Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-03-21
REBEL ROSSER'S BRAY.
An Ex-Confederate "Heros Infamou
Insult to Union Soldiers.

An Ex-Confederate 1Heros Infamous
Insult to Union Soldiers.
On one occasion in 1864 General
Sberidan's troops in the Shenandoah
Valley were annoyed by the operations
of a Confederate General named
Roeser Little Pills patience having
been exhausted, he said to one of his
cavalry officers: "Torbert, go down
and clean out that fellow Rosser. 1
am tired of his conduct" Torbert did
go down with a brigade or two and
cleaned him out" and no gentle
man" in the Rebel army ever showed
a feeter pair of heels than Rosser.
And yet this blatant Rebel had the
etfrontery to deliver an Grafton at
Baltimore the other day at the annual
reunion and banquet of the Democratic
Society of the Army and Navy of the
Confederate States, in which he said:
The reason the South was able TO maintain
an unequal combat against the North for four
years and why the South was victorious in
every battle IN Virginia from first to last, and
finally yielded only TO starvation, was the fact,
and is still the fact, that a Southern gentleman
d Z
he was prepared to convince poor, old, soured,
decrepit, politically disappointed, bloodthirsty
Sherman and the blatant bigmouthed Foraker
that this declaration was absolutely true. He
also said: II am tired OF Gettysburg reunions
and blue and gray love feasts which politi-
clans are holding while old Sherman threatens
in his old shady stories and others dare to
call the loyal citizens of the South traitors
feel that am and believe that every brave
Confederate soldier living to-day is more loyal
TO the constitutional Government OF the new
United States than are the rank and file OF the
Grand Army of the Republic, so-called, and
believe that we are more loyal to the flag of
the new Union than they. This banner Iwav-
ing Confederate battle-fagl under which we
so gloriousy fought is now the badge of our
loyalty to ourselves"
While we do not believe this wav-
ing of the rebel flag and these in
famous insults to Union soldiers and a
distinguished Union General represent
the sentiment of a majority of the
people in Virginia, which only few
months ago almost gave its popular
vote for General Harrison, and which
would have given him a majority had
the election been honestly conducted
in the .'black countless" still they go to
show what an implacable hatred yet
remains in such men as Rosser. No
one will believe this blatant Brigadier
speaks for the real nobility of the
South when he says "a Southern gen.
tleman can whip a Puritan Yankee
every time;" but even if he does the
facts of history are wofully against
him. 1t was the Puritan Yankees, as
Rosser calls them, who fought in the
open field in Virginia against the rebels
behind their intrenchments. and though
led more than once by men who had
no Deart in what they were doing, and
at other times by men who were not
great officers, the Southern gentle
men" won few victories. Not at
Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spottsyl-
vania. Antietam, Malvern Hill, Win
chester. Cedar Creek, Appomattox or
Five Forks did these gentlemen"
score a victory. At yellow Tavern"
in front of Richmond, the Union cav
airy under Sheridan soundly thrashed
the rebel cavalry "gentlemen" under
j. E. B. Stuart and this same Rosser,
killing the one and making the other
fly like deer before the Yankee"
cavalry.
In the West it was mainly the sons
and brothers of the Puritan Yankees
who whipped the gentlemen at Hen
ry. Donelson. Shiloh, Stone River,
Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain.
Vicksburg, Atlanta, and hundred
other battles. But, leaving this aside,
what good does it subserve by this
raking over of the embers of hate,
this waving of Rebel flags, and this
tlinging of insults at the veterans of
the war who know but one flag? Is
it not apparent to these bloviant brig
adiers of the Rosser type that such in
suits will provoke insults in return and
that it is not human nature to sit
quietly by and bear such taunts? We
have heard a good deal of complaint
in the South against the North for
waving the bloody skirt. How about
this waving of the rebel flag at this
from the war? Is not the war
Tribune.