Berwick City Louisiana October 1^th 1863

 

            My Deare Wife

                                    I again Seate my Selfe to write you a few liens although it is but one day since I wrote to you a letter giving you my opinion about traitors at Home as you Started the Subject you must not censure me for still Saying more. you are well aware I was never an abolitionist neither do I hate the poor Negro for God made them and I beleive it never was designed that they should be on an equality with white men and I hate and despise a white man that entertains sutch ideas but I assure you these people South are the last people that should talk to us about Negro equality for there is scarsly a full Blooded young Negro to be found in this Country for white men here Calling them selves Southren Gentlemen think it no disgrace to sleepe with a Wench how common it is in passing by some of those large Plantations to see a lot of young yellow Negroes setting on the fence maney of them Blue eyed and having Strait Haire I could freely shoot the Fathers of all sutch children and they have the impudence to call us abolitionist and I beleive that Slavery is and alwas has been a curse to this Country but it was brought here by our Fathers and I have always been in favor of letting it alone untill the people in the States wher it exists seen proper to dispose of it and I beleive at this time as long as the Negroes are among us it would be better to keepe them down here as slaves but I hope to see the day when there is not a Negro in all our land if I was in Indiana this day and it was left to a vote what to do whith the Negroes in that State I woulde vote send them to Africa if it cost halfe the State was worthe and if that coulde not be done I woulde have them helde as Slaves those are my views and always have been and I care not who knows it and I am in favor of this war being carried on untill the Rebels lay down there arms as long as there is a dollar or / a man left to pull a triger of a gun I blame the abolitionist of the Northe and the Political Scoundrels of the south in geting up this difficulty the South fiered the first gun and brought on this terrible war by there leaders wishing to destroy our glorious Union why did they not waite and see if Lincoln woulde interfere with Slavery wher it existed and if he had done so the good People of the North would have helped them through so as to mentained there rights at all hazard if the abolitionist had commenced the war as the Rebels have done to breake up this great goverment I woulde be in favor of serving them just as we are doing the Rebels. I done all I coulde again Lincoln before he was elected but he was elected by the Majority of the people acording to our Laws and he is my President as long as he tries to carry out the laws of our Country and land if we had elected a Democrat evry true Republican would or should have saide he is my President as long as he does his duty I am a Democrat and in favor of puting down Rebels and Traitors wher ever they may be Northe or South it may be you think we have nothing to reade or do not know what is going on at Home but sutch is not the case we have News papers from all parts of the United States I have all of that Traitors Vallandigham Speeches in my Trunk he is a man of tallent and has done the Country great harme if it had not been for sutch men as him this war would have been at an end the Rebels here say to us you will soon have war at home with the Copperheads and then we will beate you they have men travling all through the Northe to ascertain the feelings of the people if the Rebels would say we are willing to quit and will behave our selves if you will give us our rights as they wer before the war commenced but that they will not say as long as there is any hopes of a dificulty betwen us up Northe I have talked with maney of them bothe Union and Rebels of this Country / when ever any persons says to you the Rebels are willing to quit and behave them selves it is false for when they say that we will soon be Home for the Soldiers are carrying on this war but they do say let us alone and we will let you alone that is to say let us set up a goverment of our own let us have your Forts and part of your Territorys yet unseteled and all the Property we have stolen from you and have full possession of the Missisipi River and all of Texas if we did have a war with Mexico for it and let us have the Louisiana purchase the Noblest Country in America if you did buy it of France for the purpose of having an out let for the people of the North west to the gulph of Mexico let us go acknowledge you are a set of abolition Cowards and that one southren man or gentleman can whip three of you and let us do as we please hereafter that is the termes they want to quit fighting on but they are not going to get off quite so easy and we know those devils have friends even in Bluffton we have got there names at least some of us have there is a man in our Regiment who I have known for maney years he is a good man and a full Blooded Democrat he knows all about them they have got traitors among them there is a den of those scoundrels out Northe east of Bluffton who meet at certain times and take oathes to stand by one an other I know the very spot wher they meet and woe be to the man that informs on any of there doings he would be killed and his property Burnt if found out I know a man who saide he would not have it known that he saide any thing of there doings for the best Farm in Wells County you seen me talking when at Home with one or two of them that they belong to that clan I found out but a few days ago if I ever get Home I will point them out to you it astonishes me but it is true Hell will be to pay / with them sooner or later if they continue on two or more can play at the same game they are at. we have got a holde of the roaps and are going to holde on what I tell you is true and when I get Home I will tell you more of them and those very same men say they are union men and friends of the Soldiers they are Vallandigham Men as far as I know I will not write more on the Subject at present as it is not prudent for me to do so. in a letter you wrote me some time ago you wished me to tell you my views as you supposed I had given them to others but I never did so I think I have given you my views and opinions very plaine and frankly in my last letters and know I am willing to quit if you are but it greived me to think you was taking the part of Traitors but I know they have come to you as sheepe in Wolfs Skins War is no childs play it is either life or deathe it does not admit of no halfe way friends my friends must be either for me or again me on sutch trials as for Politicks and Religion evry one can and has a right to enjoy there own opinion the news has come to us that Rosencrans Army has had a big fight but we do not as yet know the final result our poor fellows that have fallen how I pity them I imagin I can see them all Mangled and Bleeding probaly in a few days we will heare that more of our Wells County Boys have fallen in my last letter I saide we expected to start the next day but we did not get off as it has been Raining for two days and I do not know when we will go but I supose as soon as it dryes off again yours as ever

                                                                                    Samuel J Keller

 

to Mrs M E Keller

 

                                                I will endeavor to write to

                                                you again before leaving

                                                                                    SJK

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