The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1865-09-22

Columbia county invasion, and soon after the
Petersburg mine explosion | was sent to An
napolis hospital, sick with fever. The Oc-
tober election coming on, in order to see how
sgch things were managed, secured an APP
pointment as clerk of an election board. A
captain from Philadelphia was made judge,
and portion of the board consisted of officers
OF negro troops, who were rot and never had
been citizens Of Pennsylvania. They cOnclu-
del it was unnecessary to swear the board, ac-
cTdIng to law, because were they not officers
and was not their word sufficient? | protested
invain, because | was alCne. They at once
| in conjunction with some chapIains commenC-
ed eectIoneering and circulating 4 BOLTON bal
lois. Not Democratic one was to be had.
| As squad after squad of men came in / pIo-
posed asking if they were citizens of the Uni
| TED States or Of Pennsylvania; whether they
were of age, or had paid tax within two years.
/ But was asked if | was not ashamed to press
such matters; these men were soldiers, and
was Iopposed to letting soldiers vote? | had
| to submit At Camp Parole, where we had
about8 000 paroled prisoners, the same pro-
cess vas carried on and the men were shifted
! from Dne point to another. After we had clos
ed the polls; a sergeant brought in squad of
aboutG0 men, whose votes were admitted foI
| fear they had not been taken clsewherel We
| then commenced counting off, but the Judge de-
( clared it was late, he was tired and he would
( adjourn until the next day; whereupon he put
the ballots into his coat pocket, and | did not
4 see hin anymore that day. | kept the tally
. list, however, and have il at home now. We
met the next day, but he had more ballots in
! his pocket than | had names on the tally-list
| by sdne bogus process they had increased.
/ Here was a quandary; but it was soon settled.
/ They yremarked the thing was very simple; the
/ Demtcratic ballots, save nine, had been cast
/ by mistake, and they would take out enough
of them to make the ballots and tally-fst cor
respond. | then entered a formal protest a
gaIns the whole proceedings, and refused to
make up the necessary returns. That after
noou ! received 4 telegraPhic despatch fromthe
Secretary of war, ordering me to report at
once at Crooks Island, Ill, Of course | had
to g at once, and without making up the c.
lection returns. | went to Chicago; thinking
that Crooks Island might be in the lake, but
could find out nothing as to the place. After
so,le fruitless searching | concluded to stop at
Rock Island City, it being a pleasant locality
on the Mississippi and report my whereabouts
to the Adiutant General. As there was moth
ng for me 10 do IN thl shape OF military duty
spent a few weeks in hunting, fishing, and
killing time generally at Uncle Sans expense.
At This time. in view of the Presidential cleo
ion. the Republicans made grand parade,
matching some colored soldiers in frU2t OF
Pennsylvania regiment. in spite of their pro-
test At the same time, General Hooker,
commanding the department, Gen. Logan and
other military gentlemen, were making speech
es through the State In behalf OF the Re
publican party. Following the example thus
set me- acted as Marshal in a Democratic
procession, and also made speech. twenty
four hours after | received another dispatch
stating that | was ''honorably mustered out
by reason of expiration of term of service,
though that had occurred seven months before
at the time of the discharge of the Pennsyl-
vanIa reserves.
But, fellow citizens, must enter a special
protest against the doctrines of negro equality
On this question the soldier feels the most sem
sitive, and is the most earnest in repudatlng 1t.
Although Wendell Phillips and his Republican
coadutors maintain that in all the desperate
deeds of the war, ''the negro bears the palm,
we resent the insult, and boldly declare that
more cowardly crew were never drawn up IN
line of battle II is our boast that not regi
ment Of them ever belonged to the old Army of
the Potomac. At the opening of the campaign
of 1864, Burnside brought one division of them
into the army under Gen. Ferrero, french
dancing master, who, during the Petersburg
mine explosion, was safely hid in bomb-prooi.
During that terrible contest IN the NilderHess,
when Hancocks gallant corps had advanced be-
yond its support, and was oeln9 outfianked on
the left, this division, instead OF advancing to
the rescue, was withdrawn towards the Rapi-
dan. Gen. Grant, when informed OF 1t by an
aid, said, <'tel Gen. Burnside if he cannot tight
his corps, to turn it over to Gen. Hancock,
who can" Again, during that terrible fight at
Spottsylvania, when our gallant men were fall
ing by thousands, 10000 having fallen on the
18th of May, these government pets were Kept
we'll in the rear, ready to run at the first sl9-
nal And so it was at the North Anna, Iolo-
potamy and Cold Harbor. Baldy Smith corps
the Eigh teenth-by taking transports reach
ed Petersburg the day before US. 1t was gar
rsoned by about 500 citizens and lnvallds, who
held a line of works about SIX mills long. On
arriving, the batteries were placed in position,
and the Corps, consisting of two white and one
colored division, about eighteen thousand men,
charged Of course the main line was taken
with scarcely any loss, and this assault against
almost empty works was heralded to the world
as victory gained by the negroes 1hey were
careful not to advance into the city, though had
they done so it would have saved the long and
weary siege that followed. You remember the
Petersburg mine explosion, where Burnside de-
termined to show the world how much braver
the blacks were than the whites, You all know
the resalt--how they broke under the first fire
and threw the white troops behind into contu-
sion. And, soldiers, you not remember how
you were sacrificed this spring while the negroes
were kept in reserve until the enemy were de-