Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-03-12
Charles City, Iowa, March -, 1868.
Treason in the Army.

ers OF the new Opposition to the
Administration, knavish and servile as
they know it to be, is intended simply
to operate on the voters. This is a
mistake. Its great leading purpose
is to operate on our armies. 1t has
already made q most desperate at
tempt to sap the loyalty of the Army
of the Potomac, by the most infamous
misrepresentation that demagogues
ever resortcd to to accomplish their
diabolical designs. 1t is fortunate
that by far the larger portion OF the
generals of that army are at once
democrats and patriots. That that
army has not been demoralized is ow-
ing to the opposition of Democratic
commanders to the suggestions of the
so-called Democratic Opposition"
The spies, agents and journals of that
Opposition have been for months
working upon it with all the means
which dextrous demagogues know SO
well how to employ. We think they
have failed. We cannot doubt that
this army will carry out the Presi-
dents Proclamation as "a military
necessity" though "the Opposition "
elegantly describes their work as "a
war for the niger"
The officers who write home to their
friends, with the intention that their
letters shall be published in the news
paper organs of the Northern traitors,
that the Army Of the Potomac will re.
fuse to move unless it is led by some
particular general we care not
whether the general be Fremont,
Hooker, Burnside, or McClellan-prove
themselves by that act to be foment.
ing the dissatisfaction they pretend
to deplore. Their names should be
known, and they should be either
tried by q summary court martial, or
be kicked out Of the army in disgrace.
Rosecrans and Sumner have tried this
principal on two insignificant licuten-
ants. Let it be tried, if need be, on
traitor colonies and generals. The
latter are too cowardly or too intrigu-
ing to be caught in their treason.
They know just enough Of the Rules
of War,-to which they have sworn
obediencc,--to be aware that their d.
rect disobedience would result in their
being quickly placed before platoon
of infantry, and having large num-
Der of the most approved bullets
known to modern warfare shot point
blank into their breasts.
They therefore adopt the safer
method of indirect disobedicnce. They
growl, snarl and lie in private CORE.
spondencc. This correspondence
within few hours of its receipt by
fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers OF
wives, is spread forth in the columns
of some opposition newspapers. The
newspapers transmit it to the Army.
The effect is produced, while the treas
enable colonel or general is safe. He
demoralizes his command without vio-
lating the rules of war, and saves his
own worthless heart and brains from
being scattered to the four winds, un-
der military law, while he introduces
the poison Of discomfort and treason
into his regiment or division. We
are sick of these anonymous letters,
written, as the editors assure us, by
prominent colonies Of regiments, by
distinguished members of stats, by
generals whose patriotism has been
proved by wounds received in their
country's service. They are, one and
all, sneaks. Let their names be pub
lished. in order that they may come
under the acquisitions of the military
law to which they have solemnly
sworn to abide. AS they all receive
salaries, to which their talents and
character give them no real title, their
perjury is without excuse. Fitz John
Porter may plead services and ability
in palliation of his crimes, but the
creatures we refer to have no such
claim to mercy. They should at least
be ignominiously dismissed from the
army.
We consider the Opposition" in
or out of the army, to have but one
object in view, and that object is the
triumph of jeff Davis and what JEFF.
Davis represents. Their zeal for the
constitution is mere pretence. Urea.
son" is written on the banner they
display in their select and secret
meetings. Seymour and yallandig-
ham are merely scribes to give an
exoteric" plausibility to esotcric I"
plottings against the existence Of the
nation.
But the moment our people are con-
WINGED Of the plain fact that the re-
cent Northern enthusiasm of " the
Democratic Opposition for the
Union as it was and the Constitution
as it is" is merely a feint, a contri-
vance, a blind, to cover reasonable
ends-the moment they understand
that this opposition is on the side Of
JEFF. Davis as against Abraham Lin
coin, their elected President, the mo-
ment they understand that the "Oppo-
sition" intends deliberately to sacri.
fee the rank and file of the Union ar
mics to its political designs-then.