The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-02-20

you q few questions which asked him, and he
referred me to you:
!. Why do you, in using the name of Grant,
almost always call him Old GTant"2
. II you are writing the history of a Union
Cannoncer, why do you say you are " Demo
erat
3. Are we 10 understand that all Democrats
are i'm sympathy with Southern rebcls2
4. DO YOU mean to convey the idea that your
battery fought better because there was Demo-
crat iu IT.
9, 10 what extent does your sympathy go to
the rcbolsf
& Do you include JEFF Davis in your sym
pathy3
| admit being little Crib that after the way
they treated our poor boys in Southern prisons,
| don't see how any man that wore the blue can
be- q Democrat aud synpathiIe with the rebels.
NITrgE VI. BnEckENRtpaE, daughter of
James NJ breckenridge, No. $50 Hudson Ave-
Albany, Ny
+ 81 sign myself daughter of veteran
soldier" because my papa served rs follows in
the late war;
From May Is, 1861 to May %, 1863, in Co
Ii. 10th ". y. He was at the first battle of
Bnl Run, and went through till the close OF
the two.ycar term u his enlistment. The 10th
went out 900 strong, was recruited up twice,
and then came home with only $40 left. Then
my papa re.enliytcd Aug. II, 1868. in Co, A,
18th y. Y. III. A., from which, Nov. Is 1863, he
and 10 others we're detached In Battery l.. ith
q ;. Art. Towards battery Tor Hasbrouek's),
aud was finally mustered out Aug. Is, 1865
So you sec he served more than four years and
was q detached volunteer canuoucer ina Regu-
lar battery" the same as ysu, which makes me
think that ! avn entitled TO sign myself a
veterans daaghter.n-S. N. b.
Answers: i. The words Old Grant" are a
term OF endeaFment a. the Western boys used
s.ffa
man or Pap Thomas" meaning Gen. Thomas !:
OF Little Phil" meaning Gen. sheridan Tho
Vermont Brigade used To call Gen. Lewis Grant
Aunt Lydia, but never could sec why be-
cause there was nothing Of the old woman
about him.
2. There were Il great many faithful Union
soldiers who were aud are Democrats in poll
tics Gen. Hancock was one, Gen. Joseph J..
BARTLETT another, Gen. Frank Blair another,
aud Gen. Grant himself was Democrat until
the Republicans nominated him TO be President
3. There are no Southern rebels now. There
are many men still living who were Southern
rebel" at one time; but they have had the
rebellion thoroughly whipped out of them aud
they viii never rebel again. Most of them are
Democrats, and therefore the Democratic Union
soldiers sympathize with them" in modern
party politics so far us voting Is concerned
But no Democratic Union soldier ever had any
sympathy with them while they bad muslets
IN their hands.
/. There never was any politics in Stewards
battery when 10 was fighting. All it wanted
was 10 whip the enemy. or help do it.
.. The answer TO the third question also an.
swcrs this one.
q. ] never had any sympathy for Mr. Davis !;
but like all other great men, he served pur-
pose. As statesman. or politician, before tho
war, ho misled his people. As President of tho
Conicderacy he msmanaged its affairs The
result was the destruction Of the doctrines of
secession, which ne advocated, and the abolition
of human slavery. Mr.. Davis did great deal
TO hiring about those grand results. IL was very
hard 10 conquer the confederacy, even with all
the advantages which we derived from Mr.
Davis's acknowledgement. But for his errors and
blunders, il would have been much harder to
destroy tho Confederate Government than it
was. 80 | consider that Mr.. Davis was really
Of some service TO the Union cause, though he
did not mean TO bc.-AuTnoR.