, 1864-02-04
IN ADDRESS TO TIRE REBEL
SOLDIERS.
They Refuse to be Forced to Re-
Enter the Rebel Service.
THE REBELLION ON ITS cRurcnEs.

ie1e hebElklun VH ly GkV VlGheSu
Editors Cincinnati Commercial:
The following address was procured By ne
from some rebel soldiers In Calhoun county,
Alabama, few days past. I was on secret
service for the Government, and swas there
fore In disguise, and the rebels gave me the
address, eupposing me to be rebel soldier.
There is no mistake as TO its genuinencss !;
and know that 1t has circulated to q consid-
erable extent among the dissatisfied rebel
soldiers. The following is the address:
Fellow soldiers Of the army of the Cumber-
land! Three years ago Wa were called upon
to. volunteer in the Confederate army for q
term Of three years; and we all nobly respon-
dcd to the cali, with the express understand
ing that we were to be discharged as soon as
our term Of service expired. Indeed, we were
faithfully assured by au Of our officials that
Euch course would be pursued. The Secre-
tary Of War proclaimed that those Who vol
unteered "1or three years or during the
war; # would have to be discharged from the
army at the end of three years: But to our
utter surprise, we are now told that We must
be consrfiptcd and forced to enter the army
for another term Of three years! Onr feelings
are not to be consultative must be con-
se9iPtsd! %si 1nc, th,,e ove, heard Of before
Do the annals Of war fnrnish single Instance
Of volunteer soldiers being forced to continue
in the service after the expiration of their
term Of serylce7 Surely not # VIC search
the history Of the world, from the days Of
Adam down to the present, we will find that
in every instance, a volunteer soldier was dis
charged as soon as hts term Of service cxpir-
ed. unless he, Of his own accord, re-enlfsted as
volunteer; and are we, Americans, once the
boast and pride Of the world-are we to be
treated worse than the heathen Of the dark
ages Of the world treated their soldiers? Are
We to be made the worst slaves ever known
to the world? And are we to become the
/, laughing stock of the world?
+ FELLOW SOLDIERS! Is 1t not clear to every
! rational mind, that our pompous and merci-
less rulers are daily stealing away our rights
and liberties, and reducing ns to the most nb-
ject slavery ever known 70 the world? And
shall we cowardly submit to this palpable
Infringement upon our most sacred right?
We were told that ne must come out to
fight for our rights; yet our inhuman leaders
are gradually robbing us Of every right in
herited by nature or transmitted to us by our
predecessors The Federals did not hesitate
to discharge all their nine months troops
whose term Of service expired Inst sumner
they were promptly discharged, md their
places dlled up BY new leVfes; and shall VIC
suffer ourselves to be treated worse than our
enemies are treated? No, brave comrades,
let us assert our rights, and untinchinsly
rulers that they cannot thus enslayo us be-
causc VIC are privnte soldiers They have al
ready cunningly led us to the very threshold
of destruction; they have practiced one de-
ceptaon after another upon us; they have told
us lies-horrible ljes-to induce us to become
their abiect slaves.
"Among the inuumerable lies promulgated
by these nnmitfgated scamps, We cali yonr
attention to the following: They told us
/ that the war would not last thre. months;
that foreign nations would recognize us US
| an independent people, and help us lght;
that the Yankees could not fight; that one or
ms could whip ten Yankees; that VicksbuEg
could never be taken; that Chattanooga could
| never be taken; that the Peace party Of the
North would force Lincoln to make peace
With the South; TINT We soldiers should be
discharged as soon as OUT time expired, and
that ne would not be heavily taxed. These
are but few OF the many hYpocritfcal lies
proclaimed BY those conspirators who have
| precipltated us into irretr1evnble revolution.
Shall We submit to be beguiled by these un-
pardonablc usurpers, and permit our families
| to starye to death, through want of our labor
| eence from families be protracted another
term Of three gears, many Of them will suffer
| Wrctchedly for the necessarics of life, If they
do not starvc entirely to dcath7 And arc
VIC not bound by the most sacred laws known
to man to provide for our families? And
should We permit 2 set Of usnEp!ng proai:
gntes TO prevent US from complying withthis
law? By tho late laws Of Congress, our
families are 10 be taxed to IN almost unlim-
tied extent; and II ne submit to become
/ conscftpts, the last ray Of hope will have to
be expelled from our hearts, for we can then
hope for nothing but, an untlnely state Of
AFFECT slavery, not only Of ourselves, bnt also
| Of our fanlilies!
| Now is the time to assert our rights, for
If We wait longer our doom will be forever
scaled! We who write this address are de-
termiued to demand our rights, and, II neccs-
aaIy, We will demand them at the point Of the
| hayonet! Wc7are not enemies to the South !;
but we are lovers Of our rights, liberties, aud
fsmilies; and If we must lose ull our sacred
| rights, and permit our families to starve, In
| order to sustain our wicked. leaders In their
deceptive course, we prefer to return to our
Lincoln's pardon, and let the leaders and their
| Coniederacy 60 to hell together! This may
| be hard language for men who have fought
| in many hard battle to nse; but silent en-
| durance ceases to be q virtue, and confident
| are We that the Government of the United
States can treat us no worse Than we arc be
ing treated By our heartlees officials in the
field rs well as at Richmond
"Bnt We are told that If We will let the
authorities eonscript us, the war will soon
close, favorable to our side! Can any ra-
tioual nun credit such pcrt1dious 1iee Docs
the world that we are inst playing out? that
our weakness is tnpidly 1nanftesting itself
even to our own de1udcd mindsy Fellow
soldiers, We have been too often deceived by
these willy lia1s to place the slightest conf
invented lies to enable them to tic tho cord
Of despotism tighter around our wrists !!
| Every Intelligent soldier among us knows
that We are already whipped; and why not
acknowledge it at onces Why not show our