Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1854-06-24
Misrflluutnus.
CLOSE OF THE WAR.

The revolution was over. EiSHt Jeale
conflict had ceased, and the warriors were
now to separate forever, turning their
weapons into pIough-shares, and their ,
camps into workshops. The spectacle,
though sublime and glorious one, was
yet attended with sorrow(ul feelings; tor
.alas in the remains Of tina, gallant ormy
of patriotic soldiers, now about TO DIS
band without pny, wilhou. support
.stAlked poverty and disease. Tue coun-
try had not the means to be grateful.
The details of the condition OF many
of the officers and soldiers of that period
according to history and oral tradition
were melancholy in the extreme. Pos-
sessing no means Of pottmonial lnhen-
tsnce o fall back upon-thrown out OF
even the perilous support of the soldier,
at the commencement Of winter, and hard
ly fit for any other duty than that OF the
.camp-,her situation can better be I'M
ngined than de,cribed.
A single instance, as sample OF the
situation Of many of the officers, as re-
lated of the Conduct OF Baron Steuben.
may not be amiss. When the main bo-
.dy of the army was disbanded at New
burgh, and the veteran soldiers were bid
ding parting farewell to each other,
Lieut.. Col Cochran, an aged soldier OF
the New Hampshire line, remarked with
tears in his eyes as he shook hands with
the baron:
"For myself could stand it but my
wife and daughters are in the garret o
that wretched tavern, and [ have nc
means of removing Them
'Come, come said the baron, dom
give way thus, I will pay my respects te
Mrs. Cochran and her daughters
When the good old soldier left them
their countenances were warm with graf
itude-(or he left there all he had.
In one of the Rhode Island regiment
there pe"e several companies of blacl
troops, who had served through the whole
war, and their bravery and discipline
were unsurpassed. The baron observed
one of these poor negroes on the whar
at Newburgh, apparently in great distress
what is the mater. brother soldier 2
why, Master Baron, | want dolla
to get home with, now the Congress ha
no further use for me-
The Baron was absent for few mo
ments, and then returned with siive
dollar which he had borrowed.
There. it's all could get. Take it.
The negro received it with joy, halle
q sloop which was passing down the riv
or 10 New York, and as he reached til
deck, took off his hat aud said
God bless you, Master Baron T..
These are the only single illustration
of the condition of the army at the clos
Of the war. Indeed, Washington ha
this view at the close of his farewell ae
dress to the army at Rocky Hill, in NJ
vember, 1893:
'And now being about 10 conclude tlles
my last public orders, to take my ullima
leave in short time of the military cha
ac,er, and 10 bid fnnl adieu 10 The a
mics have so long had the honor TO con
mand, can only again offer in the
behalf, my recommendations TO the
county, and my prayer to the God Of a
mics. n
May ample justice be done them her
and n ay The choicest Of heavens favo
both here and hereafter, attend those, wi
under divine auspices, have secured i
Vulnerable blessings for others.
With these wishes, and this benedi
ton, am abou, 10 retire from servic