Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-06-04

anathemas Of the southern people were fairly
heaped upon our government for descending
to the degrading depths of employing negro
] soldiers, yet before the close Of the war. and
on the recommendation of General Robert y.
l Lee, the Confederate congress had passed a
I bill Tor the enlistment of an army of 200.0 600
slaves to sustain the failing cause OF the con.
federacy, Offering as bribe their manumis-
sion from slavery. AS result of this meas
ure about twenty negroes. mostly of the free
class, enlisted, went into camp and were uni-
formed In confederate gray. Three Of these
men were slaves of Mr.. Benjamin. the Confed-
crate secretary Of state. This little troop was
| sent into camp at Richmond, and in the hope
OF inspiring their brethren TO join them In Sc
cession's cause they were marched into the
city daily and drilled on capitol square, re-
ceiving as u reward the approving smiles Of
the fashionable ladies of that city. But the
scheme did not work. No accesslons we're
gained to their ranks. It was against human
nature for the negro slave to voluntarily lake
up arms In behalf Of the rebel cause, even
under the alluring promise Of freedom. As a
last resort the Confederate authorities at
| tempted to strengthen their army by con-
scripting all able bodied negroes between the
ages Of eighteen and fifty years, but it was
| too late. April II was the day set to begin
| the draft, but on the 9th, three days before,
General Lee surrendered his army to the in
| trepid General Grant, and on the l2th, instead
of draft, the black phalanx of the union
! army entered the burning city of Richmond,
! scattering President Lincoln's proclamation
! opoipo IT. tho;r Iro<
and singing John Browns Body Lies a
MoulderiDg in the Ground" keeping time to
the music with a martial tread as they
proudly marched into the citadel of rebeldom.
Thus for twelve squares they marched sing
ing. steadily and in order, amid scenes of ex-
citement and frenzy and happiness never
paralleled in all the ages of the past.
may here be pardoned for introducing
short poem by John Hay, first published dur
| ing the war. Mr.. Hay will be remembered as
| one of the rprivate secretaries of President
Lincoln and with Mr.. Nicollay) as the author
OF that magnificent history Of the martyred
president but recently published. The poem
| is entitled "Bantv Tim" and is supposed 10
chronicle the remarks of Sergeant Tilmon
| Joy to white mans committee who had de.
| termned certain colored boy should no
longer be allowed to remain at Spunky Point,
ILL.,, where they resided. 1t illustrates three
| things-frst the prejudice existing at that
time against colored people; second, the
colored mans devotion to the Union soldier,
and third, the Union soldiers loyalty to the
colored man who had proven his friend in
time of sore need and distress. But we will
let the sergeant do his own talking. Q
! BANTY TIM.
reckon git your drift, gents
You low the boy sha'nt stay:
| This is a white mans country;
| Your Dimocrats, you say;
| And whereas and seem. and wnereoI,
! The times bein' all out O ]nt,
| The Niger has got to mosey
From the limits O. spunky Pint!
Les reason the thing a minnie:
I fI,ussn old fashioned DimOcrat too, s,.
Tnougn / laid ny politscs sut o. the WY
! For to keep It'll the war was through.
But come back here, s1lowin', ~
| To vote as used to do,
! Though it gravels me like the devil to train
| Along O. sich fools as you.
| Now dog my cats if kin see.
| In all the light OF the day.
| What you've got to do with the question
| Ii Tim shill 60 stay.
| And furder than that give notice,
If one of you tetches the boy,
| He kin check his trunks to warmer cline
Than he'll find in 1nanoy.
Why. blame your hearts. jest hear me-
When Know aFuef Heights how
ripped
! And torn and tattered we lay.
| When the rest retreated stayed behind,
Fur reasons sufficient to me,
With rib caved in, ana leg on strike,
| sprawled on that damned glacee.
Lord! how the hot sun went for us,
| And Drilled and blistered and burned;
How the rebel bullets whizzed round ns
| When q cuss in his death grip turned;
| Till along towards dusk seen thing
| couldn't believe for q spell:
That nigger-that Tim-wss . crawlin to me
| Through that 6re-proof gilt-edged hell;
| The rebels seen him quick as me,
And the bullets buzzed like bees;
| But he jumped for me, and shouldered me.
Though shot brought him once to his knees;
| But he staggered up and packed me on,
! With a dozen stumbles and falls,
| Till safe in our lines he drapped ns both,
| His black hide ridded with balls.
| So, my gentle gazelles, thar's my answer,
And here stays Banty Tim.
He trumped Deaths ace for me that day,
| And I'm not goin back on him.
You may rezoloot till the COWS come home,
| But if one of you tetches the boy.
| He'll Wrestle his hash tonight in hell,
| Or my names not TilmoH JOY.
! The young men of the present day can
scarcely realize the unhappy condition OF
their country during the four years of the
war. THE contest for supremacy was fierce
| and stubborn. when Greek meets Greek
then comes the tug Of war;" And 50 it was
when American met American. Battle fol-
| lowed battle. Sometimes victory perched on
| the banners of secession's hosts, again it
crowned the arms Of the soldiers of the union.
Year in and year out the struggle was pro-
tracted, Campaign followed campaign. The
war was between men accustomed to free
! dom-a war between sovereign citizens There
| were dark and gloomy days on both sides, as
| we'll as victories and high hopes. The victims
| were numbered by the tens of thousands
yea, by the hundreds of thousands. Victory
| was shadowed by the awful somberness of
death. Sorrow stalked abroad throughout
the LAND. There was weeping and wailing-
mourning for the dead slain in battle--ln
every hamlet, almost in every home Still
the contest went on. The thinned ranks were
replenished by brave young men and the
struggle was renewed. And thus from 1861 to
1866 did the loyal North and the rebel South