Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-07-28
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NAeA41e-e AANAalNs
He had wooden leg, three fingers were
gone from the left hand, and he had to use
a crutch. In the dusk Of the evening he sat
down on a dry goods box on the street cor.
ner, and striking the ground with bis
crutch, he exclaimed:
"Well, old pard, the wars Overt Gimme
your hand-shake hard'3
He shook the crutch with hearty good
will, and continued:
@There's no more Reb-nO more Tank
We're all Americans, and standing shoulder
to shoulder--SOuth Carolina alOnside Mas
sachusetts-We can lick the boots Of7n any
nation under she SUMS
He waited zwhils and then went or
E'NO more skIrmishes-nU more fouts.
Uncle Robert is dead, Gen. Grant wants
peace, anu they're melting up swords and
bayOnets to make cotton hill machinery
We're about through camping out, old
pard, and we haint sOTy-nOt a bit!
He leaned the crutch against the box,
lifted his wooden leg, and said:
''Lost a good leg up at Fredericksburg
when l was under Barksdale, and Burnside
thought he could whip old Uncle Robert
and StOnewall jackson together! Good
Lord but wasn't it hot that
day, when the Yanks laid their
pontoons and got up and got for US! And
when we, got up and got for them, wasn't 1t
red Lot p
He stopped to ponder fer 4 while, and
his voice was softer as he said:
f.But forgive 'em! took the chances
and lost. Pm reaching out now to shake
hands with the Yank who shot me, and
I'll divide my tobacco half and half with
himl It was a big war. Yank and Reb
stood right up and showed pluck, but it's
time to forgive and forget"
He cut a chew off his plug, took offhis
battered hat and looked at it, and con-
tinued.
"Didnit we ali cume Of one blood?
Hain't we the big American natiOn9 lent
this here United States the biggest plaHta-
ton on the river, and is there a nation in
the world that dares knock the chip of our
shoulder?
''Maryland, my Maryland"
Michigan, my Michigan
He put down his leg, looked at bis
crippled hand, and sOlilOquized:
"Three fingers gone-hand used up, but
I'm satisfied. Folks who go to war expect
TO feel bullets. We stood up to the Yanks
they stood up to us-it was a fair fout,
and we got licked. Two fingers hain't as
good as five, but they are good enough to
shake hands with, Come up here, you
Yanks, and grip me, We raise cotton
down here-yOu raise corn up there-less
tradeI"
He lifted his crutch, struck it down hard,
and went on
"Durn a family who'll fight each other!
We've got the biggest and best country that
ever laid out doors, and if any foreign despOt
throws a club at the American eagle, we'll
shoulder arms and shoot him into the mid
die of next weekt'
He sat and pOndered while the shadows
grew deeper, and by and by he said:
"There's lots Of graves down here
there's heaps o. war orphans up North; I'm
crippled up and half sick, but I'm going TO
get up and hit the onefy Ncuss who dares
say a word ag'in either. We've got
through fghting-we're shaking hands
now, and durn the man who says a word
to interrupt he harmony, It's one family
ole Uncle Sans boys and gals and
babies, and we're going to live in the same
house, eat az the same table, and turn out
bigger crops than any other ranch On the
globe"
He rose up to 60, raped on the box with
his crutch and continued:
"ResOlved, that this glorious old family
stick right together in the old homestead
for the next million years to cO.ne"