Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-07-14


July 10. 1865.
Messrs Editors:
Now that the war has so gloriously termina-
ted, and the bright angel of Peace has cast
the shadow of her unfettered wings over us,
we are compelled to turn our attention to mat
ters growing out Of peaceful topics. The
Celebration of the birth Of the nation and the
downfall of the rebellion has passed off splen-
didly, butout of this celebration has gro wn is
sues which we do not feel disposed to pass
unnoticed
A few days before the 4th, an invitation,
signed by Messrs. Hartley, Shannon and Mey-
ers was received by our Company, requesting
us to participate with them in their celebra-
ton on Copperhead Hill. They came to us
under the guise of loyalty, claiming that they
were in favor of the Union. We knew these
men and the invitation was received as an in
suit with very few exceptions. None of our
company, we believe, attended Copperhead
Hill, to celebrate with them, though several
may have been in attendance out of idle Gu
riosity.
The last Gazette, edited by member of the
committee referred to above, contains a direct
insult to every member of tl.e company when
it refers to the Union procession and intmates
that it was characterized by fuss, feathers,
shoulder-straps, strut and swagger This we
presume was intended for us, and if the indi-
vidual who penned the article in question finds
his way to Defbaugh's grove, there is some
danger of his carcass becoming food for worms
far sooner than nature might feel disposed
under ordinary circumstances to so order.
We very kindly admonish that individual not
/ to heap his insults upon men who have fought
bravely for their country and who have never
turned their backs upon Southern rebels nor
do they fear any of their Northern allies. We
shall not allow our fair fame to be insulted by
men who have encouraged our enemies
through the entire struggle. The men who
held their lines in the entertainments at Cold
Harbor, on the dark and dangerous night OF
June Z, 1864 at Petersburg, June 16 and II,
when before the morning light had broke over
the deathly scene, they were marching be-
meath the flag of their country through shot
and SHE'LL suffering a loss of 267 men killed
and wounded in less time than it would take
to count them, are MOTTO beinsulted by blatant
towards with impunity. In addition to those
memorable occasions above cited, we can re-
fer with pride to Reservoir Hill, June 18th,
18th and goth, Jerusalem Plank Road June
21st and 30th, again at Reservoir Hill, July
Both, White House, August 18th, Yellow
Burnt House, August 2lst, Ream's Station,
August 25th, and Fort White, September 1st,
while number of US have fought from the
banks of the Antietam to the doors of Rich
mond We are not ashamed of the record of
the 18TH, but the truth of the matter is just
this Copperheads do not like the sight of
blue coats upon the streets We are here for
the purpose of preserving the quiet and good
order of the district and any man offering an
insult to our flag win find MS ready and willing
to resent it.
We have not forgot that last August, while
we were toiling and suffering upon the soil of
the sold Dominion to preserve the Union
and to preserve for those at home the right of
suffrage, that the Copperhead party were at
the same time sneakingly marching up to the
polls and depositing their ballots, to the tune
of one hundred thousand votes, against the
soldiers having right to VOTE How can any
soldier who knows this to be fact, act with
that party2 Every soldier ought to turn from
it as from loAthsome disease.
The Gazette offers us a second positive in
suit when it says that the soldiers were com
PEELED to stand back until the negroes had
eaten. If ever the internal regions prompted
a lie, this must have been the one, and the
man that penned that lie must have hadsome
communication with ''old Nick" If there
were any negroes at the first table they were
soldiers, and we presume this is what the Ga
zette meant. 1t endeayored to put the sol
dier on level with the negro by refusing to
give him ballot, and now it calls him a
tnigger."
There are number of other things that /
would desire to speak about, but know that
space forbids, therefore, in conclusion l
would advise the Gazette to be more careful
in the future or its editor may have an oppor-
tunity to crafty that desire to fight, which he
manifests in his last issue.
/ Very respectfully,
A SOLDIER OF Co. B. 18TH.