The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1867-04-26
TALK WITH A SOLDIER.
"Good morning, Johnny"
"Good morning"

eyes, and I got home again alive,and
that is more than some of US did"
"Glad to see yon back-sorry any
of you were killed. What did you en-
list fOr?"
"WelI, enlisted to save the Union
Cousin Paul enlisted under later
call to secure the bounty and escape
the draft, for he was poor man. And
Cousin Bill, who owned that farm up
the Creek, was drafted, had no money
to get substitute, and was obliged to
60"
"Well, that was the inconvenien ce
of being poor Now tell me what you
fought for ?"
"To restore the Union"
"Did you go into the war to free the
negroes?'
"No, ,sir-went to fight for our flag"
"Could you have conquered without
the aid of negro troops?'
"Could we have conquered without
the aid of negro troops? Do you mean
to ask me if white men of the North are
inferior to the black men of the South?
Do you mean to insult me-to insult
the army
"Not a bit of it! I only ask for infor-
nation, as the Radicals say had it not
been for the negro you never would
have won your battles"
10
if all the troops had been like him, we
might not have won-but all were not
like him."
(which did the most service in the
army, the niggers or the mules ?"
GA mule is worth dozen niggers,
and is good for something now when
the war is over, and nigger is not.
The mule can pay his way, the nigger
can't"
"When you heard that the war was
over, what did you think?'
"Well, all thought the Union was re-
stored, and we could live in peace"
elbow much did you make by going
to war?"
"Not much. 1 had no rich relatives
to push me ahead-except in battle
When we went to fight could always
get front view ~
'sWhat made the soldiers hate the
Democrats?"
1--WE were taught to believe you
were disunionists. We could not get
Democratic paper to read, we must
read those against you or none, and
gradually we began to believe all that
Republican papers said about you"
elbow do you find us on your re-
turn?"
"We find you in favor of the Union,
the Republicans opposed to it, and ask
ing us to go into another war to fight
an unarmed, submissive foe, that few
rich men may be made richer, and that
more contracts may be given to the
friends of those who live by war and
agitation"
"Did the Republicans keep faith
with you while in the army?"
"No! They did not?"
"Please tell me how and where they
deceived you?"
"Well sit down on that bench or log,
andI will tell you. They asked me to
| fight to restore the Union. We fought
till there was no more army left, and
they tell us our fighting amounted to
nothing, and the Union is not restored.
"They said Democrats were disuion-
lists, and we find them all in favor of
the Union.
"They said if we would go and fight
for them, they would take care of our
families, and stand the expense of the
war, and that the rich ones should and
would take care of the poor ones-the
brave ones-the patriots"
"But have not the Republicans kept
their words?"
"No not even in one respect.
1--WE went to war we were poor
and had to go. Myselfand two cousins.
They took care of our families by
town tax, taking our property and
little farms while we were lighting.
And after we had gone to war, they
gave bonds of the town and county,
bought them for half their face, and
now demand full pay and interest, and
we soldiers must now work to pay
their bonds.
"And when Cousin Bill was drafted,
he had to go and leave his farm. And
when the tax call came, to escape the
draft, they piled the taxes on the farms
of US who were fighting, to raise mon
ey to exempt those who dare not go,
and who were smart enough to keep
out at our expense.
"And you see, now the war is over
with, we come home to find that our
fighting did not restore the Union,
and so we had better stayed at home,
and voted taxes for somebody else to
pay.
"And we find the towns and coun-
ties covered with bonds, mortgages,
and that, beside doing all the fighting,
we are now made to pay more than our
share of taxes-we are made to support
the niggers we liberated. We are
made to work to raise gold to lay in bank
for rich men to draw out as interest on