University of Virginia Library

83. LXXXIII.
MR. NASBY AND HIS FRIENDS HOLD A MEETING
ON THE FALL OF CHARLESTON.

Ther air but a very few troo Dimekrats left
in this sekshun uv Noo Gersey—very few. The
young wuns hez all enlistid and turnd Ablishnists,
and the old wuns er a peggin out with delirium
tremens. The whisky we git now-a-days burns
our coppers out feerfly.

A few uv us, whose stumicks is trooly glass,
met last nite to shed a teer or 2 over the fall uv
Charleston. Square Potts, who hez bin the reglar
chairman for this county for thirty yeers, tuk the
cheer, on his own motion, weepin perfoosely.

Obed Peesly, who is our ex-offisho secretary,
bein the only wun in this visinnity who kin rite,
took his seet, without a motion, a weepin profoosely.

The rest uv the awjence moved that they be
vice-presidence, wich wuz carried, and they took
their seets as sich, weepin perfoosely.

Here a hitch okkurred—there wuz noboddy left
for committy on resolushens. 3 uv the vice-presidence
promptly resined and wuz electid ez sich
committy, when they (weepin perfoosely) reportid
the follerin, wich the secretary had prevously rit:

Wareas, Charlston, the only plais on the continent
wher pure Dimokrasy abidid, hez follerd
Atlanty and Savanner, and fallen in2 the hands
uv Ablish hirelins; and,

[Here the secretary paused, that the flore mite
be mopt.]

Wareas, The prospek is lively for Richmond,
and the rest uv the Confederasy follerin soot,
there4, be it

Resolvd, That we emfattically and unreservedly
protest agin a further continooance uv this unholy,
unconstooshnel, unmittygatid and sooisidle
war.

Resolvd, That we now manetane what we hev
alluz assertid, that 8 milyuns uv free white men
can't be subjoogatid at enny price.

Resolvd, That we congratulait our heroic brethren
uv the South, who is strugglin for ther rites,
upon the successful evacuation uv Atlanty and

Savanner and Charleston, becoz, hevin them plasis
less to defend, they kin consentrait sumwheres to
better advantige.

Resolvd, That the slownis uv England and
France at interferin, deservs our reprehenshun,
and that ef they air ever goin to do it, now 's the
time.

Resolvd, That them Dimekrats who let on they
feel ez good ez the Ablishnists do over these victrys,
is unworthy the name. We warn em that it
ain't no yoose. The Ablishnists have enuff strateouters
uv ther own to hold all the orfises, and that
turnin into war-men, at this lait day, is ruther 2
fishy to fool even the blindest uv em.

Resolvd, That we damnd the war at the beginnin,
and that we, uv Noo Gersey, dam it now, and
will so continyoo to the end uv the chapter, bein
conservative and terribly sot in our way.

Resolvd, That callin out 300,000 fresh men to
fite our eggsaustid Suthern brethrin, is not only
unshivilrous, but is takin a mean advantige uv a
noble peeple, and that we hereby demand uv
Linkin that he revoke the order.

Resolvd, That sutch uv us ez air draftid shel
hev the privilige uv choosin wether they will die
in their own dore-yards, or run to Canady. We
onhesitatingly recommend the latter coarse, providin

alluz, they kin git back afore the next eleckshun.

The resolushuns were, uv coarse, adoptid—the
cheerman, ez is the custum here wen he wants
resolutions past, only puttin the affirmative side.
After wich I felt a call to speek, and I did so,
remarkin:

That the loosnis with wich teers wuz bein shed,
showd that the hart uv the Dimokrasy wuz
tutched; that I wuz glad 2 see em flow, becoz it
showd how clost a feelin eggsistid atween the Dimokrasy,
North and South. But there wuz reely
no cause for teers.

The triumfs the Ablishnists hed gained were no
advantagis. Charleston hed fallen, it wuz troo.
While I regrettid the hard necessity, I wuz trooly
glad uv it. The feelins uv them peeple hed bin
hurt, no dout. But wat uv that? It wuz easier
to let go uv Charleston than 2 hold on to it.
They coodent hold that city enny more than they
cood Atlanty and Savanner, and, there4, strategy
required its surrender. The good uv the Confedrisy
required that they should leave, and O, my
brethren, with wat alackrity they obeyed the call.
They may find it necessary to resine Richmond.
Shel we ther4 be cast down? Not enny. I see
Lee's strategy. He calkilates on givin up all

them towns. Grant and Sherman will hev to
leave a garrison in each uv em, until ther armies
is all divided up in2 garrisons; then cums the
krisis. He takes them small garrisons, 1 at a
time, and gobbles em. That 's his ijee, I make
no dout. Let us, my brethrin, keep a stiff upper
lip. The more territory Sherman gits, the
wuss he is orf. I wate impashently to heer uv
his marchin on, feelin that at last Lee will wax
him.

I concludid, leavin em in good humor. Takin
advantij uv the feelin, I borrered sum eight dolars
uv 12 uv em, wich, with wat credit I hev establisht
here, will keep me runnin sum time.