Caldwell County MO Archives History .....PRAISE AND CRITICISM FOR PRESIDENT LINCOLN 
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Karen Walker khw4@yahoo.com September 4, 2008, 2:01 pm

PRAISE AND CRITICISM FOR PRESIDENT LINCOLN
	What Some of Soldiers Wrote Home About the Civil War President
	Narrator:  Mrs. Robert Morris, Hamilton

     Mrs. Morris happened to have several letters written by two uncles who 
were Union soldiers in the Civil War.  From these, she gave the interviewer 
several extracts which show that old Abe Lincoln was not entirely an object of 
hero worship at that time.  Uncle serving at Harper's ferry in Aug 3 1864 
wrote, "The talk is that the rebels are going to Maryland again.  I do not 
care if they do.  It appears to me that our generals are not worth a dam here 
lately.  And if old Abe and his men under him don't do better between now and 
election, he can't have my vote, and there are plenty more besides me.  I 
think he will put off the draft till after election, and if he does, he will 
not get many votes in the army."
     Another says, "We ought to have them men long ago, for I do not believe 
in a few men doing all the fighting.  Some may think it is all right, but I 
don't.  We have had over 100 men in our company since we came out, and now we 
have 13.  We do need more.  What will people care for a soldier when they come 
home?  They will say, 'HE WAS ONLY A PRIVATE.'  I have seen enuf to satisfy me 
already."
     Another letter dated Aug 1 1864, tells of the common opinion felt at that 
time toward one "hundred day men," a common form of enlistment then for short 
time service.  This letter was to Mary Crisswell at Canal Dover Ohio from her 
brother John in camp at Baltimore.  "I have been in another big battle of July 
9 near Frederick City Md. and we got the worst of the bargain.  The rebels had 
about 20000 and we had 6000 in our division.  There were also 3000 one hundred 
day men, and they are worth nothing in a fight.  We fought from 9 in the 
morning till 9 in the evening, and then they came too strong for us, we had to 
break and run."  J.W.C.
     Another letter dated Feb 16 1865, says that the Union troops are on 
friendly terms with the Southern ones, "We don't get to sleep while on picket, 
for the pickets in our army are not more than 50 yards from the Southern 
pickets.  We can talk with the Johnnies and exchange papers with them."
     Levi Crisswell another brother at Bridgeport ALA., wrote Aug 16 about the 
draft of 1864, "I suppose there are a few men up north that are scratching 
their heads about the draft that 'miserable Abe Lincoln' is going to make on 
them, good.  It does me good, more good than $1000 bounty.  I hope that it 
will take in some of those French gentlemen about 9 miles from home.  They 
have been friends of mine, those peace men about Fredericksburg.  I would just 
give my bounty and pay to see old John, drafted into the army.  Not for any 
good we could expect of him, but for the moral effect it would have."
     Theses letters remind us of the draft talk of 1918.
     Interview  1934.


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