The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-09-26
Letter from q Des MOines County
Democrat in the Army.

CAMP ROBERTS, Sept, 81, lS63.-Mr. Eds
tor: Enclosed find soldiers letter. Please
give the same place in your paper and Z
much Oblige ROBERT GoLDsBERRY.
MOUND CITY, ILL.,, Aug. 25, ls63.-Mr. r.
GoldsbeT7y: Sir-Agreeably to promise, l
shall write you a letter whilst an opportu-Ai
nifty presents itself. l shall cOntine MYSELF
principally to the inimicable position TAX
en- by such great numbers OF people who /
are living in the loyal States, toward the +
Government. l am sure it would be more
applicable to my feelings, could such po-
sition not be known, than to write on it; 1
nevertheless, it is lamentably true. Shoutl
the graves open and the dead arise, itwoul
not be more wondered at than the course,
pursued by these men, commonly cslled3
Copperheads. For previous to the last POI
litical campaign, had the Apostle Paul
arose from the dead and told the peopld
that there was an American, and especial
ly in the Northern States, who who wouI
turn traitor to the free institutions of hi
Government, our unbelief would hav
been as great as that of the ancient Jews
and we would have said chang him. fl
he is an imposter. That there are sud
men, is inevitably certain. Their action
prove it; the warm sympathy and feeliad
manifested for the notorious Vallandy
ham, the New York riots, and the fortit
ing in Fulton County, Illinois, are all e
dences. The latter, for instance--what id
it mean? Is there any prospect OF Hin,
being invaded by the enemy? Is it for
protection of any Government propert3
Or is it to protect treason against the pi
ishments of the law, which it so Jus
merits? You have been a soldier
enough to correctly answer these intef
cations? Andyet they claim to be Den
Gratis, loyal to the Governmental? Y
and have always heretofore, voted Den
| cratic. Why did we do it? Was it becai
we considered it the best means of destr
ing the Government? Or was it not
cause we believed it a principle, if CORE
ly carried out, loyal, and would deal j
tice to every American citizen? You haV
perilled your life TO the disease of the al
my, and faced the storm OF battle in
fence of your country, therefore your al
| swer is easily understood. Your childrel
will be proud in days to come, to boast o
their fathers having fought for the preser
| walton of his country. Much more will
| they respect your gray hairs in old age
| and your grave when dead, than if YOU ha(
stigmatized their name, while helpless
youths and infants, by being one of those
| vile Copperheads, who forsook their coun-|
try in its hour of peril. Do you hesitate toi
doubt the loyalty of those constitutional
Union men? (for such are the Copper
heads; those men who are willing to savev
the Union, providing slavery is saved with
il? What profit is slavery in the South toI
Northern men who make their livingA law
digging and blowing? Copperheads
that cotton, sugar, rice, &C., come at Il
er per cent. than if raised by free lat
which is no doubt true. But what
| slavery done Tor US? 1t is the foundat
of this war, which has cost the PED
| more in two years than an advance Of
per cent. on southern produce would
| century. Their motto is anything to
! friend the rebels-they are traitors, the
tecedents of tories-they damn the G
eminent and denounce the Union-call
soldiers hard names, and say that our Il
are tyrauical, yet they are very clear of
| ing under the protection Of their fl
Jetf's laws. No, they won't go there. IT,
will stay with Father Abraham and Gu
the Government, and whenever they
molested they bawl for its protection
following HABEAs CORPUS. Give them
beas corpus, and ask them to go and
fend their country against an armed
and they swear that it is uneonstitutS
and they will die at home before they
go. This is the kind of men who are
after trying to place the bayonet at
heart, that rebel might lunge it thr
asking you and me to vote for them
saying that they are our friends. "
ident that they are rebels, from u
that they hate Union soldiers, regard
what their politics may be. AS to p
my views are as much different fro
Republicans as when Lincoln was e
but am as far from giving the hand
lowship to the Copperhead wing
Democracy as l would be from hoi9
lighted shell in my arms. Roberts
have been soldier for eighteen mont
more, and can appreciate the feelings
soldier about such things, better IMAM
tell you. My prayer is, that oeior
perheads and rebels shall tear from
stars and Stripes, the ensign. OF
blood may run in rivers, and the
covered with slain, Yours tn
J.F. Gil