Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-10-27

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illed republic.
The second and third resolutions, Mr..
Speaker, will meet with a hearty re-
Spouse from every member OF TINS Dody'
Ii is unnecessary for me TO recapitulate
the brilliant and heroic record of General
Stannard j should only be repeating
the words that are continually uttered
in a'isAhe highways and byways OF our
StaVe, Men, women and children pro
nounce them with the familiarity OF |
household words. His undaunted cour- |
age, his consummate ability, his untir- !
ing devotion to the men of his command, |
and his imperishable love for restored +,
Union on the foundations of universal
liberty, have won for him all the honor
ed distinctions which these resolutions
would seek TO confer. He has welded
by his own right arm the sword of lib
erty, to prevent the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of
the republic. That manly and heroic
arm no longer answers to the impulses
Of his head and heart His own right
hand has forgotten its cunning and is
Wondering into its original dust. But
there is still left TO him an arm to'7hich
the sword of liberty will leap from its.
scabbard, and it will never be sheathed
until the last rebel shall lay down his
arms and yield obedience and allegiance
to the constitution and laws of the land.
In all future time the name of General
Stannard will stand in history side by
side with the honored names of our early
heroes and it will be no detraction from
their glory and renown to say that their
greatness even will not overshadow the
Young hero who stands beside them.
Mr. Speaker, / would gladly leave
this subject here and take my seat, but
/ feel that / have not discharged my
| whole duty. No fiend in human shape
| shall delame the name and virtues or
our departed braves, and not receive
from me the rebuke which such pertidy
merits. He is false to himself and his
country who has no words of reproach
for him, who, when hero and patriot
sleeps the sleep that knows no waking,
would spread pail OF infamy over the
grave of the dead These resolutions
| are q tribute of o loyal people to the
! dead as well as the living who have
freely perilled all the salvation Of the
country From our honored first regi-
ment all the way up to the last, the rec
| ord is full and perfect and brilliant, and
these resolutions are intended to include
them all. We have the sad intelligence
| of the death of the Lieut. Col. of the 18th
| regiment. To-day, sir, Col. Cummings
| sleeps the sleep of death Here above
my head, hangs the torn and tattered
battle flag of the young and honored 18th
| regiment riddled by the hail of battle
torn in shreds by the missiles of death
which were hurled upon the braves who
upheld Tits staff splintered and broken
by the crash of hostile bullets and frag-
ments of shell, it reaches down to me
pleadingly, for one word for him who
ON so many bloody fields fought under
it's endearing folds. When l mention the
name OF Colonel Cummings to this body,
I mention the name of one who was well
and intimately known to the great ma
jority of us. For years he has occupied
position of great responsibility and
trust in this House. For years he was
the prompt, correct, faithful and gentle
manly clerk of this assembly. His gen.
ial character, his gentlemanly deport-
mspt, his devotion to hiS frin"dS' hi0
lie and private trusts, endeared him to
all with whom he became acquainted
He edited and published in his own
town OF Brattleboro, a paper called the
Phoenix. 1t was an able paper a loyal
paper, and in this Col. Cummings pub
lished from week to week his burning
words of patriotism, and his earnest ap-
peals to the young men of the State to
rally for the cause of the Union. In the
arena OF journalism he has made an
honorable record. Having done this as
a citizen, there was only left to him to
fill up the measure of his usefulness by
leaving the pen to take the sword indie
fence of the best and purest COVER
ment on earth. The military rec
ord of the young but veteran Seventeenth
regiment will be presented to this House
by ADLER hands than mine, and we shall
than see if this mute but eloquent battle
flag speaks to us in stronger language
than it's honored record will warrant. Sir,
the sheet which hold in my hand (cries
from the House, 'name the paper, y and
whose comments on his death have called
forth this allusion to single regiment,
when all have made for themselves an
equally undying fame, shall be forever
nameless.* 1t shall not be uttered in
connection with the memory ofone who
has so proudly and heroically contribu-
ted to history in which his name will
forever be written among the glorious
martyrs to national and human liberty.
Where, sir, l ask, are we best known,
where are our private characters or our
public virtues best known and most ap-
preciated2 Is it not at home, by the
firesides and at the hearthstones of our
neighbors and friends,-those who see
US in our daily walks and in all our inter-
course with the world? Most assuredly
this is so, and it gives me great pleasure
to say that at Brattleboro, the home of
the lamented Cummings, neigh
bors and friends, his lifelong associates,
when the intelligence of his death
reached them, at once raised the means
and commissioned the men to go to the
field and bring back, il possible, the
mortal remains Of their neighbor and
friend, whose character and virtues they
hohored in life, and whose memory will
be forever hallowed in death. Sir, they
will rear to his memory, in the marble
of our eternal hills n mOnument tbat