1862 July 30 Staunton, Va.

[from the diary of Joseph Addison Waddell, civilian employee of the Quartermaster Dept.]

Wednesday, July 30, 1862.

Putting up the Harrisonburg telegraph (poles + wire) to-day. The Rev. D^r.

Plumer has published a card defining his position. Having been 

identified with the South nearly all his life, and be-

ing regarded a bold and honest man, his many admirers + 

friends in this region have expected him to take ground 

on our Side. His card shows him to be a  trimmer 

and is very discreditable to him. He curries favor with 

the North, or provides for his own safety, by protesting 

his devotion to the Constitution, Union +c +c. Yet does not 

say that he is in favor of the war.] It is more and 

more apparent that the Northern people are prosecuting 

the war for revenge — they can not bear the idea, more-

over, that 20,000,000 of people should be forced to yield 

anything to 6,000,000 (whites). Gov. Curtin, of Penn., in 

a speech at Pittsburg, rejoices that Lincoln has at last 

come to take a right view of the matter, + that, in a word, the 

"rebels" are to be treated like wild beasts. Well, the "rebels" 

sometimes have a few of the enemy in their hands. Retal-

iation — vindictive, terrible will be the result if the Yankees 

prosecute the war as they threaten. May God help us all. 

[transcript by the Valley of the Shadow project]

MSS 38-258