Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-10-07
Mottester 4ailg SPY.
Sigel.


In the early days of the great rebellion of
'6l, when nothing went right, and unarmed
men were fearlessly barring their breasts to the
murderous thrusts Of the keen rapier of
treachery, there came one day flashing over
the wire an electric touch to quicken the mor7r
tifying body to life and health-the news of d
great victory in the west-victOry against
overwhelming odds. For hours handful of
men, with a few little cannon, now retreating,
now advancing a little, now standing their
ground, all the time raining death and destruc-
ton upon the host that encompassed them,
had shown the world that intelligent courage
was worth more than unreasOnlng brute teroc-
ity. ON. folks know that where ere is
good body there must be head, and where
there is a head there must be inside brains OF
intelligence and goodness. Thinking that
they have not as yet learned all about Sigel,
we offer a communication on his past career
1t would be hard to tell an American anything
about him since his first fight on this CONT
nent 1t written by one OF the most intel
hgent of the many cultivated foreigners who
honor so highly our land of liberty no longer
now in name but in fact by the title of their
adopted country. We leave the people to an
swer this question, whether they will forget
the friend who was true when so many were
false We think that since there are so few
names who will remain craven on the marble
of our memory which recalls the patriots who
from pure motives took up arms for the old
flag there will be room for the short name
that heads our paper
Among the men who took prominent part
in the revolution in Baden, 1849, Franz Sigel
is one of the very few who has not been ex-
posed to attacks, fact so much more speak
ing for his high character, as the most distin-
guished and influential have not been spared,
even by their own party. No breach IN his
capacity or actions could be found through
which to assault him. He was one of the very
small number of officers of the regular army
who espoused the popular cause; and, as he
was acknowledged by his comrades to be an
officer of superior capacity the revolutionary
or provisional government nominated him as
general; and if his plan of the campaign had
been followed, it would probably have termi-
mated quite differently; but the government
did not dare to do it, and the whole failed.
After the battle of Waghausel Baden 1S49,)
the general-in- chief, Miroslawsky, who was
the personifcation of failure wherever he had
a military command retired, and Sigel was
put in his place to eXtricate the army from the
enemy, under command of Gen. Van der Ora
ben resp: Prince of Russia, now king; and
he did it nobly, in spite of all the odds, and led
his men safely to Switzerland, where they had
to lay down their arms. Sigel remained
there a short time, and then emigrated to
America, to prove the same honest, brave,
skilful and distinguished leader in the interest
of his adopted home as in his native country,
always with'the motto before him, "Where
there is freedom there is my home" He be-
longs to the democratic party, but not to the
slavery-espousing democracy, and will never
degrade himself to lend his hand for the per-
petuaton of slavery, as no man who ever had
a particle of manliness in him will ever do.
Those who have seen Sigel in June, 1919,
when he appeared for the first time as gener-
al, would scarcely have thought that this
youthful, almost bOyish individual, would be
the man he is. Will he not be forgotten when
we are over these troubles?