| | 1 | Author: | Bitner Collection: Cressler, Alex | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Letter to Henry A. Bitner  | | | | Published: | 1998 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Text collection | UVA-LIB-Text | UVA-LIB-Bitnerletters | Henry Bitner letters | Bitner collection | Letters written to Henry A. Bitner | | | | Description: | Yours of yesterday was received in due time and being fully digested I embrace
this privilege of writing to you again. I was sorry to hear of your
disappointment on Saturday last, and can only measure your feelings by imagining
what mine would have been under corresponding circumstances. Saturday was a
day of interest and satisfaction to me having never seen the like before, when I
cast my eyes along the line, which was formed along the one side of the street,
with arms presented and beheld the field of bayonets elevated above the heads of
thous- ands, and the Governor of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which is the Key-stone
of the Arch, moving steadily and silently along that line, with his penetrating
eye firmly fixed upon them, and his countenance remaining unmoved and
apparently speaking of the condition of the Country and the object for
which so many sons of labor had been called together, I was led to exclaim, "who
can tell what a day may bring forth." From a
person who came from Williamsport Md. yesterday we learned that two Regiments of Secessionists
had come there and by yesterday's Tribune, that the plan is to come on
through until they reach Philadelphia, in order to get
provisions, should they attempt to carry out that design, we will have a
bloody time here, and you may be sure the men here will give them a breakfast
job at any rate, and I hope Shippensburg and the Pines will, by the time they reach you, have their 10
O'clock peace ready for them and see that every man gets his portion due.
This is to much to trifle about, as it may be their design, however I am not yet
uneasy, but should they come it may be that I might never see you again let
come what will, I expect to be prepared for the worst that can happen to me. The citizens of
Chambrg.
are calm, and do not apprehend an attack from the rebels from the
South. I have not in my imagination marked out the plan by which the present
troubles may be settled, but find that the opinion of some is that war is
the only remedy. if such be true then the Northern boys
must go to the work, and what could be more cheering to the hearts of freeman
such as we are, than to see that the whole north will
move to the
work, as one mighty machine none of the
parts being wanting, but all complete, and all of which have been tried in
the days of '76, and found to be as true
a steel, and since the fall of Sumpter it has been greatly strengthened and now is the Greatest
Structure, and most
complet machine under the Canopy of Heaven, and when
it begins to move forward upon the foe, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific,-every part
reveling in grandeur and might, not being driven by steam, but the hearts
blood of million, and the smiles of Heaven, although moving slowly, its tread
will be the surer, and long before it reaches Cape Sable,
secession will be crushed out of existence, and like a
mighty cloud, it will rain Union sentiments on every farm and plantation south
of Mason's and Dixon's Line. Let us start the ball rolling, and
send seces sion to the place from whence it came,
you will now allow me to tell you a little anecdote, which I heard a few
days ago Mr.— A said "that it has often been his wonder what the D—l tempted people to sin for that their sin could not make
him any better," when Mr.— B
said, "Don't you know that he is a secessionist -that he was the first to
seceed from Heaven, and consequently the father of secession," —more truth
than joke — This is a day of sweet recolection to me, being the 21st day of
May. "Rather let my right hand forget her cunning and my tongue cleave to
the roof of my mouth," than for me to forget my hours of unalloyed peace three
years ago at old
Stony-Point,
Those were the happy hours of my life. And I
hope the Friend I there formed may be my friend for life — would to
God that all who participated in that season of refreshment might be able
to say — My labors there have not been in vain, I hope you will
let your mind run back to that era in your life and call to memory the hours
that you with me and many others spent there. Henry dear remember then. I am looking for you this week; dont forget to come. I have been interupted a great deal while writing this, so that you will find
some trouble in reading it. write soon I if it is not to much trouble, I sometimes
think that I am imposing on your time to ask you to write but I cant help it no person else will write and I am very glad
to hear from the pines. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
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