Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-08-11
Family Talk. u

Wnen JeH' thompson men hau az
sembled at Jacksonport, Ala, to be parol
ed, a few weeks since, the redoubtablC
hero Of the white plume mounted bar
rel and spoke to them after this wise;
Gentlemen, have come here to have
little family talk with you, as this vii
be the last time may ever meet you to-
gether. have come here to tell you the
news. Many of you don't know yet that
Vicksburg has fallen, and many of you
don't know that Lee or Johnston have
surrendered, but tell you it is all true
Many of the 5000 men now see around
me, very many Of you, have been skulk'
ing for the last three years in the swamps
within few miles of your cwn homes
skulking duty, and during that time have
not seen your own children. see many
faces about me, that have not been seen
by mortal man for the last three years,
and what have you been doing all that
time? Why you have been lying in
swamps until the moss has grown six
inches long on your backs, and such men
call themselves 'chivalrous soldiers A
few days ago Gen. Reynolds sent flag
Of truce to my head quarters, and | sent
out 10 gather up a respectable force to
meet those officers, and not one Of you
responded; few days later when Col.
Davis and Capt. Bennett of Gen. Dodge's
staff, bore dispatches to me from that
General, l again attempted to call about
me enough to make respectable show,
and how many of these brave 5000 men
reported at the call? One sore-eyed
man with green goggles. Bat you rally
like brave and gallant men around Uncle
Sans Commissary Stores, and | now
come to surrender you, and hope you
will make better citizens than you have
soldiers. Voice from the crowd, "Gen>
eral, talk to US like gentlemen.") Now
dry up until get through, and then you
can get up on this barrel and talk. |
know there are some gentlemen here,
and know there are more id sneak
ing, cowardly dogs who "have done moth
ing on nary side" and | am going to talk
TO you ALL
In the first place l want to tell you ::
The Federal officers who have come
here to parole and feed you, have acted
as gentlemen, in good faith. They have
not gone about peepng under your coats
to see il you have got pistols they have
not spied about your camps to see if you
were secreting your arms, but they have
treated you as a gentlemen: but | tell
you that you have not acted in good faith.
Those of you who had arms, with a very
few exceptions, have left them at home
and those who had Government horses
failed to report them here. Now let me
say to you, one and all, those of you who
have retained your arms, as soon as you
get home, take them to the nearest mill
tary post and deliver them up, or burn
them, or get rid of them in some manner,
for as sure as there ia God in heaven
if they are found in your houses, just so
sure will your houses be burned to the
ground, and hope to God every one of
you who keep good arms or property of
any kind in your houses will be hanged,
and you will be too.
Now | want you to go home and work
hard and take care of your families, work
early and late and get up at night and see
if your crops are growing. Above all
things avoid political discussions. If
any man says niger to you, swear that
you never know or saw one in your life.
We have talked about niegers for forty
years and have been out-talked; we have
fought four years for the niggers and
have been id badly whipped, and
now it is not "your putt" the Yankees
have won the niger, and will do what
they please with him and you haYe no
say in the matter; if they want him they
will take him, and if they say you must
keep him, you must do it and no mistake.
1 tell you that you have no say in the
matter, and you oughtn't to have any
Go home and stay there don't go any
where but to mill; don't go TO church,
for the ministers will put knots and mis-
chief in your heads and get you into
trouble. Be good citizens, and those Of
you who have been good, honest and
brave soldiers have nothing to fear, but
/ warn those Of you who have been moth
ing but sneaking, cowardly jayhaw kers,
cut-throats and thieves, that just ret
ribution awaits you, and | hope to God
that the Federal authorities will hang