Monday, May 26, 2008

With Feeling...

With regards to the feeling of Confederate soldiers on certain issues, the following is from the Personal Recollections of Sherman's Campaigns by Captain George Pepper, 80th Ohio Infantry;

"...a corporal of Company I, 60th Illinois, broke from the line, and under cover of projecting ledges, got up within twenty feet of a squad of rebels on the summit. Taking shelter from the sharpshooters, he called out:
'I say, rebs, don't you want to hear Old Abe's Amnesty Proclamation read!'
'Yes! yes!' was the unanimous cry, 'give us the ape's proclamation.'
'Attention!' commanded the corporal; and in a clear and resonant voice he read the Amnesty Proclamation to the rebels whose hands were raised to destroy the fabric of a Government established by our fathers. When he arrived at those passages of the Proclamation where the negro was referred to, he was interrupted by cries of 'none of your damned Abolitionism! Look out for rocks!' and down over his hiding-place decended a shower of stones and rocks. Having finished ther reading, the corporal asked:
'Well, rebs, how do you like the terms? Will you hear it again!'
'Not to-day, you bloody Yankee. Now crawl down in a hurry, and we won't fire,' was the response, and the daring corporal descended and rejoined his command..."

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