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

~ Qlnuer parry uptown Luc OIAcl
night several former Union soldiers
and one ex-Confederate sat down.
The latter had ridden with J. Z. B.
Stuart. He is now riding about
fora northern concern. The talk turn
cd on the homecoming of military
| heroes and the southern man said:
II was asked the other day in Pitts
burg as we watched the welcome Of
the people to the Tenth Pennsylvania
back from the PHILIPPINES what sort OF
reception we Johnny Rebs got when
we went home after the civil war.
Whipped soldiers are not often rcnulr-
ed TO march in bodies when they 90
home. The Confederates did not as a
whole. They did not in any way so
far as I ever heard. They went back
in twos, or threes, but oftener one at a
time. You will know some day that
the civil war was unlike any other
war Of history. When the Confeder-
ates realized they were whipped they
were heartbroken. [ 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.
"You people in the north would
have recovered if the north had been
whipped. You would have been at
Richmond, if ne 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 he 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 for years, and he awoke
one morning to 6nd some Of you folks
in his field, and on his plantation
workiug:his soil, .,hile he was starving.
T EN- he quit lookiug back and went
20 work. And now when you have
trade with q southern man you do not
take advantage Of him as you did.
"But just after the surrender he was
in no mood to be received. The town
from which he had enlisted was in no
condition to turn out in welcome and
hurrah, even IL Q regiment had return
ed, or any body OF men. Gentlemen,
believe me there WAS not healthy
hurrah in the whole south after Lee 8
surrender. 1t was nothing to brag
about for sometime before that. Some
OF us saw the handwriting six months
before tho meeting Of Grant and Lee
at Appomsttox.
"four soldiers returned home in
companies, battalions ard regiments
They were received by the populace,
as We are now receiving our returning
soldiery from che PHILIPPINES, and as
we recently received them from Cubn.
But the Confederate sneaked back, not
because he was ashamed of'what he
hsd done, for TO this day we are
mighty sensitive on that point, but
because he had been whipped. 1t
takes brave man to acknowledge o
licking such as you gave us. We ac-
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 to ring the bells or fire tho guns
when We went home. 4 man going
into his old home in the night, climb
ing the back fence aud going through
the garden, making peace With the
dog, knocking at the kitchen door, is
nc. an inspiring spectacle. That's
the way most Of US went back.
"Very often there were no bells TO
ring. Sou Yankees shot them out Of
the chui,h stecplcs, or our people had
| TO melt them for ammunition. We
were mighty short toward the last
There were few house guns in the
south during the war.
Occasionally q Confederate return
ed to find his town so battered that he
did not know it. He met strange
faces in the streets. Familiar land