The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1865-09-22
A SOLDIERS SENTIMENTS.
GREAT SPEECH
OF
CAPTAIN CHARLES B. BR0CKWAY,
At the Grand Mob Mountain Meeting,
Columbia County, on Wedne8-
day, August 80, 1865.

but the position is painful one. Inasmuch,
however, as have been assigned position IN
this assault on the enemy, 1t is my duty to ad-
vance to the charge, and if repuIsed [ shall fall
back upon The reserves. We have assembled
here, as we have perfect right to do alike to
celebrate the establishment Of our party, and
10 renew among our people their political
taith.
For four long years we have engaged in a
bloody civil war; the garbs ot mourning before
me. the manned soldiers who have met here
prove the desperation OF the struggle, were 9th
er evidence wanting The questions are peril
nent, what have we fought for Why Is this
fair land filled with crlppies, with mourning
and why we nation overwhelmed with
debt These are the Questions which have been
assigned me, and | will endeagor TO state what
we fought for, what we did not fight for, and
what we should now insist upon. When we
consider the conflicting opinions of leading men,
OF different communities, the Importance of
proper solution of the question will be appar-
..ul. The subject is an old one; you have
heard i, day after day for the past four years
and | -haItuOt pretend to give you any origi-
nal thoughts on the subject, but to revive old
mes in your minis.
The object OF the South, / take it, was to
establish q separate government among States
alike interested III the preservation Of the nsti-
tuition Of slavery, which they claimed had been
illpaalv iulcriercd with. Doubtless other caus-
O. impeIled them TO this course. but this was
III, main one The object Of the West, besides
tI, general one to maintain the Union of our
fathers was 10 open and keep open the naviga
ton Of the Mississippi river, that they might,
through H. sind their produce to market The
rlassos of the Middle States were actuated by
lrulv patriotic impulses though t'ey knew that
anon their borders would the contest &c decld-
Il. The Object Of the East, however, l ,.,nld
VA, not the general one to preserve the Union,
though some men within its borders may have
50 stated. Ii was the desire of vengeance upon
the South, and upon South Carolina in parilc-
uIar. They were not opposed to secession, be-
cause they had been advocates Of that doctrine
from the foundation OF our government. Many
e. uy hearers may be old enough TO remember
die I,Sey JuntU aud the Hartford Convention.
ILcg may remember the numerous petitions
ming from that portion of the United States
.J Congress. praying for dissolution Of the
Union. For over thirty years they have de-
dared that they would have go union with
-layehUiler~." You have not forgotten that
Gcacya Banks, who has held high civil and
military positions under our aoEci Hllscllt, a man
whose pamc IS synonymous with disuuIon and
defeat, declared that ''he was willing in certain
contingencies to let the Union slide" You
have nOi forgotten that a certain representative
iD Congress from that godly city Of Boston,
and who now holds high diplomatic position
under the government, declared that ''the time
lad arrived when we must have an anti-SlaY-
crY Constitution, an anti-slavery Bible, and an
aati-sagery God GarrisQn's L15erat0r, a
prominent New England paper, and one extern
srcly circulated in the army by the SANITARY
Commission, long had at It's head a motto
The Constitution is a covenant with death
al agreement with hell" These men are types
Of New England sentiment, and hated alike the
Union and the Constitution. Nor were they
actua;gd by a desire to support the laws, be-
cause ;hey have been the first TO break them
they have refused to carry cut tie provisions
o. the fugitive slave law, though founded upon
dEec; command of the Constitution, and
have st up their own corrupt cons iences as
"h. L.-htr law" in following which they clam
tlc night 10 break through all laws-ail constl-
utaus. These are the men whom | arraign
.yiJrc ven rs having been GisOyal IA tie past,
an. who when the present war commenced
tue first ,hGy ever attempted to suPport-an-
leay0re, to peryert It's objects. But the mann
sPciug Oi their action was the love Of gain, and
t.ey have grown rich by taking advantage Of
he nations necessities and the knowledge that
they we're secure from invasion.
But, iellow-ctizens, outside of New England,
Hc grand moving cause was patriotism, the de-
ire to perpetuate the government OF our faith
rs, and to transmit it to our posterity, to re-
,5nt the insult TO the flag before me, which she
sun l~ gliding with his setting rays. We could
net bear that one star should be taken from It's
sky. The blood Of our fathers was embalmed
Al It's red, the purity Of their cause in its white
and tie freedom they attained in It's blue
IAese considerations induced me and thousands
Il ct NY comrades to forsake the peaceful adVo-
/ ea,.gnS Of life, and to bare our breasts to the
v storm Of battle. There were no party d;stinc-
u tons, and Democrats were among the first to
o1er their services.
Having shown the object of the people, let US
consider the object Of the administration as
n publicly declared to US. President Lincoln, in
LIS inaugural address, said, 81 have no purpose,
4'5ct!y or indirectly, to interfere with the in
s",u'lon Of slavery IN the States where it now
n exists believed | have no lawful right to do
4 So. and have no inclination to DO so.
" The power confded to me viii be used
III aoid, occupy and possess the property and
Il acas belonging to the government, and to col
Il N' the dutie 5 and imposts; but beyond what
~ay be necessary for these objects, there will
Al os no invasion, no using of force against or a
& A'ng the people anywhere"
n his was the declaration Of the then Presi-
gen. but further, in his proclamation calling
NJ 1000 troops, he said it was ''to repossess
8 as ioFts, places and property of the United
,",es, and we should avoid devastation or dis
M c'oance Of peaceful citizens" The famous
Tro.iatee ~. of Thirty-three on the state of the
u Ion, OF which Thomas Corwin, Minis
vi % Mexico, was chairman, reported among
# eF equally strong resolutions, the following