150. CL.
THE ANTIETAM DEDICATION.
Post Offis, Confedrit × Roads, }
(wich is in the Stait uv Kentucky),
September 30, 1867.
From Ohio to Washington! Ther is nary peace for me!
The sole uv my foot knows no rest. Wher Democrisy is in danger,
ther I am. I wuz called to Washinton to consult with the
friends uv the President in regard to the Anteetam Dedicashun.
The part his Eggslency wuz to take in that affair — wat he
wuz to say — wat others wuz to say, ez well ez who wuz to say
it, wuz a matter wich required not only profound thought, but
the most careful considerashun. Hence I wuz called.
I found assembled the entire Cabnet, with the addishen uv
Binckley; a gentleman recently arrived from a foreign
mission, named McCracken: Govenor Swann uv Maryland,
Ex-Governor Bradford; the poet of the day, General McPounder,
late uv Lee's staff, now uv the Maryland Melishy; Kernel
Screw, and twenty more who hed held posishens uv trust and
profit under the Confedracy, and who wuz now holdin correspondin
posishens under the Govner uv Maryland, all uv wich
wuz a discussin the various pints involved in this matter. The
President hed prepared a speech wich kivered thirty-eight
pages uv legle cap paper, and it was segested that he reed it.
In the impressive manner for which he is celebrated he
began: —
“Fellow Countrymen —”
“I object to that fraze,” said General McPounder. “It's
liable to misconstrucshun. Sposin that upon that stand shood
be them wich, doorin the fratrisidle struggle wich lost me my
niggers, wuz in the Fedral army? I object to bein considered
the fellows uv sich.”
The objeckshun wuz finally got over by the President's
agreein to turn, ez he uttered the words, to the Maryland
delegashun; wich satisfied em, ez the most ultra felt it wuz
enuff ef the President shood address himself excloosively to
Maryland Dimekrats ez his countrymen. He perceeded: —
“Gathered together onto a field wich the valor uv loyal
arms made forever memorable —”
Governor Swann objected. He wuz for consiliation. How
cood our Southern brethren who had taken the oath be consiliated,
ef the fact that they wuz wolloped wuz bein continually
flung at em? Besides, the word “loyal” wuz offensive to
the heft uv the Democracy. I sustained the objeckshun, and
it wuz stricken out. The President resoomed: —
“Feelin this day an uncommon solemnity, standin, ez we do,
over the mortal remains uv the thousands wich died in the
sacred cause uv Liberty, and in defence uv the flag uv our
coun —”
“Hold!” sed the impetuous Maryland General, “I protest.
In the name of Maryland I protest. Shel the Conservatives
uv that glorious State be insulted by alloosions to liberty
uv wich they are deprived, and to the flag wich is the symbol
uv oppression, and under wich we didn't fight?”
I sustained the objeckshun, and that wuz struck out. He
went on: —
“When I cast my eye over this field, and let it rest for a
instant on this spot where the impetuous foemen wuz driven
southward by our brave troops —”
Governor Swann remarked that on sich an occasion it wood
be perhaps better not to menshun the partikeler direckshun
in wich anybody wuz driven. Let it read, I wood say, thus:
“On this spot where the impetuous foeman wuz driven by our
brave troops.” Left thus it woodent be espeshally offensive
to anybody. It wood read ez well South ez North, for in that
encounter both sides wuz, at times, driven. I sustained the
amendment, and the President went on: —
“In fucher years the pilgrim to the shrine uv Liberty will
paws a moment on this spot, to drop a tear over the graves uv
them who here checked the advance uv the hosts uv the
rebellion, and —”
Governor Swann was averse to this. It wuzn't soothin to
the party wich wuz checked. It wood be better to reed,
“drop a teer over the spot onto wich fraternal blood wuz
shed.” Seein no objection to the amendment, I hed it done.
He went on: —
“The widder in her northern home may weep, but she may
console herself that her husband died for his country. She
may —”
Governor Swann broke in. “Sposn,” sed he, “you should
say, `The widder in her Northern or Southern home, ez the
case may be, may weep,' &c. Woodn't it be better?” I
thot so, and it wuz altered accordinly. The President perceeded:
—
“Here, upon this spot, the armed hosts of rebellion were
met and hurled back by —”
Governor Swann sejested that that be omitted. The word
“rebellion,” when applied to a brave people, who wuz strugglin
for wat they deemed their rites, wuz, to say the least, too
harsh. It wuz struck out, and the President went on: —
“Upon this spot, amid the roar uv cannon, the rattle uv
musketry, and the clash uv contendin arms, thousands uv the
brave sons uv patriotic sires gave up their lives.”
There wuz nothin in this objectionable. It cood apply to
either side or to both, but ez everythin before it hed been
stricken out, and ez there wuz alloosions follerin it that wood
hev to be, it wuz advisable to bust it, and accordinly I drew
my pencil over it.
The President then wanted to know wat in thunder he shood
say. Feelin that he must say suthin, I prepared for him the
follerin remarks: —
“My Fellow-Countrymen: I appear afore you, not for the
purpose uv makin any lengthy remarks: I simply desire to
express my approbashn uv the ceremonies which hev taken
place. My appearance is the speech wich I will make. I
cood make a speech wich wood tech yoor feelins, but my thots
is in communion with the dead — uv both sides — whose deeds
we are here to commemorate. I shel not attempt to give
utterance to the feelins and emoshuns inspired by the ceremonies
uv the day. Not any. I shel attempt no sich thing. I
am here to give countenance to the perceedins — to offishally
beam upon em — but I must be permitted to hope that we may
foller the example set us by the illustrious dead — uv both
sides — and think uv the brave men — uv both sides — who fell
in the fierce struggle uv battle, and who sleep silent in their
graves, yes — who sleep in silence and peace after the conflict
hez ceased. Would to God that we uv the livin cood emulate
their example ez they lay sleepin in the tombs. Wood that
we cood live, ez do the silent dead, in peace and friendship.
Yes, in peace and friendship, ez do the silent dead — uv both
sides. You, my fellow-countrymen, hev my earnest wishes, ez
yoo hev hed my efforts in times gone by, in the most tryin
perils, to restore peace and harmony to our distracted and
divided country, and yoo shel hev my last efforts in vindicatin
uv the flag uv the Republic, and the Constitooshn uv our
Fathers.”
I endeavored in this to preserve, ez nearly as possible, the
singularly beautiful and loocid style uv the President, that the
assembled thousands who shood hear it mite recognize it
to-wunst ez hizzen. The last sentence wuz objected to. The
Marylanders didn't know whether they cood sit in silence and
hear sich talk about the “Flag uv the Republic” and the
“Constitooshun uv our Fathers.” But they wuz overruled.
It wuz held, and properly, I think, that the Constitooshun uv
our Fathers shood be understood ez meanin that instrooment
afore the Ablishnists hed knocked out uv it all that made it
lovely in the eyes of Maryland — the nigger — and the flag ez
it wuz at that period. They wuz finally satisfied with it,
and Binckley teched up the speech in some miner pints for
delivery.
I didn't stay to the celebrashun, for I hed biznis elsewhere.
I writ the President's speech, so I knew that wuz rite; I heard
Bradford's orashen read, and wuz pleased with it. It wuz a
powerful apology for the Northern soldiers, and must hev had
a good effeck onto the Southern mind. Feelin that it wuz all
rite, I left agin for my feeld uv labor.
Petroleum V. Nasby, P. M.
(wich is Postmaster).
