Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1866-07-11
A Political Generals soliloquy.

A Political Generals Soliloquy.
! Whir-r-rl
How like rocket went up, terri
flying the innocent.
,Spdti
How like stick falling in the mud
did l come down.
When the late rebellion began,
did not amount TO enough to add up
and give one to carry i was sort
of second-rate loafer, begging tobacco,
standing around saloons and barrooms,
waiting TO be treated by liberal stran-
gers. | had no clean stockings-no
neat home-no money saved-no cred.
it-no fine food, and but little coarse
) "Sut suddenly star arose" /" Brave
men were wanted / had peddled
whiskey at the polls to elect men on
the God-and.mo orally, retrenchment-
and-reform ticket could tell big
ger lie and stick to it closer than any
hungry politician in the country, and
the late admnistration-noble admin
istration-gave me rich reward. / was
made a captain, and like blue-tailed
bottle.fy, | strutted about my native
town.
Guess / wasn't old style, in white
gloves and stripes up my legs. Guess
didn't support the government.
Reckon didn't get trusted to little
things at stores, and when man
wouldn't trust me, guess / wouldn't in
cite mobs on such Copperheads. And
was put in command of hundred
men. Egad that was joke. Why,
Lord bless you, didn't know as much
about war asa dog knows of his grand
father-but had political influence
could absorb vast quantities of whis-
key and could steal a niger! Or
like John Brown. Or like Ben. Butler.
4 Or like any other house robber
! And | went to war. And | hired
correspondents to mention my brave
exploits in Republican papers. And
| stole wines from hospitals, and treat
cd my friends And | read the army let
ters which / hired written, and which
poor fools printed to political friends
And | kept out OF the way of bullets
and such-and | stole piles of house.
hold goods, from rat traps to pianoes.
from silk elastic TO linen intended for
infants yet unborn, and so in the
eyes of the late administration proved
my fitness for higher position.
| And ] was made brigadier-general.
Big thing Nearly every fool in the
army was a brigadier- general. While
brave men fought, ! stole spoons and
such. While other men were at war,
| was furnishing Democrats, issuing
petty orders, stalking toll from I'm
ion farm ers and sending chairs, tables,
beds and bedding. pictures, books,
spoons, knives and forks, nut crackers,
glass and silver-ware, mirrors, side
boards, parlor ornaments, laces, silks
and ladies underclothes stolen from
private drawers, trunks, and bureaus,
up North at government expense, to
let people know that was saving my
salary TO beautify my home.
| Cunning cuss
| And | denounced Democrats, there.
by winning promotion and good opin-
ions from Republican papers. And |
spent my salary for whiskey, except
what went for, nothing now, not
much at first And ] went on raids,
capturing imaginary bands of enemies
! reported by the papers as real. And
being an INSCRIPTIONS knave, intent
only on money, | was hiTod by tho
administration of the late lamcnted to
go up and down the land stumping
for and in behalf ofniggers and Abol-
itionists.--pdr mobile trdtam.
| And | sent Democrats to the front,
and they were shot down like dogs or
dragged back wounded to die in hos
pitfalls, or swear allegiance to Abraham.
i And | stuffed election returns, AID |
stole cotton wherever il could be
found, mules ditto, corn ditto, gov
ornment stores ditto, and other things
ditto. till became rich. And what a
lot of men there were who believed we
were fighting to subdue the rebellion
Twas merely a pleasant little murder.
Gus crusade for cotton and niggers-
I the cotton for the rich, the niggers for
the poor taxpayers to support.
i The war was Godsend to me
1t took me from the gutter, or stool
in some saloon, and made great man
of me. 1t lifted me by the Wristbands
right up alongside of great men. And
didn't / strut 7 Aud didn't fall back
} upon my dignity And uidn't / snub
those whose servant | was--and win
} the contempt of every sensible man
: in the land. And didn't niger wench.
} es fall in love with me, and didn't |
keep abandoned women at headquart
u ters on money stole from my bloed