MOA_ADV
MOA_ADV
Alarming Evidence of Demoralization in the Army: pp. 36-37
p. 36
p. 37
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
in: Title: The Old Guard / Volume 1, Issue 2
Publisher: C. Chauncey Burr & Co Publication Date: Feb 1863
City: New York Pages: 316 page images in vol.
ALARMING EVIDENCES OF DEMORALIZATiON IN THE ARMY.
A SOLDIER in Burnside’s army, under
date of Jan. 3d, 1862, writes to a brother
in this city as follows:
“You ought to be here to see how
they treat negroes, and then see how
they treat white men. The negroes
have first rate tents with stoves in them
—get soft bread to eat most of the time,
and don’t have to do’night work. The
white men have no stoves, have to eat
hard tack, and do night work. The dif-
ference is, that here negroes are white
men, and white men negroes. I do not
believe we will have an abolitionist in
our regiment when we go home, although
there were plenty when we came here.
A white man in this army cannot go
anywhere, nor get anything, while a
negro goes where he pleases, and gets
whatever he wants, The negroes are
paid every month, while there are plenty
of regiments here which have not been
paid a cent in six months.”
A second lient. in the army wrote
borne January 13th: “I see that the pa.
pers represent that there is difficulty be.
tween Gen. Buruside and his officers
about another advance; but this is not
true, for the trouble is with the soldiers,
thousands of whom openly swear that
they will not be led into another slaugh.
ter pen for the glory of negroes. The
whole truth is that the President’s eman-
cipation message has driven the con-
viction into a large portion of the amy
that henceforth we are fighting only for
negroes. Unless there is some change
for the better this army is pretty near
done fighting. It is impossible to say
what they would do if they were actually
36
in an engagement, but with the temper
that at this moment prevails it will be
difficultto getthem into one. Thenews-
paper correspondents who write that,
“the army is impatient to advance”
know that they lie like the devil, unless
they mean that it is impatient to advance
home. There is a man of company B in
this regiment now in the lock-up for say.
ing that he wished he could get South
and do a little fighting against the abo-
litionists and negro Cs, for he was tirej
of fighting for them.”
A soldier in Gen. Grant’s division
writes to his sister in Williamsburg that:
“God knows I am sick and ashamed of
this army, if any such a mob of thieving
marauding vagabonds ought to be called
an army. You would blush for human
nature if I could with decency tell you
things which I have seen. I want you
to see and get him to use his in-
fluence with —— to procure me a {ur
lough to go home long enough to recruit
my health, for if I do not I shall die.
If I was a negro I could go wherever
I asked; but I am a white man and must
be left to die without pity. It serves
me right, for a white man has no business
here, stealing, burning houses and fight-
irig for niggers.”
A correspondent of the Daily Times,
writing from the Army of the Potomac,
gives the following bad account:
“General feeling of despondency, re-
sulting from mismanagement and our
want of military success. Soldiers are
severe critics, and are not to be bambooz-
led. You may marshal your array of
victories in glittering editorials—they
31
smile sarcastically at them. You see
men who tell you that they have been in
a dozen battles and were licked and
chased every time—they would like to
chase once to see how it “feels. “ This
begins to tell painfully on them. Their
splendid qualities—their patience, faith,
hope, courage, are gradually oozing out.
Certainly never were a graver, gloom.
ier, more sober, sombre, serious and un-
musical body of men than the Army of
the Potomac at the present time. It is
a saddening contrast with a year ago.~~
The same correspondent tells us that
the “ Administration looks with distrust
on the Army of the Potomac,” and that
the army “looks with distrust on the
Administration.” He affirms that Gen.
Halleck has declared that the army is
“disaffected and dangerous,” and that
“the army of the Potomac has ceased
to exist.” And again: “the animosity
in Washington towards the army is
amply repaid by the bitterness of the
army towards the Cabinet.”
This letter in the Times fully confirms
a remark made by a United States offi-
cer of high grade that, “since the ab-
olition proclamation Washington is quite
as much in danger as Richmond from
our own army.”
Now why do we publish these alarm-
ing evidences of the disgust, discontent,
and demoralization that prevail in the
army? Because it is time we ceased to
delude ourselves with fabricated good
news. It is time to stop lying. It is
time to look the real condition of things
in the face, and confront the stern facts
which, sooner or later, must be met and
dealt with fairly and truly. We do not
deceive the South by our falsehoods, we
only deceive arid delude ourselves. The
South knows our condition better, a
good deal, than we are permitted to
know it ourselves, Mr. Lincoln has de.
moralized the very best portion of the
army with his tender concern for ne-
groes, and his unnatural indifference to
the rights and dignity of white soldiers.
