The Columbus journal., 1899-10-25
When Johnny Reb Wont Home.

AT u UiuucA poiSy SuS Os
several former union soldiers and one
ex-confederate sat down. The latter
had ridden with J. E. B. Stuart. He Is
now riding" about for a northern con-
Germ. The talk turned on the home
coming Of military heroes. and the
southern man said: Il 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 60 home. The con-
federates did not as a whole. They
did not in any way so far as l ever
heard. They went back In twos or
threes but oftener n at a time. You
will know some day that the civil war
was unlike any other war Of history.
When the confederates realized that
they we're whipped they were heart
broken. 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 II 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
for the Confederate States public
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 reviv-
ed your industries from u Golfers.
You would have become partners in
our commerce. All this would have
been characteristic Of you. With the
southern man it 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 II he
had shown a 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 n morning to
find some of you folks in his field. and
on his plantation, working his soil.
while he vas starving. Then he quit
looking back and went to work. And
now when you have a trade with a
southerner you do not take advantage
of him as you did. But just after the
surrender he was in no mood to be re-
ceived. The town from which he had
enlisted was in no condition to turn
out in welcome and hurrah, even II
a regiment had returned. or any body
of men. Gentlemen. believe me there
was not a 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 meeting
Of Grant and Lee at Appomattox.
Your soldiers returned home in com-
panies, b~attalions and regiments. They
were received by the p~opulace, as We
are now receiving our returning sol
diery from the Philippines, and as we
recently received them from Cuba.
But the confederate sneaked back, not
because he was ashamed Of what he
had done. for to this day We are mighty
sensitive on that point, but because he
had been whipped. 1t takes a brave
man to acknowledge a licking such as
you gave us. We acknowledged it ell
right to you, and at home, but We did
not want any hurrah made about 1t.
Our people were in no mood to ring
the bells or fire the guns when we went
home. A man going into his old home
in the night, climbing the back fence
and going through the garden, max
ing peace with the dog, knocking at
the kitchen door, is not an inspiring
spectacle. That's the way most of us
went back. Very often there were no
bells to ring. You Yankees shot them
out Of the church steeples, or our peo-
pie 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 a
confederate returned to find his town
so battered that he did not know it.
He met strange faces in the streets.
Familiar land marks had disappeared.
Sometimes he found the foundation of
his old home. and 1t was overgrown
with grass. Whole towns disappeared,
and communities removed, in some
sections Of the south during the war. l
NOW many ex-confederates today who
we're never mustered out. They
punched US and told US to go, and we
scattered in every direction. I know a
man in my state who is holding a fed
eral Office who never surrendered. and
who was never discharged from the
confederate service. No wal ever had
as many strange situations. as many
curious results. IS hat war;"