Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-02-06
A Voice from the Wilderness-..RebeI
Soldiers Refuse to be Forced to
Re-enter the Rebel Service.

EDS. CON.-The following address was
procured by me from some rebel soldiers
in Calhoun County, Alabama, a few days
past. L was on secret service for the
Government, and was therefore in dis
gulse, and the rebels gave me the ad-
dress, supposing me to be a rebel SOL
der. There is 10 mistake as to its gen.
uineness; and | know that it has circu-
lated to a considerable extent among the
dissatisfied rebel soldiers The follow
inc is the address:
{ Felloso Soldiers Of the Army of Ten
nessee: Three years ago we were called
upon to volunteer in the Confederate
army for term of three gears; and we
all nobly responded to the call, with the
express understanding that we were to
be discharged as soon as our term of SER
vice expired. Indeed, we were faithful
ly assured by all of our officials that
such course would be pursued The
Secretary of War proclaimed that those
who volunteered for "three gears or dur
ing the war, would have to be discharg-
ed from the army at the end of three.
years. But, to our utter surprise, we are
now told that we mast be CoNsCRIPTED
and FORCED to enter the army for another
term Of three gears! Our feelings are
not to be consulted-wB MUST BE con-
sCRIPTED
Was such | thing ever heard of be-
fore? Do the annals of war furnish a
stngle instance of volunteer soldiers be-
ing forced to continue in the service af-
ter the expiration of their term of ser
vice? Surely not! If we search the
history of the world, from the days of
Adam, down to the present, we will find
that in every instance, volunteer SOL
dicr was discharged as soon as his term
of service expired, unless he, of his own
accord, re-enlisted as volunteer And
are we, americans, once the boast and
praise of the world-ARE WE TO be treat
ed worse than the heathen of the dark
ages of the world treated their soldiers?
Are Ue to be made the worst slaves ever
known to the world? And are we to be-
come the laughing stock of the world?
"FELLow SOLDIERS! is it not clear to
every rational mind, that our pompous
and merciless rulers are daily stealing
aaOay our rights and liberties, and re-
ducing us to the most abject slavery ever
known TO the world7 And shall we
cOUardly submit to this palpable in
fringement upon our most sacred TightSf
We were told that we must come out to
fight for oar rights: yet our inhtnsan
leaders are gradually robbing us of ev-
cry right inherited by nature or trans
mitted to as By our predecessors The
Federals did not hesitate to discharge
all their nine months troops whose term
of service expired last summer-they
were promptly discharged, and their
places filled up by new leviesi and shall
we suffer ourselves to be treated worse
| than oar enemies are treated? No.
brave comrades, let's assert our rights,
and unfinchingly maintain them!
Let's show our beastly rulers that they
can not thus eRSldUe us because we are
private soldiersl They have already
c,tnningly led us to the very threshold
Of destruction; they have practiced one
| deception after another upon us; they
have told US Hes-horri6le ies-to in
duce us to become their abject sLaUeS
Among the innumereble lies promul-
gated by these unmitigated scdmps, we
call your attention to the following:
They toe US that the war would not last
three months; that foreign nations would
recognize US as an independent people,
and help us fight; that the Yankees could
not fight; that one of US could whip ten
Yankees; that Vicksburg could nerer
be taken; that Chattanooga could neUer
be taken; that the Peace party of the
North would force Lincoln to make
peace with the South; that zoe soldiers
should be discharged as soon as our
time expired, and that we acouLd not be
heavily taxed. These are but a few Of
the many hypocritical lies proclaimed by
those conspirators who have precipitated
us into irretrievable revolution. Shall
aoe submit to be beguiled by these unpar
dOna6le aSurpers, and permit our fami
lies to stGrUe to death through want oi
our labor at home? Are we not aware
that if our absence from our families be
protracted another term of three years
many of them will suffer wretchedly fol
the necessaries of life, if they do moi
starve entirely to death? And are We
not bound by the most sacred latcS known
to man to provide for our families? AnC
should we permit set of itsurping prof
igates to prevent US from complyin:
with this Divine L0so7 By the late law
of Congress, our families are to be taxed
to an almost unlimited ertenf; and i
we submit to become conscripts, the las
ray of hope will have to be erpelled from
our hearts, for we can then hope fo
nothing but an nntimely state Of a6jec
slavery, not only Of OtrselUes, but alst
Of our fdnaitieSl
"NotC is the time to assert our rights
for if we wait longer our doom tUtU b
forever sealed! We who write this ad
dress are determined to demand oui
rights, and, if necessary, we will dem0nt
them at the point Of the bayoRet! w,
are not enemies to the South; but W,
are lovers of our rights, liberties Grt
families; and if we must lose all ou
sacred rights, and permit our fanailie
to stdrce, in order to sustain our toicket
, leaders in their deeeptiUe course, we pre-
fer to return to our allegiance to the oil
Government, accept of Lincoln pardon
and let the leaders and their con federGc
!, go to hell togetherl This may be hart
: language for men who have fought il
many hard battle to use; but silent en-
: durGnce ceases to be virtue, and conf
: dent are we that the Government of tn
|. United States can treat us no tcorse tha
: zoe are being treated By our heartles
officials in the field, as 'ceU as at Ricl
o ROad.
'But we are told that if we will le
the authorities conscript us, the war wi
= soon close, favorable to our side! Ca
any rational man credit such perJ
. dous hes Does not this conscriptin
R business plainly sag tc the world tn,
we are fast playing out? that our weal
ness is rapidly naanitesting itself eve
to our own deluded minds? Fellow-sC
diers, we have been too often deceived
these willy liars to place the slighte
confidence in anything they tell u
They are but inUentcd les to enable the
to tie the cord of despotism tight
around our wristsl Every intellge
soldier among us knows that we are {
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