Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-08-21


people praise God, let all the people
praise Him. "Let them sacrifice the
sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare
His works with rejoicing" 1t would be
a sad mistake, nay, gross wickedness,
if in our gladness for the blessings, we
we're to forget the Author of them, and
neglect to praise Him that He hath re-
membered US in our low estate, and hath
redeemed US from our enemies. We have
borne adversely with fortitude, let US en-
Joy prosperity with meekness, and with
deyout gratitude 10 Him whose hand dis
penses both prosperity and adversely
whensoever and to whomsoever He plea
ses.
The victories. on account of which this
day of National Thanksgiving is obser'
we'd, were very great, in themselves con-
sidered, and without reference to times,
places, or other attendant circumstances.
At Gettysburg, the fate of the nation
trembled in the balance. The battle
there belongs in the same category with
those decisive battles" of which Hal
lam says tnat "a contrary event would
have essentially varied the drama OF the
world in all subsequent scenes" Con-
sider-f the bare thought of such an
event does paralyze your power to con-
sider-what disastrous results must in-
evitably have ensued had the course oil
events in that battle been reversed. I'm
agine, if imagination does not start back
in horror. that, on the first day, the ma
tional soIdiery had been successfully re-
sisted that, on the second, they had ex-
perienced decided repulse and that the
afternoon sun OF the third day had looked
down upon the army OF the Potomac to-
tally routed, discounted, flying before a
victorious foe, leaving tens Of thousands
of dead unburied on the field, and aban-
doning as many more, wounded and cap
tive, to the mercy of those whose tender
mercies are cruel. Nothing could then
have prevented the rebel leader from ex-
ecuting the plan be had announced. lie
could easily have occupied Lancaster,
Harrisburgb, Baltimore and Washington,
could have set Philadelphia on fire at the
four corners, watered his horses in the
Hudson, and paid off his troops in Wall
street. Then, from the Presidents house
in Washington, he. could have sent dis
patches to England and France, announ-
clng bis success, and claiming their recog-
milton of confederate independence a
recognition which they would have de-
lighted to give. A victory which averts
such catastrophes as these may well in
spire every heart with joy and awaken
every tongue to thanksgiving.
The circumstances in which the battle
was fought enhance the importance Of the
victory, and furnish additional reasons for
thankfulness. 1t was the flower OF the
rebel army which was defeated at Get
tysburg. Raw recruits had been care
tuIly weeded out, and there remained on
ly the veterans, who had already con-
quered on many a well fought field and
were flushed with repeated successes, TO
ii sht this battle, which, if they won,- the
glory OF all their past achievements wo'd
be dimmed by the superior lustre of this.
They were confronted by an army which
they had already beaten, over and over
again, and which they therefore despised,
an army so uniformly unsuccessful that
the country hardly dared to expect OF ii
anything but failure, The rebels were
commanded by general who had repeat
idly led them on 10 victory and in whom
they reposed unbounded confidence
while the federal leader was so recent in
command that he had never even revirw
ed his forces, much less performed any
achievements to inspire them with conf
dpnce in his generalship. The national
army was daily becoming weaker by the
eparture of regiments whose term OF
,eryiee bad expired. The conscription
aad not as yet begun to Gil up the wasted
,-anks of old regiments, and Northern
men with Southern principles were loud
" denouncing the conscription law itself
is a violation Of the rights of the people.
Even while the battle ragged, Northern
,rators were preparing passages OF tur
id rhetoric with which 10 preface the
Fourth OF July by appeals to the baser
.assions of men, whose hostility to the
government and to the means by whlci
sought to maintain the national exist
nee needed to be sooihed much more
han TO be stimulated. To have lost tn
,attle in circumstances like these would
ave been little less than national ruin.
Bot "when the tale of brick is doubled
lines comes" AT this critical time, aus