The National tribune., 1883-09-06
SOME TOUGH FACTS

SOME TOUGH FACTS
As TO the Treatment of Soldiers Twenty Years
Ago and Now.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
Your postal, with its strong head line Rally
Round the Flag Boys" has been received
How significant those words appeared twenty
two years ago to the defenders of the Nation I!
At that time thought it meant something
that would rebound to the participants, but,
alasl how sad it is now to witness and eontem-
plate the failure.
/ was then working on farm for $13 q
month and my board. When President Lin
coins call for volunteers was issued for the
purpose of putting down an organized rebellion
against the United States, against the COnsti-
tuition, against free speech, against free press,
against every ything but a slave aristoeracy and
the old exploded theory of State rights, had
two propositions under consideration: The first
was an offer by the II. E. Church to send me
to bloomington, H. and FL me for the ministry,
free of charge. The second was Can you suffer
these traitors to cur country TO capture the seat
of Government and overthrow all constitutional
authority, and not raise your hand in defense
OF the Uniou2" These two propositions were
tough for me to handle. One Offered honor,
ease, and social poSitioa in life, and the other
the chance TO be shot at with leaden bullets or
nets in the hands of deadly foe; forced
marches, decay of health, an unknown grave,
wasting away in captivity, with the chance of
never seeing loved friends again. But we are
told the Government paid us Sl3 a month, and
promised a pension in case of disability. What
All offer Any plow boy in the State of Illinois
at the time of the war could easily earn S13
month, and sleep in good house and eomfor-
table bed, with no night marches through rain
sleet, and mud, and no danger Of being shot at
by an angry foe. Patriotism conquered, and
with thousands of the boys in blue l. too, raj
lied round the flag to offer my services in sup
port and defense of the Government that our
fathers bequeathed to us. This Nation can
never pay the money it owes to the soldiers
who fought IN its defense, but it can pay what
was promised to them and not even feel it
How poorly are their services appreciated,
even by the present administration! j have
Oh file in the Post-office Department an appli-
cation for an appointment, accompanied with
all the recommendations that any Department
could ask for, and giving a faithful record of
services unhestatingiy rendered as a soldier,
but there is no place for me. What hypocrisy
to put resolutions in the party platforms eulo-
gizing the Union soldier, and then, when he
wants an ofhce,-eyen miserable clerkship,-
to have the cold shoulder turned to him, while
ex-Confederates are awarded appointments on
account Of political influence.
support of any man who forgets Us so quickly
after he has safely secured a fat place? Look
over the list of appointments and see the vast
array of civilians filing the best paces-those
whose only service to save the Union was to
urge us to enlist while they remained at homo
and looked out for fat contracts!
BENZ. ST. CLAIR,
TRENTON. TENN. Co. II, seth I'll. Inf.
q CENTER SHOT FROM ILLINOIS.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
l have seen quite number of accounts of
young soldiers who served in the army. l, too,
was q young soldier / enlisted in company |,
Thirty third regiment, Illinois V. Y. L, when
| was but fourteen years of age and served
with my regiment in all its campaigns and bat
ties, re-enlisting January !, 1S64. l tried TO
do my duty truly and faithfully. On March
2, 1865, while our regiment was on its way to
join the Mobile expedition, the train in which
we were being transported was thrown from
the track when twenty-seyen miles west of
New Orleans, and all the central portion of the
| train was wrecked. We took eleven dead from
the wreck, and between sixty and seyenty-five
! wounded. | pray God that l may never see
such a sight again! 1t was worse than any
| battle we were ever in. 1t was here that l re-
ceiyed the injury TO my spine which has rem
! dered me an invalid for life. am now draw
| ing pension of S24 month l gave all my
! try. Going into the war when child, came
out cripple; but / do not regret it, and would,
/ under the same circumstances, serve again. L
/ have never been in the mood 10 apologize to
! those stay at home, cowardly patriots who,
| while the war was being prosecuted incessantly
cried On to Richmond y and Down with
! the rebellion /" yet now, after we have taken
their advice, would have repaid for our trials;
! our suiierings, cur wounds and our poverty,
! by having scars exposed, our diseases pa
| raaed before sneering copperheads, and our
4 names published and stuck up in public places,
as you would publish the name of q thief or
common swindler. Great God are ne men,
/ that we sit and bear calmly this insult? !, for
/ one, say no May this hand forget its cunning
and this memory fail if either forget or for
/ give this great injury to me and my dear old
| comrades; and, please God, will never cast a
ballot for any man, be he Democrat or Repub-
lican, unless he is an Outspoken friend of the
soldier, nor will / ever subscribe to or allow in
| my house any paper that publishes sneering or
| sighting articles on pensioners or the PEN
sion Department. Boys the election is close at
| hand let US join hands and teach these time
| serving politicians a lesson that they won t
forget soon. Remember, we are al least ,300,-
coo strong. | have always been Republican,
but / would vote for Dan Voorhees, or John
| Logan or anybody else, no matter what his
| politics are if he had shown himself a friend
j
Soldiers, attention Write, talk work, help
one another; and, above all, do not fail to give
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE 100000 circulation
| by January l, 1SS4i RANSOM 2. STOWE.
PERRY, LII.
HAVE OUR SOLDIERS REEN PAID IN FULLY
To the Editor NATIONAL TRiBUNE:
| i wish to express my views through the col
| umns of your, and, i might add, orr, valuable
| paper concerning the opinion of certain
class in our yieinity, relative to giving our
disabled soldiers a pension. They claim that
the Government never agreed to pay the sol
dier anything but their monthly pay, and
every time they hear of soldier drawing a
| pension they hold up their hands in holy
horrer and say our country is on the verge OF
bankruptcy. They think it very easy matter
to get pension, but they must be very ignor-
ant of the pension law or else they are bitter
| enemies Of the defenders of our Government
and would be glad to have them cheated out OF
their just claims. We are not asking for aims,