Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-04-12
The SIMPLE LIFE OF A COMMONFR
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

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foundation for this feeling cannot
be denied. We were a heterogeneous
people, thrown together from many
countries, whose political notions
and social views were very differ.
ent in some important respects from
our own. Then there We're also
commercial complications to be con.
sidered. Trade between the two
INections was of course utterly de
81 oyed except insofar as blockade
ne rs might be able to evade the
restiN ons imposed by the conflict
and rc1nx heir goods into southern
ports. Tho ,rge manufacturers and
traders of Il. York as well as the
cotton factor~. # Manchester and
Leeds were suff. immense losses
through the war. It is not to be
wondered at therefore, that these
people with the thousands of mill
operatives and workmen generally
who were dependent upon trade
with the South, should feel unkind-
ly toward combatants who were, as
they understood it, responsible for
their troubles. In addition to these
considerations, hostilities. were at
that period, confined almost entire
ly to the border states. In the west
We had not yet pierced beyond Mis-
souri, and Kentucky. Neither OF
these states had formally seeded
from the Union, though efforts had
been made to carry them out with
the other seeding states. Cover
nor Jackson of Missouri and Cover
nor McGofiin~ of Kentucky had done
their utmost, but both of them had
signally failed, for in spite of all
they were able to do their geo.
graphical position made their states
the battle ground across which the
armies marched and fought all
through the war; especially was this
the case with Kentucky Then, too,
the people were much more nearly
equally divided In their synlpathies
than was the case in the states
farther south. So it was quite diff
ficult often to know who were union
men and who were rebels; who were
entitled to have their property
guarded and who were not. In
view of all the facts, it must be con-
ceded that the officers in command
were acting wisely when they insist
ed on recognizing the rights of prop
erty, and punished severely any who
were found violating those rights.
In spite of all their efforts however,
the soldiers who were unable to ap-
preciate these considerations, moved
by desire for something besides
hard tack and salt pork raided the
surrounding country and acquired
perishable property, as opportunity
might offer, paying for what they
got when convinced that the owners
We're Union men and "gobbling" it
when they were known to be rebels.
So upon leaving Ironton it came to
pass that there opened before us as
fine field for this sort of enter
prise as the heart of any soldier
could wish for. Self appointed for
aging parties went out in all direc-
tions. securing the fields and the
woods for game, returning to camp
loaded down with the fruits of the
chase. Surely the pigs did squeal
the ducks did quack, the geese did
hiss and the turkeys did gobble. Nc
conference of ministers ever made
the chickens roost higher than they
roasted on that memorable march
Judging from pictures which ap-
peared in Harper's Weekly, repre-
senting scenes which were of every
day occurrence, one would almost
have to believe that Don Quixote
had risen from his grave to lead q
new onslaught on the fiocks of geese
which would persistently dispute
our passage of many a Missouri
Dardanelle.
One evening just about dark the
command reached a point where we
were to camp for the night. The
tents were pitched near farm
house, which was surrounded by
peach trees laden with fruit Now
it happened to be my turn to serve
as Sergeant of the Guard that night
In the line of duty l had placed
the guard about the house which
was occupied as headquarters fol
the officers, and in returning to my
| tent jumped over low stone wal
which served as fence. around the
house and orchard. had jumped
the wall because it was the shortes
cut between the guard line and the
camp, and ] was very hungry after
the all day march. 1t so happened