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Thomas Christie to James Christie1 camp near atlanta, sept. 15, 1864 My Dear Father, At last we have settled down into the old routine of camp-life, roll-call twice a day, guard mount, feed-call, water-call, etc. etc. This morning we were inspected by Capt. Marvin, inspector Genl. On the Division sta¤. As always with us everything went o¤ quite creditably. Just now we have great interest in Politics. Among our 150 men there are about 10 Fremonters, and half that number McClellanites; so once in a while you will hear very spirited arguments. O course our democrats are all in favor of the war, like the Chicago “Post”; nothing of the “Times” breed could live with us. It is curious that all the McClellan men are among our new recruits. In this whole Army you do not find many veterans on the side of the man who blundered so on the Chickahominy. But several of our old veterans, especially the Germans, are radical Fremonters.2 All the rest of our men are in favor of our old Abe, “the Railsplitting Bu¤oon,” as the New York “World” calls him. Our fellows say that the President has done very well, considering all the circumstances; and that it would be folly to put either of the other two into his place. We do not think it wise to favor a policy which would overthrow all that we have been fighting for during the past 3 years. No, we say, 261 7 “We Had a Lively Time for Awhile” September 15, 1864–May 27, 1865 1. Transcribed in Thomas Christie reminiscence. 2. General James C. Fremont, a favorite of radical Republicans, made an unsuccessful bid for the presidential nomination in 1864. He had been the party’s candidate in 1856. Lincoln’s policy, while not always up to the mark, is on the whole, a good one; if we persevere under him for a while longer, as we have been doing, everything will yet come out right. Especially are we sound on the Negro question. Most of us would strike for Abolition more for the sake of the white than of the black. Our experience in the South has shown us that the owner su¤ers more than the slave from the evils of Slavery. It is plain to see that the great cause of the di¤erence between North and South as to wealth, education, business enterprise, indeed everything that makes a people great and happy, in the curse of Slavery. It may be wrong, but nearly all the abolitionists among our soldiers are moved far less by philanthropy in general, than by a wish for the welfare of our own race. The most of us will tell you that we would like to see the blacks removed from the country altogether. They are not at all capable of self-government. One or two generations of freedom and education are needed to fit them for it. It is unjust to judge of the capabilities of these poor creatures by what we see they are now, when they are just emerging from the terribly debasing influences of servitude. Fifty years hence, probably, they can begin to do something as a people. I have not much hope of any thing from the present generation, or even the next. They are just like children as yet; they need an immense amount of teaching. Again, I do not see how the two races can live together without injury to both. The white will domineer over the black, and the black will debase the white. However, in the midst of these doubts and fears for the future, I still have faith that God has work for this race to do; and that all He requires of us is to treat them with kindness and justice. We are only instruments in God’s hands; we shall be compelled to do our duty to the Negro whether we will or not. I am sure there never was an instance in the world’s history when abstract right so well accorded with present selfinterest as it does in the Abolition of slavery by our race. What astonishes us the most is that there should be found men at the North who oppose the measure. They have been brought up amid free Institutions; they know the contrast, there is in everything, between the free and the slave states; they can have not earthly interest in the preservation...

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