Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1863-06-30

10 the u. .. OOVernmonJ, ana daily ltTS-
ed upon others the propriety of making
the same resolve. And yet "a Sol
der" whose moral courage has notbeen
tested, and whose patriotism has not
been put into the crucible Of trial, talks
about us as an alien enemy. Fudge!
5. We would be obliged to him if he
would mention the names ofany officers,
or even the name of a single officer,
whom we have "unjustly assailed. -
We have qsevea' uaa9ass5zy assailed any
officer. This remark of ga Soldier" be-
trays great deal more than he design
ed, for it furnishes the key not only to
the motives which prompted his unpro-
voked charges against us, but also to the
authorship. When we called upon the
author to announce his name, itwas not
because we felt at any loss to know it,
but because we desired to have the
privilege of exposing him publicly By
name His name obtained in any other
way, we would not feel authorized to use
in that manner.
The remarks we made about the "Of-
fcer" to whom he refers, were based up
on the statement of the "Vindicator, :
edited by his friend and relative. The
conduct of which we expressed our dis
appreciation, that ssofficer" has not even
attempted to justify If his super seryi-
ceable friends and relatives desire to
s'keep before the people" his conduct
in that matter, we are too accommoda-
ting to decline to crafty them.
6. It will be observed that he boasts
his citizenship of another State, and
claims great credit for defending ON
home. The spirit of his communication
would indicate that it would afford him
more pleasure to destroy anything we
have, even our character, more precious
to us than anything else, than to defend
it. He, Virginian by birth, now
boasts his citizenship of another State,
and, yet, has the efrontery to speak Of
such as have chung to the State Of their
nativity as alien enemies. We do not
doubt his patriotic motives in leaving
the country of his birth, for wethink he
cleft his country for his coataatrys good. =
/ We have thus noticed as briefly as we
well could all the propositions contain.
ed in the communication of our anony-
Imous assailant, and it is for the public
/ to decide whether or not we have an
Iswered them fairly, candidly and salts
|factorily. We abide with confidence
the decision of fair, impartial and I'M
lprejudiced public.
The only truthful statement which
our assailant makes concerning us is,
that we did not leave 'sfrom fear of the
enemy" for, Notwithstanding that most
our friends, though they intended them
selves to remain, advised us tor leave, as
we would be sure to be taken prisoner
because we were an editor who had beer
making war upon the enemy ever since
Lincoln had issued his proclamation
land that any copy of our paper would
furnish conclusive evidence OF orr hos
tility to the United States Government
yet we had determined to remain and
run all the risks Of capture. What de
termlned us finally to leave was the fac
that the proprietors and boarders OF the
/ hotel in which we were boarding STAN
peded and left our wife the only female
occupant of the hotel No one woulc
Iexpect us to leave her there under such
circumstances. We resolved to take hel
to her fathers home--the proper place
under such circumstances and to re
turn ourself in short time to Staunton
i We had made our preparations to return
when the withdrawal Of our forces, leav
4 ing every family liable to be visited BY
plundering parties of the enemy, made
it our duty, as we conceived, to remain
/ at all hazards of capture or worse treat
ment, to protect, as tar as we could, the
family of females who had no other male
protector than ourself. In this connec
ltion, we publish an extract from an ed
|itorial article which appeared in the
'sSpectator" on the Odd Of September
1S62-th first issue published after oul
return. That extract is as follows:
scatter an unavoidable suspension OF 5 months
we have the pleasure of resuming the publication
of the ssSpectator.o When its publication wa
suspended, in April last, we expected to resum,
it in short time, but were prevented by the fac
that our presence was needed to protect a de
fenceless family of females, within the lines ane
in the presence of the enemy, against any obtru
sion. violence, or insult which the debased sol
Idiery of the enemy might attempt to perpetrate
THE official duties in the Confederate service o
leyery male member of the family rendering i
impossible for them to be at home, the family
would have been without a male protector If WI
had not remained with them. For the space O.
three consecutive months they were so situated
as to be the victims of alarm almost every day
, AMI night During that time, two fights occur
red in the town [Lewisburgl in which they lived
l-one on the 12tn, and the other on the 23d O
May last. The former being when the enemy
by vastly superior numbers, drove off the gal
liant Greenbrier cavalry company, under thu
command of Captain B. F. Eskle, which hae
been left there protect that place against ma
rauding parties of the enemy, when our forces
4 under Brigadier General Heth, withdrew from
that place to Dublin Depot, to protect the Vir
GINA and Tennessee Railroad, and the latter, tht
battle between the forces of Brig.-Gen. Heth
and those of the enemy, under the command o
Brig. Gen. Crook, in which the enemy was sue
cessful, and consequently retained military pos
session of the town. After the battle, the enc
lmy were Infatuated to such degree that thel
acted more like demons than men-they threat
Tened to lay the town il ashes, and il was though
that they would do so.
i We know not how others would have
acted under similar circumstances, but
we know that the motives which infiu
enced us to go to Lewisburg, and the
motives which influenced us to stay
there as long as we did, at the sacrifice
of our business and pecnniary interests
Y,oof xbo rxf oT1r OyUr