The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1865-08-23

A EETURNED OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES y. Prentice,
Q sou OF the renowned Geo. D." Of the Louisville
Journal who vas distinguished officer in the Confed.
crate service, is the local editor of that paper
In response 10 contemplate attack By newspaper
be responds as follows:
a paragraph, that appeared in a recent number of
the Cincinnati Commercial and copied substantially
BY two o. three other papers, said Of Us 1.-THE local
editor of the Journa) that. although we had been in
the Confederate service, would probably be 'let
up By the Federal government Us We had killed Con-
ederates in street fights and the writer had never
heard Of our shedding any Federal blood we may or
NAV not have shed We have nothing to say We feel
deem grief In the thought that it has ever been our lot
to she'd any human blood at all, but we believe that
what We have shed can never cry to from the
ground
we hare never sought to take life except in mani
fest sefdeenae or in the defense of what we honestly
believed the time to be the sacred cause of our
country. We had loved the Union we had spoken
aud written for it in Europe heart four thousand
miles away had leaped aud thrilled at the sight of the
old fling, and, on our return we did not 60 into the
rebellion until profound conviction was forced upon
our mind that the south ought not to be suhugated-
We gave her what aid we could, tens of thousands of
better men did. We joined her armies, leaving most
happy home aud beloved parents and child and went
whore We kueg we must encounter hanger and thirst
and cold and toll and Wearness and the risk Of wounds
and death. However much We may in going, have
erred in Judgment conduct, our heart WRONG
There Is no thorn in conscience stain upon our
soul no damned spot" upon our hands. We feel re-
greet but not renorse
The south fought long and brayely We stood by
her from the first to the last We never in all the
did deed or gave an order Of which think need
be ashamed We committed an outrage, or
tolerated one the part of any officer Of my
command We never allowed theft robbery, or
burning or the matreatment of captiyes. We do not
believe that ever held a prisoner who would not
now take pleasure in bearing testimony that he WAS
made comfortable soldiers. The south
beaten in the protracted and awful conflict Sadly,
! we confess wo accepted the decision of the God Of
battles. But we accepted it in all sincerely. The
Confederacy, to which we had given some our life'8
best years, being no longer living thing, We infinitely
preferred the old Union TO any other country the
globe and felt pride in her gigantic strength
though conqured and Inundated by it. We returned
and took the oath Of allegiance. We took it with no
mental reservation. We took it in all sincerely. We
took ii with determination to keep it.though death
should look in the face. One of our first act9 on
our coming back was TO offer our services to Gen.
Palmer to take command Of hundred returned Con-
federates all sworn like ourselves, and aid in driving
| the remnants of the murderous guerrilla bands from
Kentucky The general expressed himself repeatedly
much gratied with the offer, but he said he had no
power to accept it, We stand ready now, if occasion
should arise fight for the United States against the
world in arms But trust that again may our
eyes ache with the sight of blood and slaughter.
And ask why it is that We, and others in our
situation returned Couederates, bound by voluntary
oaths to keep all the obligations Of true and loyal
citizens cannot be permitted TO live among our fellow.
citizens uumoestcd? We have not much to complain
Of in cur individual case. On the contrary, take
pleasure in saying that Of all the thousands Of our
former friends and acquaintance here, not one IA,
as know believe, has stood aloot from US since
our return ana has not greeted US less heartily than
he would have done if We had been in the Fedora
instead OF the Confederate service. Some others
however have been treated less kindly, and occasion
ally paragraph, like that Of the Cincinnati CONNER
cal appears in the papers. Why such paragraph:
intended to effect? Are the meant merely tc
exasperate? Are the tauns designed simply to wound
VIII the enemies Of peace and harmony never cease e
ply their evil radetheir mschevous vocation among US
We have said much more than We intended W.
hope shall not feel called upon again to speak
ourself. OF course, we have no more to do with tn
political character of the Journal than any not
All connected with the paper.