Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-07-24
a Soldiers Reasons for not voting the
Democratic Ticket.

Harvey Campbell, in the SteubenvilIe Herald.
My brother Will went on the famous
Andrews railroad expedition, sent out by
General Mitchell from ShelbyvilIe, Ten
nessee, to cut off the rebel communications
by tearing up tracks and bridges and cut
ting telegraph wires. He was taken
prisoner, and thought [ was close enough
at one time with a rescuing party to wave
my hand at him as they took him from
Chattanooga. We couldn't save him, and
with seven others he was taken to Allan
ia, and without any warning, except the
words of the guard, come along, we
want you,'' the eight soldiers were taken
out of the prison, and confronted with
their coffins in the carts ready to take
them to the gall0ws. The whole eight
were hung, and though the rope broke
with VIII and let him fall to the ground,
and he begged for an hours more time to
make some little preparation, it was not
granted him, and he was strung up like
a dog. The hangmen were all Democrats,
and don't propose to vote with them to-
day. Brother James was shot through
at Perryville, Ky.,7an died in the hospi-
tai at LOutsville-sent out of the world by
the men voting the same ticket as those
who hung Will. All Democrats together,
and | don't want to vote with them. Then
there was Joseph, another brother, shot
| by Democratic bullets at Stone River, and
died in the Evansville hospital. That's
another reason [ don't want to vote with
them now. Then had cousin, Wash.
Hunt, from New Cumberland, who was
in AnderSonYllle prison with me, and
starved, sick and vermen eaten, life be-
came such burden to him, that one day
he rolled, he was too weak to walk, poor
fellow, over the 'tdead line'' in that aw-
ful place, and a guard not ten steps away,
who if living to-day votes the Democratic
ticket, shot the helpless man through the
heart, and found him lying there dead.
l don't feel like voting the same ticket
that guard votes, would you? Then I
staid in AndeFsonville myself for sixteen
long months with 10000 others no better
off than 1, and all of us there because we
were fighting to maintain the Republic
! and keep it united. There we were, all
in a twenty-five acre lot without covering
of any kind, subjected to the cold in win
| ter, the blazing sun in summer, spoiled
| cornbread and water. for food and not
| much of that, no clothes, no beds except
| the sand alive with lice and fieas only a
little water that ran drip by drip from the
! spring in the corner of the stockade, and
each of us liable to be shot at any minute
! by the guards. l tell you it was awful.
! One day it stOrmed and the stockade was
| partly washed away and we couldn't re-
sist the flow of water, and 300 prisoners
| were shot in cold blood as they were
| swept through the opening in The broken
stockade. / think of these things and l
can't vote for Democrat because An
dersonvilIe was run by Democrats. I've
had bullet and three buckshot through
my leg too, and the same'crOwd shot them
there, / vote against to-day. Brother
John went through the army of the PO-
tOmac, and we two are all that is left, and
we don't think any Democrat will ever
get our votes. We will stand by the flag
as we stood by her during the war, and
we are ready to do it all over again
if there should ever come the terrible
necessity of doing it.