Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-02-18
VOL. XVII.
To our Soldiers in the FieId---East, West,
North and SOufh


your Union soldier-loving and rebellion
hating friends at home, through the same
blessed medium, the far-reaching and ever
read aerepqper.
Do not ever allow yourselves, dear
friends, for a moment to think that you
are or can be forgotten by the great loyal
heart of the North, or by the loving souls
you left behind you at home. No let no
such false thoughts for moment dampen
your patriotism or sadden your spirits.
Such thing is simply impossible. Can a
mother forget her child ? yea, she may,
but uoe cannot, we aoiH not forget you. We
are watching you, we are thinking of you
all the time. We are with you in spirit
every day. We rejoice when you rejoice.
We weep when you are sad. We shout
when you are victorious. We mourn
when you are checked. When you are
sick, we try by our Aid Societies, Sc, to
visit you, and when you are in prison we
seek to deliver you, and if death visits
you, we sorrow for you, and remember you,
and praise and honor you.
Yes, we know of your priVatiOns and
difficulties, and exposures and trials, your
forced marches, your insufficient food,
your cold and wet biYouac, your damp and
often scanty clothing, your lonely and
cheorlsss night-watches, your broken
slumbers, the night alarm, the attack, the
confusion of camp, the battle, the wounds
and bruises, death in every terrible shape
and horrid form. And, verse than that,
the bare ground, in ravine perhaps, far
away from assistance, wounded, sick, sore
and faint from loss of blood and hunger
and cold, laying for hours, and perhaps
for days, before you are cared for.
Oh, yes; we know all that and more,
and have not our own heart.strings been
torn and bled for you, over and over again,
as we saw you thus exposed far from our
sympathizing hands and help.
Yes, we have watched you day by day,
and hour by hour, as this war has drawn
its slow and tedious course along, and
though we have suffered with your suffer-
ings, vet we have wondered at your en-
durance and gloried in your heroism and
perseverance, and are proud of your
achievements. We see and feel your con-
slant and eEery-yarying trials and difficult
ties, and never once have you been for
gotten. A mothers prayers, sisters
hopes and tears, fathers deep and low
ing thoughts, and a brothers. patriotism
and sympathy, has oonsecrated every mo-
Haeat of your course, and Of the momentous
struggle in which you are engaged. And
while we thus sympathize with you and
think of you, we are not sorry you went,
nor do we wish you back; and, though
our hearts are bleeding for your absence,
we can say, With your shield, or on your
shield,n not because we love you Tess, but
your country more. We know that you
are sariag cur beloved country, you are
sacrificing yourselves and your short lives
for the enduring principles and privileges
that alone make life worth living for, or
our country glorious.
0 noble sacrifice we glory in your
manhood, your uneomplaining fOrtitude,
your unparalleled heroism,-for your
country's sake.
Springfield, Pea Ridge, Donelson, Mill
Spring, Yorktown, Shiloh, Port Royal,
New Orleans, fredericksburg, Murfrees-
buro', and hundreds of the other battle
grounds Of this war, consecrated by your
blood, spilled in defense of Union and Lib
erty against Tyranny and Sza0ery, will ever
be our "household words" very dear to
our hearts.
Dear boys, do not be discouraged, or for
once think that because you are not paid
promptly, or you don't hear from home, or
letters are few and far between, that you
are not appreciated, and are to be left to
perish. & Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid of the Peace
party" of the North. Not at all They
that be for US are more than they that be
against us God is for us, "what shall
we fear?"
Do not for a moment imagine that be-
cause a few miserable demsgogues and
towards, who are anxious only to get into
power at any price, are trying to blustel
and fume about something they know moi
what, and are crying peace, peace, wher
there is no peace until rebels uncondi-
tionally lay down their arms; that we art
all fools and towards up here, and ready
to kiss the toe Of Jefferson Davis, and fal
down and worship the devil and all hi:
angelsl Rest assured that is not so, anC
compromise" and separation" arr
words not to be found N oar vocabulary
We are loith you heart and soul. We art
not going to suffer your blood to be aOditet
every drop will grow an armed man
and never will we allow our country t
be broken up. Two nations can neve'
breathe on our soil, and the very stones o
our streets would cry out against such {
suicidal policy.
The Seymour Democrats themselve
would never consent TO such divorce
ment, though they wish now to fight th
rebels with one hand and chain the slave
to their masters $50 that they will fgh
us) with the other hand.
No, my boys, we are NTH you; the warm
freedom-loving heart Of the people ar
NTH you; and we want you to strike hard
keep the iron hot, and hsep Il hot By strik
ma Then the rebel leaders will come t.
eternal grief, and their deluded follower
will be so scattered that little Benjamin
and all the rebel Congress viii be unabl
to find them.
That God may bless you and watch owe
and protect You, and grant you such sue
cess that soon we may all meet together a
our happy homes, rejoicing over !" "Th
Union forever, one and inseperablei" is tn
fervent prayer Of
MILLIONS OF LOYAL HEARTS.
-S-D~--
A GRATIFYING ExCHANGE.-Calvar,