[from the diary of Charles Hays of the 23rd Ohio]
Fayetteville, Feb. 23rd, 1862.
The monotony of camp was broken this
morning by the boom, boom, of one of McMullin’s
six=pounders, which was being fired in
commemoration of Washington’s birthday, firing
34 rounds, one for each State, all of which ought to
be harmonious and united, at peace with each
other other and all the world beside, had
fanatics and misguided philanthropists (so=called)
been guided by wisdom and prudence, and,
instead of trying to subvert, to observe the our
glorious Constitution, and to heed the wise counsels
contained in the Farewell Address of the
ever=glorious Washington, who lived, fought,
and labored to establish the United States
Government, now attempted to be overthrown
by the degenerate descendents of revolutionary sires;
and whose dying breath contained warnings
and injunctions for us to preserve our unity
in order to retain our independence and free
government. The causes of our present difficulties
and deplorable condition as a nation, are not hard
to explain, having their origin in the manner
in which “The Father of his country” advised
us to guard against, and which can be traced
to prominent individuals, and others less
prominent, in the North, as well as the South.
These abolitionists, who have not openly declared
their enmity to the Union, but who would be
glad to see our once happy nation torn into
fragments, and inwardly chuckle at the prospect
of such a consummation, are villains and traitors, as
bad as the openly avowed Southern secessionist.
Whatever professions of loyalty and patriotism he
has made is mere moonshine, feints to deceive
the unsuspecting. I am no Southern sympathizer,
but, on the contrary, am a friend of the Union,
have always tried to be, and hope to die an
devoted adherent to those principles our Fathers
inculcated in the foundation of our Government,
And I think that the Southern States in
precipitating the country into a civil war com=
=mitted a wrong act, a criminal act, for
which I hope to see the main instruments to
suffer; that their grievances, if any there were,
could have been better remedied than by plunging
a comparatively peaceful people into a civil war.
Neither am I a rampant abolitionist, warring
upon one section of our nation to satisfy a
local prejudice, or because customs and
institutions there do not exactly correspond
to my notion, but I leave all to establish
their own local laws as best suited to their
own condition. Most heinous in my sight
are all abolitionists who make such pretensions
to loyalty and piety, while at the same
time they are plotting some scheme for undermining
the nation, or of depriving a fellow=countryman
of his property recognized by his own local laws,
and this he does at dead of night, when all
honest persons should be at repose. Such
persons I can consider in no other light
than Enemies of their country, and the most
mean and detestable kind, who will suffer
in comparison to Davis, Toombs, Cobb, Floyd, &c.
Even now in the day of our trial, when
the interest and labors of every true National
man should be enlisted in behalf of our
country, these accursed pests are ever con=
=sidering what will they can do for the
“niggers”, and “nigger,” “nigger” being their constant
cry, that colored individual being paramount
to the salvation of our beloved country.
May they meet the fate of all other
traitors, which it is hoped will soon
bn in our power to mete out to the
chief designers of this rebellion, is the
fervent wish and prayer of all Unionists
and particularly of Yours, &c, Chas. Hay.
MSS 13925
