The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-08-22
A Family Talk

A few weeks since, at JacksOnpOrt,
Arkansas, where they had assembled
to be parolcd. He mounted a barrel
and talked to them like Dutch uncle,
as the saying is. Hear him
have come here to have a little
family talk with you, as this will be the
last time may ever meet you together.
/ have come here to tell you the news.
Many of you don't know yet that Vicks.
burg has fallen, and many Of you don't
know that Lee and Johnson have sur
rendered, but tell you it is all true
Many of the 5000 men now see
around me, very many of you, have
becnskulkng for tie last three years, in
the swamps within few miles of your
own homes, skulk;ng duty, and during
that time have not seen your own chill
dren. see many faces about me that
have not been, seen by moral man for
the last three years; and what have you
been doing all that time? Why, You
have been lying in the swamps until
the moss has grown six inches long on
your backs, and such men call them
selves "chivalous soldiers" A few
weeks ago General Reynolds sent out
a flag of truce to my headquarters, and
/ sent out to gather up respectable
force to meet those officers, and not
one of you responded; a few days later
when Col. Davis and Captain Bennett,
of Gen. Dodge's staff, bore dispatches
to me from that General, again at
tempted to call about me enough OF you
to make n respectable show, and how
many ofthese brave 5000 men reported
at the call? O,e sore-eyed man NTH
qreca goqgies. But you rail 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: "GeReral,
talk to us like gen!lemen."] Now you
just dry up until I get through and
then you can get on this barrel and
talk. ] know there is some gentlemen
here, and | know there are more Id
sneaking, cowardly dogs, who shave
never done nothing on nary side" and
am going to talk to you all.
In the first place, | want to say this
to you: The Federal officers who have
come here to parole and feed you, have
acted rs gentlemen, in good faith
They have not gone about peeping un'
der your coats to sec if you had pistols
they have not spied about your camps
to see if you were secreting your arms
but they have treated you as gentle
men; but tell you that you have not
acted in good faith. Those ofyou wht
had arms with few exceptions, have
left at home, and those who had Gov
ernment horses have failed to repor
them here. Now, let me say to you
one and all, those Of you who have re
tanned your arms, as soon rs you &c
home take them to the nearest militar.
post and deliver them up, or burn them
or get rid of them some manner, for n
sure rs there is God in Heaven
they are found in your house, just s.
sure will your houses be burned to TIL
ground, and l hope to God every on
: you who keep good arms or propert
of any kind in your houses will b
hanged, and You will too.
Now, / want you to 60 home an
work hard and take care of your fam
| lies, work early and late and get up a
: night and see ifyoUr craps are growing
Above all things avoid political discus
sion. If any man says Nnigger"
J you, swear that you never knew c
saw one in your life. We have talke
1 about niggers, for forty years and hay
!, been out-taIkcd; we have fought for
!. years for the niggers, and have bee
id badly whipped, and now it is nc
;, "your putt" the Yankees have wo
:, the nigger, and will do what they pleas
$ with him, and you have no say in ii
o matter; if they want him they will tai
h him, and if they say that you must kce
d him, you must do it and no mistall
y l tell you that you have no say in Il
e matter, and You aughtn't to have an
h Go home and stay there; don't go an
, where bu. to mill; don't 90 to churc
ic for the ministers will put knots M
a mischief in your heads and get you i
Iy to trouble. BE good citizens, and tht
n those of you who have been good, ho
est, and brave soldiers have nothing
e fear, but l warn those of you who ha
r. been nothing but sneaking, coward
- iayhawkers, cut throats, and thievt
- that n Just retribution awaits you, al
n / hope to God that the Federal autho
lg ties will hang you whenever they fl
ne you, aud they will do it sure.
C. Now, | want to talk to you Nilsson
IL ians. You are talking about going
sc your old homes to live again. VIII
az did every one of you say last fall, wh
US you went into Missouri and expect
ne to remain there? Why, that you wot
,sI make every Union man "climb tre'
III and many threats ola similar char
iu ter. Now, do you think that the
oy Union men whom you threatened W
y. halter few days ago, if you got
NJ power, are now going permit you
10 come and live among them, and h;
~ all the rights and privileges they cnj'
we Not much. Now the tables are turn
Dr. if YOU 90 back there they may n;
'ot you climb trees; and hope they will,
lo' @ many ofyou richly deserve it.
e., GAbout this junction a loud murn1
~, ing was audible in the crowd, an
-, bystander suggested to the Gene
ns. -. that they might mob him. "Mob h
,hSe ! don't scare worth d-n!" !"rcplied
,ie. I Ge neral.
Dor ] want you all to 60 home and
,vc peaceable, quiet cities, and if maj
rk. ders and outlaws come among you,
al not take the law in Your own bar