Sentence:  In a similar vein , but writing from the opposite side , Thomas Taylor , a private in the 6 th Alabama Volunteers , in a letter to his wife , stated : `` You know that my heart is with you but I never could have been satisfied to have staid at home when my country is invaded by a thievin foe By a set of cowardly <WSD>Skunks</WSD> whose Motto is Booty . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible