The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1867-03-23

dARDEMAN COUNTY, TED
The Soldiers of The Confederacy.
At the first summons to arms, the youth
i and manhood of the South responded with a
/ degree. Of enthusiasm which had seldom If
! ever been witnessed The fields the work
shops, even the schools and colleges we're at
once deserted and it was necessary to re-
press rather than encourage the fierce ardor
] which threatened 20 far beyond the exi
I geney The sound Of martial music was to
I be heard everywhere on every hilI raw
militia were undergoing the drill, and the
/ lights of the eamp-6res were seldom out of
/ sight from the Potomac to the Rio Grande
I Persons who retired to the North, repre-
1 scented the South as one vast military caTnp
The smiles of the fair sex, the gentle mOni-
4 tiohs Of sweethearts and wives, mothers and
4 sisters, were not wanting and did not fail to
! exercise an irresistible influence The pau-
per boy, the hard-worked yeoman, side by
| side with the country gentleman, born to
{ fortune, reared in affuence, Instructed in
/ the highest schools, forgetting every distine-
| ton, eheerfully united around the same rude
! camp kettles, and all shared the same blank
cts! Noble and generous impulse furnish
ing, perhaps, one of the few redeeminr
/ features Of the reign (which men call war)
Of that
! ''-horrld king. besme.red with blood laa -gi
! OF human sacrifice and parents tears-F 1
Alas IN the inexperience and hopefulness
of youth how much that was grand, intoxi-
/ eating in the poInp, and circumstance of
/ g glorious war was destined soon to pass
away, leaving nothing behind but It's stern
and terrible realities. The long, drearv
march, the midnight attack and defense, the
! burning sun without shelter, the winters
! r 4, -
! ked feet and the scantily clad person. the
wretched ration, which left so often the ap-
petite unappeased the hospital and its rude
outfit long and prOtracted sickness without
ministratiOn or comfort, wounds bleeding
and limbs tortured under the surgeons knife,
the tender and loving kindness of mother
] and sister no longer present, the chaplain's
1 hasty prayer, the comrades rough hand
death Is this the reality of the beautiful
dreams which came over the heart of the
] soldier boy when the drum and the bugIe
sound and the prancing steeds snuff the
battle afar off? Yet duty calls and it is
enough
sssSays fs bS9T5 fis snsans5 sS,9 Rm there
AiSas sb1 and %gTP On s S E1sgs 81 prayer
Looking so handsome brave and grand
Somebody chung to his parting hand
Somebody's watching and waiting for him,
I
And there ere he lies with 5 his ;, bius &c eyes dim
Pausiag to drop on his grave tear
Who that recalls those times can ever
/ forget the wan and jaded look of those no
| bic soldiers, in their rusty and faded suits
| of gray, as he met them everywhere, crowd
( ing the wayside homes, clamorous for seats
on the railroad cars, or sitting and standing
in dense crowds upon the tops of the cars.
and the platforms, or around the railroad
depOts. Y ou SAW them in the highways
| walking in squads, with their heavy burdens,
| to their distant homes, upon furlough, or re
turning promptly to their commands. \ on
saw them at your door asking for few
crumbs and night shelter on the floor or
1 in the piazza You saw them sleeping upon
the hard ground often in the freezing night
without blanket and without fire, but did you
| ever hear them complain or wish 10 evade
! the calls of duty? Not often How merry
| their shouts what laughs, what jokes at the
expense of the luekless civilian who passed
] their wav what honorable bearing and what
! iRexhaustible supplies of Confederate money
! which came to them no one knew how and
] which they lavished like children giving
readily the most marvellous prices for any
| thing that was offered. How often the VIC
! tim of the sharper and the extortioner, vet
/ never complaining Gentle and kind, and
/ considerate to the wants of all, yet In the
I presence of the enemy, seized suddenly with
! the inspiration which seemed almost infer
nal-with q wild shout they rushed to the
cannon's mouth and performed miracles of
yalor which sent fear, wonder and admira-
ton to the heartOf the enemy.
Such was the Confederate soldier, and
long did he. preserve that character.
Four years of war did its work, however,
| upon some, and left an impress which was
not encouraging. As the cause became
! hopeless, and the soldier began to realize
| that his sacrifices would be vain, the ardor of
man abated, and ranks which had been full
were thinned, for which neither the battle
! field nor the hospital could account Let US
net judge too harshly, however, those men.
Endless suferings in camps, and starving
and homeless families crying for relief!
From first to last, it may be assumed that
/ 100000 soldiers were under arms in all of
the Confederate States, though it known
that at no time were there half that number
capable Of being brought into action When
the first surrender occurred, not 100000 men
remained in all the armies of the COnfed-
leracyl The dead and disabled from all
causes during the entire war reached, it is
believed, the vast number of 10000 or
100000 which was above half the loss of the
enemy, who at the end of the war, had under
arms million of disciplined and wellpro-
visioned men,
Farewell, Confederate soldiers. Braver
men have never walked the earth, or truer
| Your cause is lost You accept it as the
decree of Providence, and RESUME the kindly
and genial Offices of peace, and in every
avOcation are found to-day nobly struggling
to restore a ruined country. You viii be
loyal and true to the flag which protects you,
as you were loyal and true to the one which
is furled forever. OF your dead, one of the
sweetest of our Southern poets has said:
Sweetiy sleep your humble graves
| .H-T Sleen, martyrs Of q fallen cause.
Though marble column
The pilgrim here e Tause.
Iu seeds Of laurel IN the earth, &C. =
be eariaud5 of your sOUu
A nd somewhere waiting for its birth,
The shaft is in the stone-