Alarming Evidence of Demoralization in the Army: pp. 36-37
p. 36
p. 37
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
in: Title: The Old Guard / Volume 1, Issue 2
Publisher: C. Chauncey Burr & Co Publication Date: Feb 1863
City: New York Pages: 316 page images in vol.
ALARMING EVIDENCES OF DEMORALIZATiON IN THE ARMY.
A SOLDIER in Burnside’s army, under
date of Jan. 3d, 1862, writes to a brother
in this city as follows:
“You ought to be here to see how
they treat negroes, and then see how
they treat white men. The negroes
have first rate tents with stoves in them
—get soft bread to eat most of the time,
and don’t have to do’night work. The
white men have no stoves, have to eat
hard tack, and do night work. The dif-
ference is, that here negroes are white
men, and white men negroes. I do not
believe we will have an abolitionist in
our regiment when we go home, although
there were plenty when we came here.
A white man in this army cannot go
anywhere, nor get anything, while a
negro goes where he pleases, and gets
whatever he wants, The negroes are
paid every month, while there are plenty
of regiments here which have not been
paid a cent in six months.”
A second lient. in the army wrote
borne January 13th: “I see that the pa.
pers represent that there is difficulty be.
tween Gen. Buruside and his officers
about another advance; but this is not
true, for the trouble is with the soldiers,
thousands of whom openly swear that
they will not be led into another slaugh.
ter pen for the glory of negroes. The
whole truth is that the President’s eman-
cipation message has driven the con-
viction into a large portion of the amy
that henceforth we are fighting only for
negroes. Unless there is some change
for the better this army is pretty near
done fighting. It is impossible to say
what they would do if they were actually
36
in an engagement, but with the temper
that at this moment prevails it will be
difficultto getthem into one. Thenews-
paper correspondents who write that,
“the army is impatient to advance”
know that they lie like the devil, unless
they mean that it is impatient to advance
home. There is a man of company B in
this regiment now in the lock-up for say.
ing that he wished he could get South
and do a little fighting against the abo-
litionists and negro Cs, for he was tirej
of fighting for them.”
A soldier in Gen. Grant’s division
writes to his sister in Williamsburg that:
“God knows I am sick and ashamed of
this army, if any such a mob of thieving
marauding vagabonds ought to be called
an army. You would blush for human
nature if I could with decency tell you
things which I have seen. I want you
to see and get him to use his in-
fluence with —— to procure me a {ur
lough to go home long enough to recruit
my health, for if I do not I shall die.
If I was a negro I could go wherever
I asked; but I am a white man and must
be left to die without pity. It serves
me right, for a white man has no business
here, stealing, burning houses and fight-
irig for niggers.”
A correspondent of the Daily Times,
writing from the Army of the Potomac,
gives the following bad account:
“General feeling of despondency, re-
sulting from mismanagement and our
want of military success. Soldiers are
severe critics, and are not to be bambooz-
led. You may marshal your array of
victories in glittering editorials—they
31
smile sarcastically at them. You see
men who tell you that they have been in
a dozen battles and were licked and
chased every time—they would like to
chase once to see how it “feels. “ This
begins to tell painfully on them. Their
splendid qualities—their patience, faith,
hope, courage, are gradually oozing out.
Certainly never were a graver, gloom.
ier, more sober, sombre, serious and un-
musical body of men than the Army of
the Potomac at the present time. It is
a saddening contrast with a year ago.~~
The same correspondent tells us that
the “ Administration looks with distrust
on the Army of the Potomac,” and that
the army “looks with distrust on the
Administration.” He affirms that Gen.
Halleck has declared that the army is
“disaffected and dangerous,” and that
“the army of the Potomac has ceased
to exist.” And again: “the animosity
in Washington towards the army is
amply repaid by the bitterness of the
army towards the Cabinet.”
This letter in the Times fully confirms
a remark made by a United States offi-
cer of high grade that, “since the ab-
olition proclamation Washington is quite
as much in danger as Richmond from
our own army.”
Now why do we publish these alarm-
ing evidences of the disgust, discontent,
and demoralization that prevail in the
army? Because it is time we ceased to
delude ourselves with fabricated good
news. It is time to stop lying. It is
time to look the real condition of things
in the face, and confront the stern facts
which, sooner or later, must be met and
dealt with fairly and truly. We do not
deceive the South by our falsehoods, we
only deceive arid delude ourselves. The
South knows our condition better, a
good deal, than we are permitted to
know it ourselves, Mr. Lincoln has de.
moralized the very best portion of the
army with his tender concern for ne-
groes, and his unnatural indifference to
the rights and dignity of white soldiers.
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