The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-09-09
with u Disheurt =
ened Mississippian.

correspondent oil the CINCINNATI Ga
sette, writing from General Rosecrans army. p!
states that he daily finds abundant evidence
to prove that Braggs army il totally dis.
heartened. lie gives the following conver.
sation which he recently had with an intel
ligent soldier from Mississippi;
Have you seen much active service my
friend ?'
"Ycs." he replied, al was at shiloh at
Pcrryville, at Murlrcesboro' and in score
of smaller combats. At Shiloh received
severe wound in my thigh, and in one of
the minor fights in kentucky, | lost hngey,
as you see" holding forth his left hand.
from which the middle finger was gone.
Aud that is not ALL he continued. one
of your bullets grozcd my temple at Stone
River, and knocked me senscless upon the
ground, where | was run over by ono of
our own caissons, and so badly bruised, that
for time almost despaired of recovery"
And did you think, all this time, that you
were really fighting and suffering for good
cause ?"
mo, said he, "I believed the war on
our part was uncallcd for from the tirst but
! the potent influences thrown around me, and
a sort of blind enthusiasm with which my
! judgment had nothing to do, carried me
| away"
You was not conscripted thcn?" in.
quircd.
80 far from that" was the honest an
swer, "I was among the very first to vol
unteer from my county and town"
"Then, of course, after you was in, you
wished tho rebel cause to succed?"
"As long as my fever of enthusiasm
lasted | did; but for the past year have
! been convinced that the success of Jef.
Davis would actually be a calamity for our
country, and for mankind"
How long since you determined to aban-
don the rebel service ?"
"Only since | heard the dreadful mis-
fortune which beiel our arms in Missis-
sippi."
"And why did you not take the rcsolu-
ton before that, it, as you say, you was cou-
vinced that the rebellion ought not to sue
ceed?"
Il was too proud" said he, with q tear
glistening i'll his eye to think of desertiUg
even bad cause after had once engaged
in it. But the fall of Vioksburg crushed
my pride, and then had no motive for con-
tinuing the contest. Why should we fight
any longer? Since came into your lines,
l heard an idea advanced which appeals so
! olIOHS ~ W my OWu COIlllllol ecuSC, tudt L
accepted it at once as the exact truth"
"And what is that?" asked
"Why," reioined hc :" it is this: the rebel
leaders have themselves no longer any
hopes of success, and now they only desire
to use our bodies to shield them as long as
possible from the righteous wrath of the
| Government"
Are there many Mississippians in the
army who entertain your sentiments?" ?"
~ don't know how it may be with 9TH
ers, said he, " but in my regiment there is
not a score ofmcu who would not willingly
throw down their arms to-day, and agree to
spend the rest of their lives in wondering
how they could have been such fools as
| ever TO tako them up"
But" suggested, they would lose
their rights in the Territor les"
At this he burst into hearty laugh
"You need only repeat some such phrase
as that to lis" said he, "to make the depth
of our folly open like gulf before us
BY this time had become deeply inter-
estcd in this sensible aud candid young man,
and resolved to learn if possible, little
more ofhis private history,
:" do not wish to ilatter you" remarked
to him, &" but you seem to be much more in
teligent than men of your class usually are
Are You native of Mississippi "
Yes sir" he answered, | was born and
raised near Holly Springs"
"Whcre was you educated?
My only education" said he, " was OBJ
tained at common school in my neighbor-
hood. 1t was taught for three years by
man from Cleveland, Ohio, by the name of
Sanders, and a most excellent teacher and
estimabc gentleman he was. Some of the
rich families in our vicinity preferred to send
their children to him, rather than employ
private tutors and so, with what lie got
from them, aud what was obtained from the
State, he made handsome wages"
May ask how it came" said ], that
you, with so much better abilities, both
natural and acquired, than the mass of sol
diers in the rebel army, failed to obtain
Office amongst them?
He smiled at this. My parents were
poor" said he, "a and of all the officers in
our regiment cannot think of one that has
ever been held by apCor mans son.
Were your parents Shareholders p
"Not at all. They owned and cultivated
a little patch of ground, some miles from
the city, the value of which was scarcely
equal to that of a single slave"
'You would doubtless have obtained
promotion at last 7" | suggested.
"Not," he bitterly replied, "mH erery
rich shareholders son IN my company hat
been promoted before me"
did your company contain many such
as yourseltf
Yes said he, " three.fourths Of them
were poor men,"
And in your army it is the business OF
the poor to obey and not to command 7"
THAT'S it! he answered energetically,
that's it AND CURSED BE THE MEN WHO DRAG
GED THE POOR INTO THIS wRETCHED WAR"
"Do you know" said ], what became
of Sanders"
" He was warned by Vigilance Commit
tee to leave the State, before the war broke
out lie did so or at least, left our neigh
borhood, and have never heard from him
since"
"What are your plans for the future ?"
inquired.
g have nonc" was the reply, except
to take tie oath of allegiance, and go some
place where, for time at least, can enjoy
peace
you don't want to go to Mississippi at
present
" No" he said with carnestncss, though
my parents and relatives are there, if alive,
would not venture back into that State
before the war is over, for tlIo finest panta-
ton in Holly Springs"
"Would you not be willing to assist in
restoring peace to the whole country by
fighting in the Union armies 2" :.
"Yes,' said he, latter while. but not