The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-09-27
Home Coming Soldiers.

~ Il dlhncT party up-tOTn the Otncr
night several former Union soldiers
aud one Confederate sat down.
The latter had ridden with j. +. b.
Stuart. He is now ''riding" about
for a northern concern. The talk turn
ed OH the home coming Of military
heroes and the southern man said:
Il was asked the other day in Pitts
burg az we watched the welcome Of
the people to the Tenth Pennsylvania
back from the PHILIPPINES what sort Of
reception we Johnny Rebs got when
VIC wcut home after the civil war.
Whipped soldiers are not often renur-
cd to march i'll bodies when they 20
home. The Confederatcs did not as a
whole. They did not in any way so
far as [ ever heard. They went back
in twos. or threes, but oftcncr one at a
time. You will know some day that
the civil war was unlike any other
war of history. When the Confeder-
atcs realized they were whipped they
were heartbroken. l am not making
any argument for the cause. But you
must consider the temperament of a
southern man to understand what de-
feat meant to him.
"fou people in the north would
have recovered if the north had been
whipped. You would have been at
Richmond, if we had succeeded, with
your Yankee inventions and schemes.
You would have got the contracts for
the Confederate States public works.
You would have had the contracts for
building our navy, for making our
guns. You would have revived your
industries from our Golfers. You
would have become partners in our
commerce. All this would have been
characteristic of you.
with the southern man it was diff
ferens. He was whipped, but hs was
sullen. He moped and would not
play. You people had the advantage
OF the play, Of course, but you might
have given the sulker show for his
white alley if he had shown disposi.
tion TO let you inside his yard. But
he barred the gate and scowled at you
through knot hole. And this trait
clung to him fer years, and he awoke
one morning to 6nd some Of you folks
in his field, and on his plantation
working:his soil, .,hile he was starving.
I en- he quit looking back and went
60 work. And now when you have
trade with southern man you do not
take advantage OF him as you did.
"Bus just after che surrender he was
in no mood to be received. The town
from which he had enlisted wac in no
condition to turn out in welcome and
hurrah, even IL o regiment had return
ed, or any body OF men. Gentlemen,
believe me there was not healthy
hurrah in che whole south ofter Lee 9
surrender. It wac nothing TO brag
about for sometime before that. Some
OF US saw the handwriting six months
before tho meeting % Grant aud Lee
at Appomattox.
''Tour soldiers returned home in
companies, battslions and regiments
They we're received by tho populace,
as We are now receiving our returning
soldiery from che PHILIPPINES, and as
" recently received them from Cuba.
But che Confederate snesked back, not
because he was ashamed of.what he
had done, for 20 this day we are
mighty sentative on. that point, but
because he had been whipped. It
takes brave man to acknowledge q
licking such as you gave us. Wo &C.
knowlcdged it all right to you, and at
home, but We did not want any hurrah
made about it. Our people were in no
mood 10 ring she bells or fire eho guns
when We We !. home. A man going
into his old nome in the night, climb
ing the back fence and going through
the garden, making peace with the
dog, knocking at the kitchen door, 10
not an inspiring spectacle. That q
thc way most Of US went back.
Very often there were no bells 90
ring. You Yankees shot them out Of
che chuEe. eseep.aa, es ctr psopse had
TO melt them FOR ammunition. We
were mighty shore toward the last
There were few house guns in Che
south during the war.
Occasionally Confederate resurn-
ed to find his town 80 battered that he
did not know it. He met strange