, 1863-08-14
GEN. PRENTISS At CENTRALIA,


Correspondence Of the Chicago Tt3bune.1
CEs7RAl1A, August IL, 1889.
General P1eutiss passed through CeutralIa
yesterday Tor home, On brief fuslough Of
twenty days, to recuperate his strength, which
has been severely taxed By the two and half
years arduous duties In The field. He looks
pale, and very much thinner than when last
eaw him. Els hea1th has SO far failed that he
has been comFekd to ask to be relieved Of
his command, aud has not been cashiered, Is
has been falsely reported by sundry Copper
head Generals. When he arrived In Centralia,
he Vas welcomed by large concourBc Of peo.
pie, headed by Met1itt's brass band, which
play ed several patriotic pieces, when the Cen
eral was called for, aud introduced by Capt.
E. D. Noleman, Of Noleman's cavalry. The
General said, substantially:
All Of rs haye taken the oath Of allegiance
to support the Constitution and serve IN the
wars Of our country for the space Of three
years unless sooner discharged, and here in
this midet a1e those unholy enough to insult
| cur soldiers. Gen. Logan has been grossly
This language mar be uttered here with i'm
| punity, but South Of Cairo even, where trea-
| son has been bred, It cannot be heard. The
| language and feeling Of the army is, though
they arc absent from home, "oh that re may
get home to talk to corperheads."
I'm stranger here, and may at the COM
mencemcnt Of the war have been opposed to
sone Of you In politics, but now an siding
with MI who are In favor Of sustaining the
Government,
I was captured At Shiloh while fighting
under our oTn flag; sent South, where first
been protected. Two thousand and two
hundred soldiers were taken there, and
many enduring great lzigation,, died
through the deepest want: Although on.
GERS Of rebellion we're appealed to. they turn
try I'll my life though, Jet / am unable phyai.
cally to serve In the army, and If there are
any Copperhcads Lere, show them out.
Thirty-two ptiyates, deserlers, we're sent back
to the army, who all said that they had been
encouraged to desert. These arc the actions
motto should be, " Fight on Until the mighty
head of treason sllal1 be brought low" Thi
Is the laDguage OF loyalty, while the otbc
should be met with a stout Limb md shor
rope.
ton Of fstzengtheniDg party lines. and even
this, the most liberal views Of theiz course, is
most dimuah1e. Democracy In the army is
! genuine, but am not constrained to speak
| 20 favorably Of the the Vallandigham Democ-
racy ut home When first came home from
q E1Al4EII t4AoNua lA4G VI Vu1 PI4tl-
tions and Southern cruelty were stamp
| ed by copperAeads as q lie. How
basel have seen hoaty men crowded Into
email rooms and there INFECTED to the most
| Wanton cruelty. I haye seen your officers
hunted Eita. blood hounds and brought II
window IL their prisons, Think Of tits, ye
Flty the poor wAito men. They are ex-
posed to the utmost want ct the South, The
Southern army is composed of consczipts aud
Jet they fight, impe11ed with most dastard-
y fear and ignorance With 4 united North
this war Will soon close.
Why not arm the negroess I have been
guarded for hours In Southern prisons BY
them. They use them. Why not wee The
| 1esioes, but i he administration use ase:thc@
they raise their hands IN holy horror, Negroes
they cay arc towards. This has been
proven false, and fin every action in
which they have been engaged they
4nye been found at their posts, and will sing
danger with the brayest. have witnessed
their bravery when brought to the test, and
Jet have to See them f,il.
zee soldiers here. You do not want the
var to close until the rebls In arms ere subju-
gated. Tic entire army is unanimous in the
and lis miEerable. crew are brought to their
deserts Mt the ga1lows,
Some days since captured some 1900
| rebels, but the contrast of treatment was
worthy Of remark. Our boys attended to all
| from their pouches, sending for surgeons and
| writing letters to their famffIes.
l. Let Inc integrity OF the Government be
| maintained. Though We may differ In some
slight matters, get with one united voice sus-
tain the Government first, then settle the
| difference after the rebellion Is suppressed.
at this point the whistle sounded, aud the
| General was compelled to stop. He received
| hearty three times three from the people as
i H. r. n