Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-09-28

81 |.I
Ksoxs'ELz, TENN, September, 1854.
Soldiers Of Tie AsSmy Of the Union
As one. cs your Own number. : so,de, 3, 4.
ranks, come to you with words 81 n1sndIy eree,
ing No star or eagle glitters on my shoulder
no straps giveme the right to command vour ii
tention l can only come to you as a brother 30,
der and ask as favor that you will read attentivel,
and weigh calmly what have to say to YOU IN tbi
paper. For more than two years past nv life ha
been your life With many Of you have endured
the fatigue OF the long and wearisome march; hay
oeen glad to sleep on the same damp sod beneat,
the same calm or stormy sky; have gathered ans
talked around the same bivouac fires have known
the luxury of afull ratioHs and, at times, lik,
many of you, have been glad of my allowance O
parched corn. In those two years I trust that
have done my duty soldier, as far as lay in m,
power. claim no credit for this owed it Il
my country to rank myself among her defender
and have spoken of myself only that might ap
proach you freely and from proper standpoint
You will see at once that my interests are identical
with yours-that there is peculiar bond of sym.
pathy connecting us that does not exist between
you and those who have taken no part in this strug
gle. We have taken our lives in our hands and
gone forth to battle for the integrity of the Union
We have gathered around the altar Of common
country and sworn to defend 1t against all its enc
mics. Already you have won for American Prov
ess immortality of fame that shall be forgotten
only when the stars go cut in everlasting night To
do this great work, you have passed through bap-
tism of blood, and come forth sanctfed in the eyes
of all true men and women. Many of you have
been scathed and SCARED by the fires of fierce con-
fict but in coming years those shall be more
glorious decoration than jewelled tokens bestowed
by kingly hands on him who fights for wrong
And when old age comes upon you, a free people
shall crown you with blessings and your proudest
boast shall be, 81, too was soldier in the army of
the Union
That this is "a cruel war" all must admit.
seek not to paate its terrors by CLOSING them
with smooth phrases of speech Yes, this is a cruel
war. nation of thirty millions of people divided
into opposing parties, massed in bloody conflict
using their immense appliances of wealth and tai
ent in perfecting means to crush each other, raw
aging cities and laying waste the fruitage of the
land, destroying, in brief campaign, the accumu-
lated wealth of years, stealing away unnuinbered
lives to Gil the greedy NAV of death, and making
the earth populous with graves-all this among
those whom heaven seems to have designed as
brothers, goes to make up most cruel war. But,
feow-soldiers you are not to blame for this mighty
calamity. No Southern rebei'ean point bis bloody
finger at you and say, TX on did But prholy
and .sto,.s Z !. Il a dark
life of the republic, and you went forth to defend
it. Home, kindred, friends, the gray haired father,
the revered and worshipped mother the wife loved
and loving, the brightzeyed maid, the sisters,
brothers. all these you left behind to battle noby
for the land that God gave unto our sires.
Among the names forever 10 be linked with the
history of this war; there two that have assumed
3 prominence that will, for time, make them CEN
tres of attraction to both the loyal and dsloyal of
the land. refer to Abraham Lincoln and George
b. Mcclellan annex no titles to their names for
they are only outward decorations that make the
bad more conspicuous and add nothing to the Dig
nifty of true manhood. / simply regard them as
representative men, and have no fulsome praise to
1bestow on either Much less have / any walls Of
abuse to pour on their heads. They are now before
the people as candidates for what we Americans
conceive to be the proudest position in the gift OF
any nation. AS such, we may legitimately discuss,
in a spirit of candor and with impartiality their
antecedents and their political associations, and,
generally, their respective qualifications for the of
fee to which they aspire
And. at the very outset, L wish to impress the
minds of nv fellow-soliers with the Importance of
not allowing ourselves to mngle in or partake OF the
mere political excitement that many in civil life,
and for their own selfish purposes viii strive to star
up in our midst He who in this dark hour OF our
countrys adversely, will permit himself to be con-
trolled by past political preudices or allow bis tree
thought and act to be trammclled by party ties is
unworthy the honor Of being the humblest soldier
in the ranks and he who makes passionate appeals
to our party feelings, is deserving only our scorn
and contempt You soldiers, have been tried in
the cruciblc of war; and from that fiery ordeal you
have come forth men, capable Of doing your own
acting and thinking, without seeking the selfish
guidance of party hacks and stay-at-home aspirants
for Office. To rise above our prejudices, to stand
aoof from party to study calmly and dispassionate-
" the condition of country to weigh its inter
ests in the scales of reason and common sense and
to act in accordance with our judgment when thus
made u-this is part worthy Of an honorable man.
hood. worthy of a true and tried soldier. We're
to consult my own past political connections, l
should avowedly spouse the election of George b.
Mcclellan But as one who loves my country with
full heart, as one who would wish to do my whole
duty by the land of my fathers, and, above all as
soldier, must give my humble support to Abraham
Lincoln. Some of my reasons therefor propose to
lay briefly before you, asking for them soldierly
reception, and trusting that you viii regard me not
as one who would dictate u, but as one who would
advise with, his fellow-sclders. have never been
politician in Che common asceptation Of the teru
Nov. i am not one in any acceptation. ! never
fsxe been 4. candidate for any Office and never
/ shall be- trust that. in addressing you, am act
ing from honest and unselish motives-ffom the
impulses of heart that glows with pride at the