The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-08-24
Speech OF Brig. Gen. A. P. HOvey, at
Mt. Vernon.

On Thursday afternoon at 2 o'clock
Brig Gen. Hovey addressed large con-
course of people on the war in the public
square Mr. VIM Leach, who is short
hand writer, has furnished US the follow
ing copious report
Gen. Hovey said:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: must con-
fess that l feel embarrassed in attempt
ing to make once more, what | call
public speech; though for years this has
been my vocation, but not recently, for
the last two years | have talked no more
than necessity required. My tongue is
rusty and my ideas may flow in so muddy
a channel that | may not be able to ex-
press all the views desire
When away from my home on the
field, look back to my own land, to my
own county, to my own town, my heart
takes you all in | feel that have an
interest in the poorest boy in old Posey;
and when my thoughts wander back they
are-God bless the people of that land.
For many months of the past two years
l have passed through many hardships
and tolls, but l have not come here to-
day to recount my deeds. have come
to talk with you, to pray and conjure
you by that God who rules above, and
may He guide you Alright 10 the end unto
which you will come. D! how peaceful
and how calm and how beautiful the land
is now here! You do not know what
war is, nor its ravages; and you do not
know, with revolution here, what even
twenty-four hours may bring forth. If
you could see the scenes, the waste and
the blackness of desoation that follow
in the steps of war, then you would pray
upon your. bended knees that an army
might never visit your land.
Now, let me say, in my humble opin-
ion, this war or revolution is drawing to
a close The Southwest, in my opinion,
is conquered. We have cut their armies,
their lines of connection and the whole
Confederacy in two. We have cut them
off from their great granaries and from
their great meal market of Texas, West
ern Louisiana and Arkansas The foun-
tains from which they draw their supplies
are taken from them, and now their sup
plies are so exhausted that you could
not march even an army corps through
their country without taking away all
the food of the poor women and children.
May God have mercy on them Rebels
wives, Captains wives, Generals wives
and the wives of millionaires, are to-day
fed from Uncle Sam S commisSary stores
1t makes the heart ache to see the desti-
tution and want of the people / wish
to say to you in few words, what we of
the army think upon this subject We
look upon it differently to what you do
You scarcely know that the wheels of
war are rattling in the South, you hear
not the thunders of the cannon. Here
all is peace and calm. We see the pic
ture from different point of view. We
see its ruin, its blackness and darkness
and misery, and we pray that you at
home may not fall into the same error;
that you may never bring about the same
desolation here. l will speak to all of
you as voters, not as Democrats, not as
Republicans, but as men, and | coniure
| yon to forget your party ties and to love
| your country better. ! pray that you
will discard the demagogue, and that
you will neither let this party nor that
party lead you astray. Your sons, your
husbands and dear ones are on the battle
field, and they see this thing in its true
light. / have heard much said of trea-
son in Indiana, but when / come here
cannot find it. l hope it is not Sc; that
the same spirit isssnot growing here as it
did in the South. If it be, let me tell
you you will see such ruin and desola-
ton as you never dreamed of before.
Let me tell you we are going to conquer
the South; to conquer it in such way
that after generations will remember it.
| We are going to subjugate it in the high
est and strictest sense of the term.
Though every mans bones, in our mag
nifcent army shall have to moulder, the
rebels have to succumb-they have to
submit Cheers If it come other.
wise, will not claim that | belong to
Indiana. l will take my old Bible, wipe
out my boys name and say he is not a
Hoosier, if we do not bring them back
That's the creed.
Well, what is to be done? Thousand;
of men in the South, and among then
loyal sons of old Kentucky, are suffering
persecution and pain, modification anC
outrage Even their women have beer
hung because their husbands had joined
the Union army. Now, what is to b,
done? Why, says friend, loya
friend, we must have the Constitution a
it was. NOtU, what does he mean2 l
this could be so, am with him; but lie
us see. Suppose the Union restored to
day, and proclamation sent through
out the United States, saying we are on
sisterhood. What takes place? Do tn
seven hundred thousand men who hav
fought us go to their homes with love 70
usP No, loyal men may love us, bu
these hate US. Well, tomorrow anothe
scheme of rebellion is hatched, led b
John Jones. He is arrested and indie
p, ed, and tried ty Grand Jury in Rebe
dom. Well, what is the verdict? VIII,
though stained with crime and guilt an
murder, yet the verdict would be nc
guilty Though the Judge sees evidenc
of both murder and treason, yet becaus
he is fighting for the rights of Lousian
!. he says, Sheriff, just discharge that pri
oner-let him 90. Just as sure as &c
r is in heaven, that would be the result
Again: some want the liberty of Il