Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-10-18
Our European Correspondence

House square.
That Ito me) parting salute was signali-
ling the fact to the county of brave men then
enrolling their names on the list of patriots,
as those who were ready, if needs be, to do,
in defense of constitutional liberty. And
now, four months later, over the wide waters
of the Atlantic, come back to me, from the
bloody grounds Of Springfield, the glorious
echoes Of that little gun!
All they meant it, these brave men, when
they pledged themselves to the gage by battle!
When the call came, then they were ready;
when August came, and whispered to them of
the young bride, the mother, father, child,
sister, brother, friend, the cheering comforts
of home, and beckoned them to the happy re-
union, they refused the proffered happiness,
and stood By TIL cir General: when command
ed to stand the fire of the enemy without re-
plying, they counted their lives as chaff to be
swept by the storm of battle, again redeeming
their pledge in defiance of death, and under
the severest test of discipline and courage
possible to be applied. But when the last
command of their beloved General was given
when the heroic Lyon regarded then, as
worthy to be led in his last charge, twas
then they glorifed their love of country, and
made the name of the First Iowa Regiment
forever immortal.
How can I write of the "sad sea wave"
the "storied window" of 'ruins grey" Of any
of the strange scenes of foreign lands"
while fresh from reading of the lamented Ma
son, and from seeing the names of Purcell
and Hayes of one company, and of Campbell
and Schenck of another company, reported
among "the wounded of Springfeld?' These
are names l know; they belonged to those
loved-they are names endeared to many a
a private circle, and honorable in the estima-
ton of every citizen of Muscatine. "My
thoughts fly homeward-I would be there
to follow the remains of the gallant captain
to the place. where Muscatine will plant a tab
let, commemorative of the glory to which she
has fallen heir, through the death of her no
BILE Masonic greet their wounded brothers
in fearful embrace, and to tell them of how
proud am, how proud my neighbor is, how
proud Muscatine is of her wounded soldiers
to meet all the gallant band, with "three
times three" and "three MORE" as they march
by in the lead of their battle-torn banners, and
afterwards to take them, one by one, by the
hand, and in the name of those Americans in
foreign lands whose hearts have throbbed
with proud and joyful pulsations over their
heroism, and to thank them for the bright
Furnishing they gave to the American arms
on the tenth day of august, 4. D. 1861.
had seen, by the light of the camp fire at
which he was sitting, my esteemed friend
Henry O. Conner, with his knee for writing
desk, indting a letter to the journal, and
| the picture thus recalled of him, as well as
other scenes, so charmingly drawn by his
pencil, had impressed upon my mind the
stern, sad fact, that many whom Muscatine
could lily afford to have sacrificed, We're really
on their way to confront the visage of Death
"Ah! this is patriotism" thought I, mot
welded to the stump not allayed with the
desire of conquest and blood begotten gains
not of the earth, earthly, but of the pure love
of country, consuming like Heavenly flame
all the grosser affections of the heart, and in
spring to deeds of sacrifice and valor, that
shall live in memory with Thermopyle, with
Londonderry, with Cadiz, aye, with Valley
Forget" And so walk my room, in this
distant city, and thank God for such evidences
of the regeneration Of my unhappy country.
l have, as yet, to thank the New Yorl.
Tribune for the particulars of that CALAMITY
fought battle; and in the report learn, for
the first time, the names of some of the Off
GERS of the Muscatine companies. I there
read of Capts Mason and Cummins, of Lieut..
Purcell and Sergt. Hayes. Now those COM
panies are to be remembered, Let the Jour-
nal reprint the list, giving the full names of
each officer and private, designating the woun-
ded by +, and then let the list be framed,
and hung upon the wall Of every chest room"
in Muscatine. My frame is ready. Let these
men who cheerfully put their lives in peril for
the good of common country, let them know
that Muscatine holds their names in her heart,
never to depart therefrom forever. So shall
we record the deeds of the past.
But the future From abroad we look
across the broad Atlantic, to where our beau
tiful country has it's place in the geography
of nations, and there, from the Atlantic coast
to the waters of the Missouri, stretching from
East to West, through the disloyal regions of
Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri, we see the
black line of armed treason gradually moving
northward, in columns fired with anger and
desperation, and in such strength as seems to
foretell the immediate and direct calamity to
our country as a nation. Iowans! do you see
the danger? Are you willing to have your
peerless government ended, your name a
scorn and byword among the nations of the
earth, the map of your magnificent Union
rolled up and placed among the archives 0
the dead, and "selfgovernment failure,
written in the index Of History? This is no
your will. This is not your intention. You
emphatical denial to abide by any such re-
suits was pronounced upon the plains
of Springfield. But denial is not sufficient
Drive these marauding bands back to their
scenes of obscurity. You can do it. You
have the nerve, the muscle, the courage to do
t. Spring again to this last call of the gov
eminent, and let your achievements in har-
mony with your prowess at Springfield, be
crowned with light that shall reflect such
an illumination upon the future, as to reveal to
the gaze of Europe, america still lioing on
in ali the glorious, hearty and magnificent
proportions achieuing the bsnefcent destiny
IN tended for her By Jedouah-and may the
blasting Of the God Of your revolutionary
sires go soith you e 80
The Philadelphia Press says an effort is
being made by parties in that city to induce
the government to confiscate the Mount
Vernon estate, with the hope of realizing
money of which they were defrauded by the
bad management of the ladies' association