The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-02-06


this murdered boy, so comes be-
tween my eyes and the text OF your
recommendations Of National hon
ors to the rebel dead, that l cannot
see in it reason from which fathers
and mothers who love their children
should not instinctve,y shrink, and
which should not shock patriots who
have loved their country and have
made sacrifices for it.
There is, sir, another figure which
makes filmy reading through my old
spectacles. Ny youngest son, pri
vate in the 4th Pennsylvania Caval-
ry, who entered the army before he
was fifteen years ofage, was captnr
ed at Sulpher Springs, when Meade
fell back to Centeryille, with one
hundred and fifty six Of his regiment
one hundred and forty-two,
of whom afterwards perished
ment, perished in prison. Seventy
four of those who died, went out in
the Covode cava'ry from my imme
diate neighborhood-all Of the sons
of my neighbors-all objects of in
terest and care to me-. Alter pas
sing from one den of imprisonment
and cruelty to another, they were
finally immured with thousands Of
other unfortunate5 in the death pen
Of Andersonyille Eighteen months
of hunger and nakedness, exposure
to the scorching sun, and the winter S
! f,.nory.ro. Nh ,rnTI-
stalwart and brave men. Many Of
them died iiiotic, some of them fee
bly, insane; all the victims OF sys-
TEN ofstarvation and cruelty plan
ned by demons and executed by dev-
lis. Ny sons bodily vigor and reso-
luteness ofspirit carried him through
the horrors Of AndcrsonviIle, with
life left in him-with hardly any
thing more. He is home again with
his mother, and [ have just received
q letter from her urging me to ''try
another doctor for he grows worse"
But the energetic, intelligent, hope
ful, self-reliant, brave boy, who left
my house to fight the enemies Of his
country, has uot returned toAne, and
he never viii return.
I think that you will find that, in
common with me, hundreds Of thou
sands Of loyal men, whose hearts yet
bleed with wounds received in the
wicked war the STAKEHOLDER waged
against the nations life, have been
shocked and outraged by your rec
ommendation to do honor to the au-
thors Of their soIrows, IN tie work
ers of their country's woes.
Had you served in the army, eli
ther in person or through q son, and
presented your offerings Of patrio-
tism to your country on the picket
line, or the line of pitched battle,
you would never have made the
heartless mistake you have made, in
what your biographer, in writing
your life, will call 1.-The Antietam
Letter" How much I wish you had
initiated the manly and sompathetic
behavior Of Governor Geary OF
Pennsylvania, soldier and states
man, who thus repelled the propo-
sition to mingle the rebel with the
Union dead, under the Antietan7
Monument.
''The custom has ever prevailed
to specially honor those in deatl
who won special honor by meritori
Gus lives. The monuments removed
to the memory Of departed worti
bear ample testimony that our peo
pie have not been unmindful of thi:
custom. But where were such me
MORALS ever erected for men who's,
actions were infamous, and who per
ished in an ignoble cause? Wht
would glorify the treason of Bene
dict Arnold with such monuments a
have arisen to the memory of Wash
ington? Who would dare to insul
the loyal heart of this nation b,
proposing to the lay, side by side
e in the same sepulchre, the body 0
the assassin Booth and that O
President Lincoln? No legal MAJ
would take the heartless .Wirz ant
the other demons that presided owe
the prison dens of cruelty, starva
ton and death, and the executes
conspirators against the nation
illustrious chief, and deposit them il
!. the same tomb with the patrioti
+ men who sacrificed their lives il
battling for the right against tn
wrong Yet it is proposed that tn
> loyal States construct cemeteries 70
their heroic dead, and then desecrat
them by the burial therein Of thos
who prosecuted against the countr
q warfare which, for its diabolica
; ferocity is without q parallel in th
) history Of civilization, and even t.
5 erect monuments to their memory
I Carry out this purpose, and wha
f inducement can be hereafter offare
to the loyal citizens to fight agains
+ treason, when he feels assured tina
: should he fall in battle, the traitor
5 grave will be honored equally wit
G his own?
e "The cause Of the Union was
/ holy one, while that which oppose
5 it must have been its converse. L
7 one side alone the glory belongs
4 This was not a war Of nations, bu
: Of treason against loyalty. 1t wa
+ q contest Of rebels, who would hay
f drained the life's blood Of the Gov
:, ernment which had nurtured an
:. protected them, against it's patriot
n sons, who fought to save it from de
t struction. 1t was a awar carried O
e by the defenders and promoters c
S liberty and their country's integrity
"W lille there is no reasonable oil
0 lection to giving decent sepultur
!, even to the rebel dead, those VIII
t consider them deserving of honora
e BILE testimonials may give them.
n is our duty to render honor only t
S whom we believe honor is due"
n 1t is with grief, Governor Fentor