Nothing may be molested. lest it may be
our troops are detailed to stand guard at
their wells and poultry yards. over their
sheep and cattle, horses and negroes. their
orchards, fields, estates and persons detail
cd to stand at their gates. like servants, and
here the treason talked which deserved the
halter; to smother patriotic wrath and pro-
teot-not hang--but protect in every par
ticular the traitors to eat their hard bread
within sight of luxurious traitors fare. The
land blooms behind as before US, Treason
is as safe, as rampant, save in few violent
takens, on one side ofus as on the other
. Crush out treason! Great God !! 1t
thrives untrampled beneath the very feet Of
our loyal armies. lis spoken to civilly.
eourteously, cared for, protected, petted,
guarded from stray pennyrworth ofharm
a. IL il were some rars and costly exotic it
would be loss and pity to breathe rude
\ ly on. As ifit were not the damnable sin
which has murdered hundred thousand OF
orr sons already. As if it were not the
miasIn the Upas, which has pitched our hos
pital tents in this burning crime and filed
them with suffering ones; which has sown
oil over this sell the bodies Of our dead
seed for the harvest Of the Resurrection ;
which has changed every third man in all
our hosts to cane-bearing skeletons
= ghostly mookary OF the manliness that was
his. We spat 1t fair, as if there were no
walls in the air, no sackcloth and ashes for
widows and orphans; as if a nation was
e not perishing by its daggers as il it were
not accursed, plotting, thieving, lying, rob-
bing nariured, murderous treason!
a'ss Crush il as,ti O, itisa wonderous pro-
cess! Why, this same people, in whose
midst We are, had forgotten the color and
ring Of silver and gold. We have made
ourselves merry st the Ave, Ten, twenty Ave
cent notes Of banks and railroad corpora.
tions, towns and poi houses, tavcrns, and