The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-09-26
Heroism of the american People.
From m. London Daily News, Sept, II.

any day from the gun-fre at Fort Sumter TIL
now. He said that everybody was asionshed to
find how happy it was possible and natural TO oe
in the midst of civil war. Wherever a war is
entered upon for patriotic reasons, in any age or
country, there must be the exharatlon which
Hawthorne described; but nOwhere-not even In
Italy in 1859-can there have been such intense
enjoyment of action and relief as in the Free
States of America for the last year and halt.
Other oppressed nations have suffered under a
foreign yoke the Northern Americans have en-
dured the more calling tyranny Of an igarchy Of
their own counIrymen. Stung IN conscience,
alarmed for the future, sensitive to the worlds
censure, conscious of deadly curse that could
neither he borne much longer nor got rid OF, the
American citizen felt himself neither so free, nor
so happy, nor SO honored as he pretended to be;
and yet he did not know how 10 proceed to mend
his position. When the rashntsS OF the Slave
Powr set him free to speak and act, to strive and
to hope, It was :et as grand deIvelance
Some people on our side are SO far from under
standing this, that they ENORMOUSLY wonder what
! the Americans can mean by not being miserable.
/ They ought to be fightened-they ought TO be-
moan their dlscomforts-they ought to be down.
cast at their money losses AID heartbroken unGer
other bereayemenls; ct they so far from be-
ing scared and moody, and fearful, so far from
living IN sackcloh and ashes that they must eth
er be supposed hlpocrites, or fools and blind, or
must be given up like too hard puzzle. We,
tor our part, see nothing uninteigible or wonder
tul IN the good spirits of these children OF brave
| Old England The soul of their fathers is awake
and alive in them, and they taste the elixir OF
! patriotism which Is bequeathed from generation
to generation OF our race; and they feel their
youth renewed, and cXuit in It's ife-gving pow
er. They are unfortunate, very unfortunate III
their pub lie men, who DO not fairly represent
them, because they VIII not rise to the Le.ght OF
their patriotism but those OF them who are suf-
terlng under bereavement, suspense are aston
lshed to find how ittlr grievous grief is and would
spurn the very notion Of wishing that they and
their country could be as they were before.
Looking al the genuine Americans-at the
Of the Pilgrims and the sons of the founders
| of the Republic, we find, as happens everywhere,
! manifestations OF The same courage under two dis
tinct forms. Our readers have what The ".
Y. Evening Post says OF the Quakers, and their
share in the events and influence of the times
No doubt there are Quagers akin in spirit to him
who advised The captain in a sea fight to " huff
little ! and 10 him who marlng spike IL hand
requested the boarding enemy TO keep bis own
ship, and showed him the way overheard So
long ago as the beginning OF 1861, when the Pro-
Slavery interests had still disturbing power in
the New England cities, there were Quakers
among the lle-guards of the leading Abolitionsts
walking with locked arms and revolvers in their
pocket and standing sentry all night, with every
nteton OF using physca! force rather than let
hair OF citizens head be touched, for matter of
opinion and free speech.
If the Northern -" dash (Which was never ex-
,,lh ,.t b. y,
Quakers, it must be very strong and very strong
it IS This is one form of the herosm All the
hale men Of many families are in the field
When some of our neighbors were supposing all
lost because the large bounties offered did not fill
the recruiting returns, citizens on the spot were
pointing out that high bounties were mistake
were stopping the enlistment. There were plenty
of enlisments before and there have been plenty
again since the order for drafting went forth, re-
moving the sort of disgrace which attached to en-
listing under high tounies. But the " dash "
found expression in these same bounties. The
citizens have poured out their wealth as if getting
their money had never caused them toll and anx-
iety The Quskers shed forth their treasure with
as much magnlticence as anybody. They cannot
pay for powder and ball, nor for substitutes, but
they spend free for hospital necessares and COM
forts, and for the support of the families of SOL
| diers.
| What the exhilara,ion Of the camp is aud the
courage of thu battlefield we need not tell The
dash is not confined 10 the men. The women
do not fire from balconies, nor scod, nor spit, nor
pour boiling water on soldiers marching past who
| Cannot rela'late (; they have never gone from bed
to bed in the hospitals to taunt PROSTATE prison
ers with their wounds, and tell them that their
pains served them right. This is the dash of
women who have been accustomed to ven. their
passions on slaves. The dash " of their North
ern countrywomen is shown in their sending their
brdegrooms and their sons TO The war, and in Civ
ing all they have to anybody who needs it. 1t is
unnecessary to explain to those who have hearts
that the brave and devoted are intensely happy.
The other form Of courage abounds no less.
The endurance is a. sublime as the DASH" Gray
headed men who have no sons left, shoulder their
weapon, and act as guard or garrison gray
haired mothers shut themselves up while their
tears will flow, but are soon abroad again, busy
and cheerful. They have no mooopolizing self
regards; and they 6t out other peoples sons for
the camp, or to 90 to meet the manned and the
sick, and bring them home and tend them. They
toll in the field, when the men are all gone; they
grow food for the many hungry who will be want
ing 1t. They earn money hardly, to spend it in
day. Where pillage and burning are going on,
they look on, as upon spectacle, when their
homes are falling into ruin; and they do no,
droop when the enemy is gone, but gather 10.
ge,her all possible means OF comfort, and make
a kindly jest when the case is past their skill.
Shall we presume to bemoan calling so high
as that of free men and women who are making
III hfws- n