The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1876-05-24
VERDICT OF AN EX-FEDERAL
4a s4 SOLDIER. s.
Bascum's Analysis of the Truly
Loyal East TennesSean.

Bascum's Analysis of the Truly
Loyal East Tennessean.
To the Editor of the Morristown Gazette:
COUSIN JOHN Did you ever, in
your minds wanderings, stop, medi
tate, and, for moment, take a view
of the situation by which we have
been surrounded for the last few
years, and see and know who have
been the most noisy, troublesome
and corrupt loyalists of this abused
and degraded nation of ourss This
exceeding loyal class is composed OF
men who went into the rebel army
voluntarily, and remained there un-
Til they discovered that secession
was failure, and then deserted and
in some way or other connected
themselves with the Federal army
And men who, through fear, went
into the Federal army, but were too
cowardly to fight, and lay around
amongst the wagons and ambulances
during the war; and men who re-
mained at home, acting pig and pup
py, as occasion required, robbing,
cheating and defrauding the wives of
Union soldiers of what they had;
And of men protesting great 10y
atty to the Government, but too cow
ardly to volunteer, made it conven-
lent, fer self interest, to be captured
and imprisoned, suffering, no doubt,
many deaths, rather than face the
enemy on the field;
And many other styles of human
blubbers too numerous to mention.
These different class of men, to
this good day, have the impudence
to denounce as rebels any man who
has he courage to step forward and
exercise the elective franchise against
the very least of the disciples Of the
present administration.
oumay often hear these truly 10y
al denouncing, as rebels, men who
were GEaUays loyal to the Govern
ment of the United States, and who
served in the Federal army as long
IS their services were needed. But
when you hear these things. you may
rest assured that the party using
them is of one of the classes above
enumerated men who lay sheltered
under the moss-covered rocks of East
Tennessee, and when an opportunity
presented itself. would, and no doubt
did, charge Union soldiers so cents
for a corn-dodger, and 81 for a leath-
er-bound pumpkin pie. Men who
were too cowardly to GO into either
army, even if they had had the con-
sent of their minds which to have
gone into. Men who became so we'll
versed in agricultural pursuits, that
they actually grew heavy coats of
moss on their own backs, and who
Law in their holes until they were
convinced which would be the sue
cessful side, then made a grand rush
for the Federal army, cursin9 rebels
and hurrahing for the Union, and
there for months devoured the bread
and meat that the soldiers who were
battling for their country were in
need of. These same identical men
now denounce many of these same ex-
Federal soldiers as rebels, for dsring
to vote against a set of thieving
Government office-holderS.
have my mind at this time upon
quite a number of those truly loyal,
who would have been equally as 10y
al to the Southern Confederacy had
it been successful.
Such men as these make noble
citizens. as they can be loyal to any
form of Government. Now, if al
these hifalntin, sap-headed, centen
NAL loyalists had gone into the Fed
eral army, which they now profess tC
have loved so well, and had fought
(which, of course, they would no
have done), the rebellion would have
ended much sooner than it did, anC
some of them might have been 81
lucky as to have been killed, Whicl
would have been the greatest bless
ing to their wives and children tina
they will ever be able to bestoW up
on them and those who would hav'
been SO fortunate as to have got ou
safe, would have taken things mucl
easier than they do under existin!
circumstances. It takes great dea
of following, noise, confusion ant
deyilment in times of peace to max
up for what might have been don
while there was q war.
Many of these spasmodic-center
nial loyalists claim that the wa
broke them up, when, really, the,
gained more property during the wal
and from its effects after it was over
than they ever would have had will
out a war.
/ For stranger to hear some @
these much abused loyalists talk. b
would at once arrive at the conclr
sion that they were undoubtedly th
bravest, as we'll as the most abused
creatures in the world. ess $3.50
How very sad it must make thel
feel when they look back and sc
what n fine opportunity they haG
and what a magnificent field for OF
erations in which to prove their loy
atty by their works, but all lost an
gone. gF 5.t.ae. ,a..
| ] tell you, it will take them Ion
time to redeem their lost loyalty. b
denouncing as rebels those VIII
fought to save them and theirs Will
they were cultivating moss in th
hillparts Of East Tennessee, or pra
ticing a fraud upon the people I
tile Northern and Western State
Such as these. Cousin John, al
those who have been the leaders
all the deyilment done in our eou
; try since the war. 81
Scarcely any good soldiers hay
ever participated in any crime, vi
lence or misdemannors and all WI
: have dared vote or speak again
roguery and corruption in hie
places. have been denounced al
] maltreated by such as are abo'