Franklin County: Alex Cressler to Henry A. Bitner, May 21, 1861
May 21st 1861
Chambersburg
Dear Henry
Yours of yesterday was received in due time and
being fully digested I embrace this
privilege of writing to you again.
I was sorry to hear of your disappointment on Saturday
last,
and can only measure your feelings by imagining what mine
would have been under
corresponding circumstances. Saturday
was a day of interest and satisfaction to me having
never
seen the like before, when I cast my eyes along the line, which
was formed
along the one side of the street, with arms presented
and beheld the field of bayonets
elevated above the heads of thousands, and the Governor of
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
which is the Keystone of
the Arch, moving steadily and silently
along that line, with his penetrating eye firmly
fixed upon them,
and his countenance remaining unmoved and apparently
speaking of the
condition of the Country and the object for
which so many sons of labor had been called
together, I was led
to exclaim, "who can tell what a day may bring forth."
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From a person who came from Williamsport Maryland yesterday
we learned that two Regiments of
Secessionists had come there and
by yesterday's Tribune, that the plan is to come on
through
until they reach Philadelphia, in order to get
provisions,
should they attempt to carry out that design, we will
have a bloody time
here, and you may be sure the men
here will give them a breakfast job at any rate, and
I
hope Shippensburg and the Pines
will, by the time they
reach you, have their 10 O'clock peace ready for
them and see
that every man gets his portion due.
This is to much to trifle about, as it may be
their
design, however I am not yet uneasy, but should they
come it may be that I
might never see you again
let come what will, I expect to be prepared for the
worst
that can happen [added: to] me. The citizens of
Chambersburg
are calm, and do not apprehend an attack from the
rebels from the South. I
have not in my imagination
marked out the plan by which the present troubles
may be
settled, but find that the opinion of some is
that war is the only remedy. If such be true then the
Northern boys must go to the work, and what could
be
more cheering to the hearts of freeman such as we are,
than to see that the whole north will move to the
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work, as one mighty machine none of the parts
being wanting,
but all complete, and all of which have
been tried in the days of '76, and found to be as true
as steel, and since the fall of Sumpter it has
been greatly
strengthened and now is the Greatest Structure, and most
complete machine under the Canopy of Heaven, and
when it begins
to move forward upon the foe, stretching
from the Atlantic to
the Pacific,- every part reveling
in grandeur and might, not
being driven by steam,
but the hearts blood of million, and the smiles
of Heaven,
although moving slowly, its tread will
be the surer, and long before it reaches Cape Sable,
secession will be crushed out of existence, and like a
mighty
cloud, it will rain Union sentiments on every
farm and plantation south of Mason's
and Dixon's
Line. Let us start the ball rolling, and send secession to the place from whence it came, you will now
allow me to tell
you a little anecdote, which I heard a
few days ago. Mr.-- [added: A] said "that it has often been his
wonder what the
Devil tempted people to sin for that
their sin could not make
him any better," when Mr.-- [added: B]
said, "Don't you
know that he
is a secessionist
- that he was the first to secede from Heaven, and consequently
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the father of secession," - more truth than joke -
This is a
day of sweet recollection to me, being
the 21st day of May. "Rather let my right hand
forget her cunning and my
tongue cleave to
the roof of my mouth," than for me to forget
my hours of unalloyed
peace three years ago at
old
Stony-Point.
Those were the happy hours
of my life. And I hope the
Friend I there formed
may be my friend for life - would to God
that all who
participated in that season of
refreshment might be able to say - My labors
there
have not been in vain, I hope you will
let your mind run back to that era in your
life and call to memory the hours that you with
me and many others spent there. Henry
dear
remember then. I am looking for you this
week; don't forget to come. I have been interrupted
a great deal while writing this, so that you
will find some
trouble in reading it. Write soon [deleted: I]
if
it is not too much trouble, I sometimes think
that I am imposing on
your time to ask you to write
but I can't help it no person else
will write
and I am very glad to hear from the pines.
Yours Forever
Alex. Cressler
