St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1861-06-13
A Tribute to Col. Ellsworth.

The Rev. William II. Algicr, of
the Bullfnch Street Church, Boston,
preached a truly instructive, beautiful
and eloquent discourse on the lessons
Of Spring {" TIE ,cintcr is past, Tie rain
IS orer and gone, he .Ro,rers appear on The
earth, The time Of The singing of birds IS
come, and The roitc of the turtle is heard
on The iand." Such was the fitting
text of a sermon through which the
very spirit of the spring g.time itself
seemed to breathe in all its bounding
freshness. One of the striking points
made by the preacher was that a chief
part of the beauty and value of spring
arc reflected on it from the future
tultlIlmcnt which it prophecies and
prepares in its budding germs. Tn
der this head occurred the following
passage which we are glad to present
to our readers
Many distinct elements of pathos
combine to give special kecnncss to
the sorrow OF our country in the death
of her noble son, the brave and gifted
Ellsworth, slain so cowardly by the
shot of a brutal assassin. BY no
means the least cruel among these is
the fact that he was cut off i'm the
very dawn and flush of his manhood.
in the midst Of the most brilliant
hopes, promises and opportunities,
snatehcd away from the privilege of
realizing the expectations cnkindled
by career so grandly begun. The
sgnet of every feature of romance
and good fortune set upon him-youth
beauty, valor, genus, purity, the con
fding friendship of his chief, the idol
atrous love of his men, post of PROM
incnt honor and peril, with every pros
pect Of rendering signal service to his
country, and wrcathing himself with
an Cnviablc fame-hard indeed seems
his fate, and unutterablc our loss. ltI
is for this reason, especially, that all
over our land brave men and innocent
maidicns weep as they think of him,
fallen so soon, and gone to his grave
before his goal was reached. Yet
with one swift bound of martyrdom
has he reached that goal and grasped
the prize. Dying, he called on God
Through the sightless spaces of the
spirit world the responsive smile of
God greeted his vision, and Divine
hand, reached down from heaven, led
him quickly home and all is well
with him now forever.
Oh loved and stainless soldier not
in vain didst thou shed thy precious
blood, and lay down thy young life.
Taken in the fair morning of thy days, |
in the undcfilcd sweetness Of thy
strength, without a spot on thy heroic
virtue, it is thy rare lot hcnccforth to |
live, incapable of ever growing old,
cnshrincd in all thy fearless beauty
in the memory of thy country. There
history shall show to the admiring
youth of future times, thine unsulIicd
forehead garlandcd with immortal
praises.
We will not lament, bnt honor and
emulate thee. Thy life thou didst
freely devote at the altar of a holy
cause but thy death is a greater
service far The traitorous ensign at
thy feet, proud patriotism mantling
thy crest, in the place of duty full
gallantly thou stoodst when the MUIR
dcrcr's missive smote thee, and thy
heart poured its sacramental drench
over the trophy thine own chivalrous
hand had pluckcd. Thy sacrifice,
sown now in weakness, shall rise in
strength in the terrible day when thy
remembering regiment, with agoniz-
ing joy-bcaring in their van the en-
blcm stiflcncd with the libation from
thy veins-front to front, shall meet
the confederate hosts of rebels and
assassins. Sleep well, oh thou darling
of many hearts, in thine early grave
Victory on victory shall compensate
the land that mourns thee. And where
thou art no calamity can ever happen
to blot thy fame or mar the blooming
image thy destiny bequeathes to stand
forever side by side with Warren, in
the Temple of American Liberty.