Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-05-04
LEADER
MONDAY MORNING. MAY T. 1868.
lFEat a soldier's vic says to a Rebel
30 Awurmurhfrer.

VFEat a soldiers wife says to a Rebel
sympHthiser.
The following is a genuine letter. 1t
explains itself. It is copied without the
authors consent but it is presumed the
writer Of such an epistle would not be
delicate about the use made Of 1t:
SYCAMORE, February 18th, 1865
BRo. G. P. D-The 2oth Of Janusry |
received letters from my husband in the
Union army, and accompanying them was
one written and signed by yourself
was somewhat surprised at the import Of
your letter; seeesh out and out. I had al
wavs supposed there was little honor in
yOur democratic body, until now, I think
the last drop is drained, and would inform
you that such men as yourself are doing
our country more injury than Southern
rebels, and need anuihilaiing more than
they. You speak b~oastingly Of your rifle
for shooting a~bolitionists.7 You weuld be
too cowaTdly to use il. 1t is one thing to
sit 10 q comfortable home, surrounded by
all the comforts Of life, and write, and an
other thing TO act. I hate thee bo1stin5,
mise7aBk, c0rardly, VillqiHous eecesh demo
eTats and Southern sympathisers. My loved
husband left his friends and home and
entered The Union army, to help put down
this unholy rebellion and sustain the In
ion. I would love his presence and do re-
Rret his absence but my greatest regret
is thathe is not employed to-day in ann
hiIating Southern sympathisers. IbelieVe
thaf 1. who would scream ~ sr5iHg o sPi-
der. faint away at the sight Of q garter
snake. and CRY murder at Il poor innocent
hop-toad, could nerve my puny arm to
hold your boosted rife to shoot jeff Davis
or one Of his miserable low confederates.
You say your brother D. is at Camp
Cleveland. Thank the Lord you can say
You have one brother in the Union army.
But he didn't 20 till he was drafted
Where were your other brothers when
drafting day camel They we're poor old
o%ripples, lame, deaf, or under age, weren't
thew About as much as we could expect
of sucb honorable, boasting democrats. !
have not the least particle Of reverence
for A gray ora black hair on their coward
" heads. l hate every inch Of their sell
fsh bodies. And to-day would rather be
a soldier's widow than q towards wife
and would say give me poverty knee
deem: let me suffer any Of the ills that
hnmaniiy is heir to; let my path Of life
be clouded with darkness thicker than
Egyptian darkness; anything but the
honor Of a seeesh.dsm0erat for a husband.
And now 1 would tell you If you have
nothing else TO do but to write secesh let
ters to Union soldiers, you had better Oe'
eupy your time in learning to whistle Yam.
kee Doodle for the amusement Of the little
puny, young democrats you are raising a
home. Now when you write to a soldier
seat yourself comfortably in an easy chair
elevate your feet upon al opposite-chair
smoke-pipe in mouth, half close your eyel
to al external things, pen in hand, com-
mence. Tell him first that you have {
splendid rifle to shoot abolitionists with
tell him that his republicanism is forty
per cent. below par, or fifty degrees below
zero; that thirteen thousand of his repub
hcans were killed in one battle; that yol
would rejoice to hear that more we're kill
ed st every battle. Tell him thai his par
ty is fast dying out that there will sooI
be none to cucumber the-esrth but we dem
ocrats; moreover that be is only fighting
for the niger; that this Union is. no
Worth sustaining. Tell him that you are
regular, secesh democrat true blue; car
stay at home, 1--we on lat turkeys, applei
and cider, while he is fighting for niggers
and living on hard crackers and bacon
just say that you can be clothed in factO-
~ cloth at rs cents per yard, and fare
s~umptuously all because you are a demo-
crat Such things are so encouraging to a
soldier; when he knows, and l know, and
all know, that 1t is just such fast-living,
eomfOrt-taking men as you that caused
and are ~prolOnging this war. And were
itnotfor the diseases that would arise from
the decomposition Of your miserable bodies,
we would pray that the earth might open
and swallow you up. Aud now 1 will
close this BY saying that l am neither
drunk DOR crazy, but am a true and faith
ful wife Of q loved husband in the Union
srmy. And I thank my Lord to-day that
he is not q seeesh democrat.
Yours Truly, NJ. Il. b..