Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-05-30
Returned Soldiers soliloquy.

duds, and now, thank God, they are on, and
once more am in command of myself
And if wasn't id fool, I'll be id
Learned to swear in the army
! What in the devil did I go to war for?-
That's the question? What did eat hard
tack for-drink commissary whiskey-carry
mules load-sleep in the mud-suffer in
the hospital and lose this limb for? Who
knows?
enlisted to save the Union.
i Iwent to war to put down the rebellion.
/ fought to punish traitors.
killed people to restore the harmony of
things
Invent to war because thatwas in old times
the way to patriotism.
! And what was there gained? / had thir-
teen dollars month. j rode Shank mare
from Bull Run to the Red River, and tramp
ed from high living to hell almost for moth
ing.
| I fought tokeep thisunion whole, and now,
when the war is ended, am told that fight
! ing divided, and that legislation alone can
restore the Unionl Then why in thunder
must lose three years of time and q limb if
all this work must be done by Congress?-
| What did Congress want of men? Why
were million of uskilled by drunken, THEW
ing, silver ware-hunting, conceited, upstart,
political generals who went up like rockets
and came down ike sticks, if Congress can
or could restore the Union by legislation?
Invent to war in good faith. / fought
score-of times, and the more fought and
the less stole the slower came promotion.
helped make dozen generals, fifty col
onels and hundred other officers rich
have lugged many piano, rosewood
bedstead, marble-top table, cabinetof books,
mahogany sofa and such stuff out of south
rem homes, to be sent north for the use of
my superior officer, and the adornment of
his home in the North. This was the big
dart for putting down the rebellion. Great
! God what fighting some of our generals did J
And | went to war for less wages than
could have earned at home. And my wife
was often starving while was away And
my children became dirty and ragged my
farm ran to weeds-niy shop ran down-my
tools were stolen or lost-my place is filled
| by another-I came home cripple, filed
with disease, and am now looked upon by
the same men who wanted me to go to war,
much IS people look upon some dead beat
who has gone through them for all their
| spare stamps.
| An the Abolitionists who forgot to take
| care of soldiers families-the abolitionists
| who told us that the Democrats wanted the
Union dissolved-the abolitionists who said
Democrats were traitors-the aboli6onists
who staid at home and dare not fight, except
in the form of mob, in the attack of some
defenceless democrat, now tell us-the id
cowardly traitors and rascally thieves we
have found them to be that
The late war did not restore the Union
The war was therefore failurel
The white men of the north were no match
for the white men of the south.
The war would have ended in defeat for
the north but for the niggers!
This is what abolitionists tell US. Reckon
they viii have good time gettingus return
ed soldiers engaged in another crusade for
cotton, niggers, mules and stolen plumber,
taken by force of the bayonet from women
and children.
1t seems to me as if the late war was a
gag-a humbug- id wicked, treasona-
BILE, unconstitutional gag. 1t did not restore
| the Union, but it made apile of abolitionists
and war democrats rich.
1t never prevented secession, but left this
| Union in the shape we did not find it.
1t never benefited any one northor south
except theiving soldiers, army chaplains,
swindling contractors, drunken officers, in
competent generals, and other such pets of
the late administration.
Itdidn't help the white people.
1t did mt help the niggers.
1t impoverished half of the Union.
1t didn't make the south friendly to nor
thern ideas, interests or people. 1t piled a
big debt upon usand took from us two thirds
of our means to pay it.
And now / am back from the war to find
that must pay the most exorbitant taxes
and to find that old Grudings, d-dmean,
narrow minded, stay-at-home coward, is
rich, with safe full of United States notes
or bonds, for which / must work the balance
of my life out to pay interest on, while he
escapes taxation and lives in idleness. Ihad
hundred dollars bounty to go to war. Now
come home to find the town, county, city
and state in debt for the money had-the
wealth of the country is in bonds school
houses in ruins-the bridges IN ruins-the
court houses, &C., in ruins-all these things
to be built up-the bonds and their interest
to be paid besides all the other taxes, and
the. holders of bonds living in luxurious idle
ness, with large incomes, and not one cent
Of tax to pay anybody or for any purpose.
1t was bad enough To firht for such cow