The Soldiers' journal. (Rendezvous of Distribution, Va.) 1864-1865, 1864-04-27

to the rebellion as to the government; when the
chief-magistrate and large proportion of the
commercial metropolis of the nation, openly de-
clared their sympathy with the cause of the re-
bellious States; and when the apathy was so
general, and patriotism SO nearly dead, and sell
fishness controlling, that impartial outside wit
nesses prophesied that the people of the North
could never be reused to repel the parricidal
blow that was aimed at the countrys's heart 5
then, then-O shame were the days that came
remembered only with grief and bitterness and
unavailing remorse.
But with the attack on FortSumter these days
of disgrace and dismay were ended. The boom
ing of cannon against it's loyal walls was the
trump of resurrection to the nation. The buried
traditions of the Revolution started with life =
the dry bones of the Republic from the
grave, and the spirit of God breathed upon them
and 10, 'the breath came into them, and they
lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding
great army Three years ago yesterday, patri-
otism, heroism, self-sacrifce, the sentiment of
liberty, the noble virtues inherit from revo-
lutionary fathers, were in their graves. Three
years ago tomorrow, as the Presidents Procla-
nation, summoning troops, went over the land
it seemed as if the revolutionary fathers them
selves had risen, so nobly did the sons respond,
and so worthy prove themselves of their great
descent Never was Sabbath more efficiently
or more religiously kept. There will be
more brilliant page in all history than that
which shall record the electric change that pas
sed over the Northern half this nation during
the twenty-four hours that followed the morning
of the 14th Of April, 1861.
Not more instaneously, not more miraculous
ly, did new and higher spirit sweep through
the hearts of that Galilean assembly at Jerusa-
through the heart of these Northern States, as
the telegraphic lightning flashed from station to
station the news of Sumter's fall. In that
change was diviner spirit than mere human
interests can ergender; and hence it was that we
suddenly found all those selfish voices that we
had been hearing silenced; hence it was that
all variant interests and parties and persons
greedy commerce. and timorous manufacturers,
aVarice and parsimony and quietism cOnserva-
tives and radicals, democrats and republicans,
church and state, clergy and laity-were brought
tremendously together, and forgetting their old
languages, began to speak with other tongues
the spirit gave them utterance,-the old mother
of our common humanity.
This spirit proved, too, it's genuineness by the
result it left. We apt to think that the great
est pages of human history have been written;
that the days of heroes and heroic virtues of po-
etc enthuasm and epic adventures, are gone.
But say no longer "what is the cause that the
former days were better than these?" The last
three years have shown that the heroic virtues
are not dead in our country. Scenes of the revo-
luton, of which we have read with proud admit
ration, have been re-enacted before our very
eyes by our own neighbors and brothers and
sisters nay, the national danger has brought
forth deeds and sayings, from man and woman,
Of no do Of