Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1899-11-18

When Johnny Reb Went Home.
At a dinner party the other night
several former union soldiers and one
ex-cenfederate sat down. The latter
had ridden with ]. E. B. Stuart. He is
now riding" about for northern con-
Germ. The talk turned on the home
coming OF military heroes, and the
southern man said: 81 was asked the
other day in Pittsburg as we watched
the welcome OF the people to the
Tenth Pennsylvania back from the
Philippines what sort Of a reception We
Johnny Rebs got when We went home
after the civil war. Whipped soldiers
are not often required to march in
bodies when they go home. The con-
federates did not as a whole. They
did not in any way 80 far as I ever
heard. They went back in twos or
threes but oftener one At time. You
will know some day that the civil war
was unlike any other war OF history.
When the confederates realized that
they were whipped they were heart
broken. I am not making any argu-
ment for the cause. But you must con-
slider the temperament Of a southern
man to understand what defeat means
to him. You people in the north would
have recovered il the north had been
whipped. You would have been at
| Richmond, II We had succeeded, with
your Yankee inventions and schemes.
You would have gotten the contracts
I I'D foVo nlh
works. You would have had the con-
tracts for building our navy. for max
ing our guns You would have built
our railroads You would have reviy-
ed 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 ii was different. He
was whipped. but he was sullen. He
moped and would not play. You peo-
pie had the advantage in the play, OF
course. but you might have given the
sulker a show for his white alley IL he
had shown disposition to let you in
side his yard But he barred the gate
and scowled at you through a knot
hole. And this trait chung to him for
years. and he awoke one morning to
find some of you folks IN his field, and
on his plantation, working his soil
while he was starving. Then he quit
looking back and went to work. And
now when you have a trade with q
southerner you do not take advantage
OF him as you did Bat just after the
surrender he was in no mood to be re-
ceived. The town from which he hat
enlisted was in no condition to turf
out in welcome and hurrah, even II
a regiment had returned, or any bod,
of men. Gentlemen, believe me there
was not q healthy hurrah in the whole
south after Lees surrender. 1t was
nothing to brag about for some time
before that Some OF US saw the hand
writing six months before the meetint
OF Grant and Lee at Appomattox
Your soldiers returned home in com
panies, battalions and regiments. The!
were received by the populace, as VI
, are now receiving our returning sol
diery from the Philippines. and as VI
! recently received them from Cuba
But the confederate sneaked back. no
i because he was ashamed OF what h,
had done, for to this day We are might.
: sensitive on that point, but because h
had been whipped. II takes brav
man to acknowledge licking such a
> YOU gave us. We acknowledged it al
l right to you, and at home, but We di
r not want any hurrah made about IL
. Our people were In no MOOD to rim
} the bells or fire the guns when we wen
home. A man going into his old hom
in the night. climbing the back fenc
1 and going through the garden, max
, ing peace with the dog, knocking a
, the kitchen door, is not an inspirin
, spectacle. That's the way most of u
e went back. Very often there were n
n bells to ring. You Yankees shot ther
/ out of the church steeples, or our pee
Pile had to melt them for ammunition
. We were mighty short toward the las
!, There we're few house guns in tn
!, south during the war. Occasionally
confederate returned to find his tow
so battered that he did not know 1
: He met strange faces in the streets
Familiar land marks had disappeared
Sometimes he found the foundation {
his old home, and 1t was overgrow
with grass. Whole towns disappeare,
- and communities removed. In som
u sections OF the south during the war
!. know many ex-confederates today VIII
were never mustered out. The
n punched us and told us to 60. and "
" scattered In every direction. l know
6 man in my state who Is holding fe<