The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-10-26
SAME AS IN 1854
7. M. Smith Tells of Northern
Copperhead Letters.
is AN Elk CONFEDERATE
Compares Filipino War to
That of the Rebellion.

There is q man In Wichita who mas
something to say in this campaign which
,s ~ unusual interest. That man is MI
n NJ Smith, who resides at SIS South
Market street. Mr. Smith relates num-
her Of his experiences while boy IN the
Confederate army. His home was IN Ine
,.a1,.,, NJ +ha Shenandoah and the farm
nos the site of the battle of FISHER
am near Cedar Greek, and also near the
nIaoa of Sheridan's famous ride mere
NJ smith was born and reared Inc
svmpathies of his people during the war
of tbe rebellion were with the noFIh'
while those Of neigkbors and those Oh
rat locality were with the confederacy.
The elder Smith was loyal to the union
and when the war broke out was IN the
north The son in question was 100
Young for service and remained at nome
during the greater portion OF the TIME
until 1854. The conscript hunters came
m The home, but owing to the smau
stature of the younger Smith he was not
nressed into service until the latter part
of the year of 1854.
He was then compelled to 60 to war
and with many of the neighborhood boys
were members OF one company.
In speaking of his experiences to a re-
porter for the Eagle, Mr.. Smith said:
NV people were all in sympathy with
the north. and when the war broke out
nv father was away from nome me
conscript hunters often came to our mouse
hut owing to my SIZE caused by an ac-
c.dent when child I was not compelled
n toin the southern force until in 1854.
rrbe neighbors who were in sympathy
with the south knew my age ard told
the conscript people and for that reason
was forced into the service. was not
able to do much, but for all that they
forced me to remain in the service"
Some times we had horses and then
again we were forced to go on foot.
When we had horses we went out into
the surrounding country, but as the ma
iorIty Of the boys were OF union send-
ment we did not care whether we did
anything or not
Every few days we were brought out
on dressparade and the adjutant or
some of the officers read letters from
the northern copperheads to inspire US to
renewed activity. They told US to hold
on until the November election and We
will give Lincoln and the Republican ar
mics all that they can attend to-" This
Is only one of the expressions that they
used in those letters. and you have no
idea how it cheered the men and how it
caused them to keep on in hopeless
fight.
whenever see the reasonable utter
ances in print regarding the foreign sit
uation I always remember those letters
and the manner in which they encour-
aged the southern soldier Then I COM
pare it TO the attitude of Aguinaldo and
believe from my own experience that if it
were not for encouragement from the
Democrats in this country, the Filipino
war would be ended.
''As the confederate cause became
more desperate, letters from the north
were read more frequently to the men
to encourage them to keep in the fight
1t meant then the loss of thousands Of
lives as 1t does today. 1t was simply
the encouragement of a hopeless cause
at a great cost, all because of the feel
ing of the northern copperheads."
Mr.. Smith escaped from the confederate
army before the close of the war and
went into Ohio and offered his services
TO the union men. but was rejected
owing TO his stature