The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-04-23
Army Correspondence.
From Co. h. 18th Iowa.
Lake Providence, La. April 3. 1876

baNc fToNiuence, La hprll =. 1888.
Dear Sir:-I seat myself this morning to
drop you short epistle merely % inform
you how we are getting along here, for
since you left us there has been many
changes with regard to offices and other
things. Many of the young officers have
taken the place Of the old ones, and there
is not one of the old Captains .ow in the
Regiment. Capt. j. NJ. Hedrick is, or was
the only one left, ard he is now our Major
Thomas Hediick is our Captain. The Lieu
tenants are all comparatively boys from Is
to % years Of age and know as little as
school boys as to military tactics Such
has been too much the case in this army,
commanded by boys. 1t no doubt helped
to bring about so much disafTection in the
the Army of the Mississippi, and that to.
Sether with the Presidents Proclamation
and Emancipation Bill and the Copperheads
IN the North, have caused much dSaffeetlon
among SympathiserS with the South, and
those that were tinctured with dsloyalty
many have deserted the war to cowardlv to
risk lie in battle they care not for the country
its constitution, law and freedom, all they
want is place to shelter their heads from
the storm of battle. This is the situation
of the Copperheads in the North They
care but little for their country, al they
want is office t. thrust their hands INTO the
Public Treasury, and bleed this government
to death. They are perfectly willing to
turn New England ont into the cold, for the
sake of keeping on the good side of their
Southern Brethren who are in arms against
them. Threatnins continu ed dissolution
of this glorious Union, this bond of freedom,
this Continent of America that our Fathers
fought, bled and died for. These are the
men that are crying out, give us an arrnistc
give us peace. If New England wants to
stay with US, let her lay aside what she
calls loyalty, and she can come along with
US, but if not let her slide, we can't give up
our Southern Brethren in the sunny South,
to free her Slaves and Colonze them and
have white laborers to til her Southern soil
No that want do /; no Sir, that would put
the poor white man on an equality with the
rich planter of the South. You no doubt
see such men in Otumwa. If it had not
beer for such men in the North this rebel
lion would have ended long ago. Such has
been their daily conversation. Such stuff
haa filled disloyal papers of the North, such
has gave aid and strength to the rebellion.
| now say crush this rebellion that is try
ing to destroy the best government that
ever God let the sun shine on, 1t is the
home of the rich,the poor, the oppressed of
all nations, where each may set under his
own vine and fig tree and no one to hurt or
make afraid
am Democrat, but not of that class
termed Copperheads, God forbid that ever
my attachment for my country may grow
SO cold that should render such democra-
cy as that of Copperhead Democracy. We
| as soldiers want this war to end, we are
tired OF war, but not as long as their is an
armed traitor in the South, and the m ost
speedy way to end it, is for those Copper
heads of the North to hold their peace
We are able to crush GU, rebellion, and will
do it with Generals Grant, Rosecranz and
! Hooker for our leaders In these we have
the most implicit confidence of our Fl ma
success to wipe out rebellion and restore
peace to our once happy and glorious union;
those are the sentiments of all loyal and
patriotic soldiers, so far as [ am able tc
learn, yet there are some flick le minded
persons in the army that still keep harping
on the proclamation and emancipation poll
cy they are like ain oil woman's within =
! say, if it is military necessity, free the
last negro on earth.
will now close by saying that I wrote
letter few days ago to man in Green
township, which differed entirely in senti.
ment. This done for designing purposes,
which could bette, privately explain to
you.
! CRowBAR.