, 1864-10-23
Speech OF Maj. Gen. Hooker ct Spring.
field.

oHTeIA cA AAJs sseWs 81OuAtI [S spring
Held.
Maj. Gen. Hooker received magnificent
welcome at Springfield on Thursday even
irg last aud nude the following brief but
ringing respotse:
here tonight IN compliance with instruc-
lons from my Government. Whatever Is
done ebull look to you for it I hope moth
ipg will be required to be done; but still 1t
ia not necessary for INT to know whether II
will be go Of nut Ny own opfhtoa Is
ed very much within the past two weeks.
[Cheere.1 l think tnut all the battles Re will
Lave to light are already fought. ETremen-
dous checrirg.1
The election early re1t month will pass of
successfully. [ReIcwed cheers.l the VIC
o. 1hls Uniun and Of our authority. It will
be In support uf your armies In the field, and
It Will be In support Of the honor Of th1 ua-
ton. [Applau.e.] That vindi.ation will be
here anticipate. It all be moro than a
Waterloo defeat to those vino are arrayed
against our c.untIy. lLon1 contiuusd ap.
piAnse- 1t will be almost a death blow; it |
will be ftaggeriug blow to the rebels that |
We have been lighting Ia the war In which |
gased Tor the last three Years aud half; it !
will be witoeting bio to them and it will |
be worae to the Coppezheads. [Chccrs1
would not for the world say snythtoy to.
excite hopes that may not be realized; but
Will cay this, TINT 1t is the optnioQ Of those
who have inch better opportunity Of
knowing than hare, that in tue next cleo.
lion We = Ill Acbieve the greatest Victory
that has been Won from the bezinntoK OF
this rebellion TO the present time. II Will
North and South. Caeers-l 1 state luis
confidently, believing from those who have
much better opportunities Of kno wing tha7 I
have, that every slugle State in the Union
Will cast i.s vote for Abraham Lincoln.
,[Lono applause AID cries of"That's so.'1
GeutItmeu, I'm only amazed when rode
through this cou.ts5-it Is twenty years.
since have kuown anything OF fit-Norrn-I
am Only hm8zed, tbst uDe single individual
can be loud to take sides against our coun-
try in its present crisis. should say, did
rot know to the contrary: that that person
Of that party IN which l have ever
belonged, wblcn was the Democratic party.
wae great adujrtr OF that eon of yours. I
vas gre:t adm,rer OF Stephen 4. Dougl2s,
AID would taye followed l1iui evers where.
[Cbeers ] and tell you II he had liFed, he
Would not have recognized as an act OF 1he
Democ1atic psrty anything whi:h wo1!d
have BEEN agaiuet hts country; he would
Dever have IT tcogLfzed any body as pat1ios
who would take sldes agaiust bis country in
time Of Wari that was not in the blood Of
Stephen a Dtu= 1as-tApplausc] should be
found alruyed agatpst LIS Government.
Gentlemen, wnen CAME into thIs hill
felt myself too hoarse to talk. but r I was
ten times more 60 sban am, could not be
tnESu6ltle to the kiud mRntet In which ytu
have rrceived me anoug you. I an dee.iy
sensible OF 1t, and Wish that Observed it
mere shall here, as have every where
for bare DO dtsire beyond the success of
our csuee in this rebtlioh-I shall, IN lny
present Situation, do everything In my pow.
er to accomplish what have been striving to
de-, and What all your friends in the army
lsve been striving to do in the field. / sasil
s1rive to do 1t here; aud I Assure you, I shall
shrink from 90 resp p5nslbili'y- kuow no
fatigue. ! know DO Labor in the discharge Of
my duty In this matter, and I trust will
know Lone.
was early in the rebellion, and I expect
to be late In 1t, [Cbsers.] have sean It's
birth sud its progress, aud intend to be
present at its ueAlh and burial. Loud con-
f1nued applnuee.l