Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1865-09-16

1Nb"
Italics marked in the original by G en-.
Couch.
Now mark you, Fellow Citizens, the
hqutTe' went broad cast over the country
1t used to have standing at the head of its
columns statement, that its circulation
was over 10000 copies daily, until some
other abolition paper, knowing its propen.
shy to lie, oontradicted the assertion and
forced the Inquirer to take it out. But
the statements Of this letter which | am
reviewing circulated over this entire COM
monwealth, and were copied into all the
abolition papers of the country.-"That
the insurgents were to lay down their
arms and return 10 their allegiance" -
Gentlemen, there never were any insur-
gents in Columbia County-there were no
arms to lay down--and Gen. Couch never
issued "a proclamation" to any "insur.
gents"
llo simply wrote letter asking the
drafted men who had not reported, to pre-
sent themselves within certain time,
promising if they did so, they should not
be charged with desertion.
Do you fully appreciate the malice Of
tb's writer, his determination to manu-
tacIure public sentiment against you, his
absolute invention OF lalsehood to serve
his purpose! p! But here,> fortunately, the
record SO utterly refutes him, as 10 render
what he may say on any other point, en-
urely unreliable.
Let Us nevertheless continue our exam
nation OF tLis most surprising letter. 1t
proceeds
"lt is almost to be regretted that We
were not allowed to march against these
Northern traitors immediately UPON our
arrival, lor al this time they were located
near Benton, at a place called Saltwater,
and were throwing up rifle pits to resist
our advance up the valley. Had we ad-
vauced at this time We might have had a
chance to administer some of the same
kind OF union arguments 10 these scoun-
drelS as their friends in the South have
been receiving at the hands OF our soldiers.
But disloyalistS are towards, and 60 soon
as the excitement OF bad whiskey had pass
ed away the mass OF their forces lost heart,
and those men who had property to lose
who were in the ranks, suddenly became
Intensely loyal. At preliminary exam :
ination held upon the prisoners, about one
hall were allowed to return to their homes,
some giving security for their future good
behavior. This left about fifty, care be-
lus taken to retain none against whom
tlere Was not sufficient evidence to con-
Wet, as will appear on their trial"
Now nay Fellow Citizens, the man who
wrote this story in the Philadelphia In
q''/er told wil(ul, malicious and delib-
crate falsehood.ss Con. PIoLLEr, "Whom
do you suppose it was l") Col. FREEzE-
| think it was the Editor Of the Abolition
Newspaper at BloOmsburg. II he did mol
30 it he can deny it }, but whether shal
believe his denial or not is another ques-
lion. No man ever saw rife pit in
Columbia County, and no man here, ex
oept one who has been in the army know,
what rife pit is. l do not believe tha
any man who WAS in that army of 1,OOC
men was such a liar, scoundrel and fool, a.
to write, that rifle pits had been throwl
up at Still water by citizens, 10 imped
the advance Of 1000 men, who had beef
trained for three years in the war, in thei
march up the valley ofthe Fishing Greek
Besides, the army had now passed over tn
ground where these rife pits were said t.
be. But no man ever saw them, ever,
one of those thousand men knew that nj
such thing ever existed and it does no
seem posi- bic that any officer or soldie
would invent such wholesale and maliciou
ialsehoods. The Inquirer correspondeu
calls you TRAITORS ''scoundrels," "dis
loyalists," "cowards' and drunkards-
The whole country was to believe tha
the very people who stand before me to,
day, and who have been attending this
the most quiet and orderly and magnif
cent meeting l ever saw; were among thu
most abandoned wretcbcs in the universe
and false to every thing sacred and honor
able. And whyl Because polilica
contest was going onin Pennsylvania, and
those opposed to the policy OF the admin
istration had to be denounced and dorided
aud abuscd-The State must be carried
and Columbia County with her fifteen hun
dred Democratic aJOrity must be crushed
out and in order to do it efectualy thit
man wants Uooi, he hopes for a fight, the
groans of widows and the shrieks Of or
phans arc music ~ hiu abolition ears and