The Placer herald., 1863-05-23
Letter from Majer Jack Downing.
DowNINGvILLE, March %, 1868
TO the Eddyters of the Cawcashin:

OF pure patriotism. | didn't want con
track, nor commission, nor enything.
went to give the Kernel, good advice, lest a.
| did Ginneral Jackson; but it warn't no 90
Somnure an Greeley, an Wendil Filips, al
sech stay at-hum fien gnnerals got the ad
vantage of me, an Liukin does Jest wat they
want him to. The consequence is. the
country is goin down hiIl an besides that
The breechin is broke, and there amt much
to be sed or to do, but to look on until the
smash comes; then we can pick up the piece.
an see et the ~aoin can be put together agin
TO an old man like me these are irwin times
| had almost sed cryin times; can't bear tc
to think of EN-. | dream o nights of nv
country; wen it was all peace an happiness
wen there warnt any solers nor sandin
army to pay, nor no debt, nor no hospitals
full of sick sojers nor no sorrow or misery
in the land; an wen | wake up to think how
different it is now, wish | could sleep all
the time. The other day old Deacon Jen-
kens came over to see me- The Deacon
you know was with me in Washin,on short
time, wen | first wert there an bis darter
Jerusha Matilda, went down to Port Rova!
to teach the contrybands their primmers
WAL the Deacon amt much wiser now than
he was year ago. He thinks that by
prayin and tightin the rebels will vet be
whipped. He used to like the 7ribune but
Iatel y be says he prefers the HeraM. as it is
more truthful. The old man however, has
been very blue for sometime past, and now
ses ihat prayin al fghtin han't accomplish
ed much. "Wal," ses |, deacon, there
hadn't orter been any war at all, but" ses |
"whlle the South had single end an pur-
pose, we've leen all at odds an ends. The
war has been carried on by US Jest like old
Sol. Pendergrast's boy ploughed Old Sol
took bis oldest boy Adam, ihick-hedel fel
Ter, out one spring, and set him to plouehin.
lie told him to 90 to work an strike fur
row across a field to black heifer, an then
keep on. After givin this'direcshin, old Sol
went of to the house and left Adam alone
The boy started bis oxen in bee line for
the 6ldch he1er, but when he got pretty clus
to her, she threw up her tail and ran off in
another dlrecshin. Adam thought he must
toler the heier, no matter where she went;
so he struck another bee line for her, an
with Jest the same result. Wen he rot clus
to her, the he,ter ve another frsk to her
tail, an off she went. Adam geel his oxen
around, An struck for her agu; an so he kept
on all day. At mite the old man cum ont to
see how Adam had got along. He found
the field all cut up with furrows; zig-zag,
cnss-cros> an IN every direcshin an asked
adam wat on aith it ment. WAL ses the
thick-heded numskul, YOU told me to steer
for the black heiier All I've done it all day,
but the derned critter wouldn t stand still, an
so the tnlrows are a kinder criss cross, you
see Now," ses | that is Jest wat Lnkin
has been doin. Greeley told him to steer
for the nigger, an the result is jest like Adam
Pendergrast's ploughin The e's a consider
able fghln ben d,ne, but it is all crss cross,
zig-zag, an don't amount to nothin, an SO it
will be to the end Of the chapter" Wen |
sed this, the Deacon knocked the ashes out
of his pipe, an ses he. 'Wall. Maer, wat
do you think the war will amount to, eny
how" "Wal," ses |, Il guess it will end a
good deal like the feIer who thought he
could make horse shoe jest as well as the
blacksmith himself, though he hadn't never
heat, an iron nor struck blow on an anvil.
The felIer said that it didn't require any
great gumption to make horse shoe. So
he took piece of iron an at it he vent
lie put it in the fire; heated it an commenced
poundin it but the more he pounded, the
more it didn't look like a horse shoe. He
finally gave up the job, an said if he couldn't
makea horse shoe he could make wag-
on bolt. So at it be went but the more he
pounded an the more he heated his iron, the
less it grew, an finally lie found that he
couldn't make even a wagon bolt. Then he
declared that he had iron enough left for
horse shoe nail, an that he a0ould make, but
upon trying, be found that the most difficult
job Of all. Finally giving up in despair, ses
he. wal, one thing can do eny how, can
make siss' and pIungng the tongs and
what was left Of the iron in the water, he
did get up pretty respectable 'siss.' Now,
ses |. when he started out, 'Linkin sed he
was goin to restore the old Union. That
has been given up long ago and now they
say that they are goln to conquer the south
ern States, that is make despotism but the
war will turn out jest like the horse shoe
business Linkn will, after all, neether
make a Union, or a despotism, or an Empire
That's all he will accomplish by it an dear
'siss' it will be for many poor telIer
dear 'siss it will be for the falherless and
the widows and wonderful dear 'siss' it
will be for the people who will have to pay
the taxes and foot the bill of the war;
Wen said this the Deacon drew a long
breth an ookn down on the floor didn't
say enything for some minutes. Finally,
ses he, "Wal, Majer, will we have to give
up the Union after all2" Ses l. Il don't see
any necessity for that, providin that we kin
only stop the war an talk over matters litl
tie. But, ses |, ''ef the Union is goin to be
Union wherein white man hasn't the
right to express his opinions, then must say
| don't love such Union AS that, and I'm
as strong Union man as old Ginneral Jack
son, an that was strong enough, I, am for