Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1855-05-10

To Messrs. R. Davidson, Benjamin
Briggs, Isaac Schmucker, DR.. ]. N
Wilson, and L. ]. Haughey.
SERMON.
WALTER NEWMAN, the subject Of this
discourse, was born of German paren.
tage, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania,
Sept. 81, 1853. His father was the
first Sheriff of his native county. When
the call was made for volunteers to de.
fend the colonies against the oppression
of the mother country, his father early
obeyed that call, and was in one of the
first battles fought between the infant
colonies and the mother country, in
which he received wound, and had to
return home. Upon coming home, he
sent his two sons, twin brothers, between
16 and II years of age, to the tented
field, in his place. Walter was taken
first as a cook to captain; the other
brother was soon in hot engagement,
where he received a wound, from which
he never recovered. Walter was soon
transferred from his first post to that Of
the regular and active service.
Some months ago l took from his
own lips an account of his former trials
and suferings, but l found his memory
exceedingly defective. Col. Davidson
was more fortunate than myself in OBJ
tanning fuller and more accurate ac-
count of the campaign through which he
passed. The Colonel has kindly fur
nished me with his notes, an abstract OF
which shall use on the present occa-
sion. need not give the full details,
the historian has done this; and the bare
mention of the engagements he was in
will recall to the memory of every one
the attendant circumstances. He was
in the battles of Long Island, Brandy
wine, Paoli, Germantown, Red Banks,
Monmouth, storming of Stony Point,
Springfield, Camden, Cowpens, Guilford
Courthouse, Eutaw Springs, and at
Yorktown when Lord Cornwallis made
surrender of his forces to General
w dSiliuB IOH.
From this enumeration it will be seen
that he was in the hardest battles of the
campaign. He was in camp at the time
the news-to them, heart cheering
news-reached them that Congress made
the Declaration Of Independence, and
participated in the JOY of that occasion
an occasion long to be remembered.
He was for more than six years in
the regular service, and three years in
the southern army, and shared largely
in the sufferings incident to those ''times
that tried mems souls"-sufferings that
we can form very little conception Of
The country was divided in opinion up
on the subject of the revolution; many
took part against it; and, in fact, in the
South, the people were nearly equally
divided in sentiment; one part flocked to
the standard of our army struggling for
liberty against fearful odds, and the
other to the royal army trying to main
tain what they thought were the rights
of the crown. If the country had raj.
lied to man, to- our army, it would
have been far different from what il
was. He was in the army when they
were tracked over the frost and snow BY
the blood thatcame from their bare, fro.
zen, and lacerated feet. Our army was
not always victorious, but was often de-
feated, and then they had to make
forced marches; and on one occasion,
they we're under a'forced march from
Guilford Courthouse, for four DAYS and
nights, without food or rest. Finally,
on this head, he was present at York
town; when victory finally perched up,
on the American banner-when the
lion of England quailed before the Amer
lean eagle, and the tree of liberty shot
its branches high. up into the heavens
and struck its roots deep into our soil
The company to which Mr.. Newman
belonged at first numbered fifty brave
and hardy men, but now when they
were disbanded, numbered only fifteen
thirty FIVE had fallen by death in the
open field, or by disease. The whols