Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1866-09-25
The women may weep
The mothers may pray
The heroes may sleep
There cometh q day

He heroes may sleep
There cometh day
when history will do full justice to those who
went fourth to do or die for their country, North
and South.
Who is there with a heart in him who would
not rather be dead soldier in that sacred Gem.
etery, watched by beauty, covered with tear
wet flowers, and shrined in memory as they are
by those who admire bravery, than to be one
Of our vandalic Generals like Butler, Banks,
Curtis, Washburn, Prentiss, Shurz, Burnside,
Hurlburt, and others Of that class of patriots,
who fought for spoils and not for principles,
and who were most active when the enemy were
in their rear?
There is not soldiers grave in all the South
filled with him who wore the faded gray, but is
before God and the true world more of a man
and patriot, than the political tool of tyranny
who used bis official position to win wealth in
stead Of honor, and whose most successful war
fare was carried on against women and children,
alone and defenceless. Who will strew flowers
over the grave Of the thief Butler, or cotton
stealing Banks? Who will shed tears over the
mule-loylng Curtis, or piano-loving Prentiss
VINO Will shed tears over the graves of hun
dreds OF Northern officers, who robbed, burned
and plllaged the home of innocent parties p
Angels may weep over their sins, but mortals
never will over their virtues.
And who will weep over the graves of the ty-
rants, towards, and tools Of tyrants, who went
about the country mobbing men for an opinion,
lmprisoning men for their belief, and beating
their brains out with clubs for not shouting a
lie IN praise OF tyranny, cowardice, wrong and
usurpatlon? God bless the good women of our
land, be they North or South. God bless those
aoho are true to thenaselUes-and who honor the
heart which alone makes woman lovely. Wo-
men of the North, as you read of the sorrow of
those OF your sex at the South, those you have
been taught to hate-those who have suffered
beyond their strength, as you read of their love
for those who fought for them, let your hearts
warm and soften for those who have never
Wronged you. As you sit down to run your
!eWelled fingers over pianos, harps or guitars,
IT these instruments be the ones your sons or
husbands stole from Southern homes and sent
North, as tokens of their bravery (?) let your
fingers draw forth at least one strain of sadness
and sorrowful memory of the ones your stolen
instruments rightfully belong to- As your eyes
rest upon rings, pins, lockets and other jewelry
stolen from Southern women, let your hearts go
down to the land flashes and graves, and ruined
homes, and see from whence came these me-
mentos you so glory over.
And when you sweeten your tea from silver
tongs, or sip it from silver spoons sent to you
from Southern homes, think for one moment of
the bitter tears shed on Memorial Day by the
ones whose initials are on those things or were
on them before you had them made over, to
hide the ugly marks.
Thank God, the vandals who disgraced the
name of American soldiers, and who plundered
detenceless Southern homes under the sanction
of Lincoln and Staunton, had not power to beat
back the God-given right to shed tears, and to
hold sacred in memory ones who were to them
dear and worthy. They have lost their homes
they have lost their loved ones-they have taken
the rose and the magnolia to deck the graves
of their loved ones-they have pillowed their
heads on tear-wet graves, and given us renewed
faith in the purity and goodness of women
And then was it not kind in our government
to send but two regiments of troops to guard
against any rebellion on the part of these
thirty thousand weeping women and children?
We do not know whether they were colored or
not, but it seems they were sufficient. La
Crosse Wisconsin, Democrat.