The weekly union record., 1864-07-09

the Initiation OF The terri0ie strife between
/ the old world and the new, which spread all
over the Western hemisphere, and terminated
in blaze Of glory for the Heir.
For one bundred years, to-wit: from the
accession OF Charles II 10 the Declaration Of
Independence. there was waged one continual
conflict Of high intellectual and moral nature,
between the founders Of our nation and the
occupants of the British throne with scarcely
an intermission, certainly without any repose
during the reign of the house of Stuart and the
house Of Brunswick, until our final separation
and independence. This was distinguished as
a war on the one side of abuse. OF petty perse-
cutions, of commercial restrictions. aud Of the
6nal and complete disfrsncbisement of our
fathers of all their constitutional rights as
British subjects; and on the other side, as q
war OF principle against arbitrary power, OF
weak c0lonists against al overshadowing en-
pire, the proudest nationality on earth. in
this remarkable struggle, the moral and politi
cal virtues aud all The nobest powers of the
mind Of our fathers we're scheoled and dis
cipliued during one whole CENTURY. The prin-
ciples Of this school of freemen and patriots
were their inaliena5le personal rights which
they inherited from natures God, and their
political right of selfgovernment; that is, TO
make their own laws allowing simply per-
mission to the British crown, through its
appointed agents to execute those laws, the
same as provided in the British Constitution
for the government of British subjects. These
were the rational principles aud momentous
issues of the American revolution.
But when war once commenced in their
defence. it terminated only in final separation
and independence At the beginning Of our
war of independence, the American colonies
numbered three millions of souls. By the
necessity of the struggle for their liberties, the
principle of unity was adopted. At first this
unity was but a confederation of States; 1t was
afterwards consolidated into nation by our
glorious Constitution. Two millions. then, Of
colonists, poor in everything but virtue and
courage, with nation Of fifteen millions, the
richest and most powerful on earth, began the
war of the revolution. 1t was a civil war =
on the part of the British Government and its
allies, the tories. constituting about one-third
of the population of the colonies, aud the Ind AL
savages it was war of slaughter, assassina
ton and determination The whole fighting
force Of the patriots-those capable of bearing
arms-never at any time exceeded two hundred
thousand, and of these never could more than
fifty thousand be equipped with arms and nee
essary military supplies at any period, on
account of the poverty OF our patriot fathers.
The Government of Great Britain, at different
times during the war; employed one hundred
and thirty thousand veteran soldiers and
marines, with all necessary military supplies
ard munitions of war. and at different times
put into the struggle about one hundred
thousand tories and savages.
For nearly eight mortal years Of agony, the
flames of war surged over the colonies from
Boston TO Savannah, in waves of devastation.
1t was time that tried mems souls. Out OF
the throes and terrible commissions of the war,
which left every family in the wide land in
mourning for the dead, arose the nobest con-
stellation of heroes and statesmen that ever
compelled the homage of mankind. In the
cabinet and in the field, wherever opportunity
was afforded for the triumphs of immortal
genius, there stood forth the champions of
human reason and human dignity. Washing
ton. Warren, Sterling, Gates, Green, Lincoln.
Putnam, Wayne. Morgan. Sumpter and Marion,
and hundreds of heroic Generals
"Among the few. the immortal names
That are not born to die -
led on the uncouquerable regiments OF patriots,
who often in defeat. but ofiener in victory,
through all that bloody struggle, de6ed the
whole power of Great Britain 10 conquer and
subdue them to the undisguised and Infamous
condition of political slavery. But if the
indomtable determination and immortal cour-
age of our small armies arrested the wonder
and astonishment of the nations of the old
world the pure, classical, intellectual emana
tions aud Contributions to the literature of
patriotism, that were poured forth from our
Continental Congress. composed of the
AdamSes, jefferson. Franklin, Henry. jay,
Livingston, and their compeers, excited the
unbounded admiration of the world. Great
while living, now sainted 10 heaven immortal
men. Your zeal in favor of liberty has gained
a name that shall perish but with the glorious
consultations of Heaven! When the sun of
light and life shall 90 down TO rise no more
when the earth and It's inhabitants shall melt
away, and the last peal of time shall echo along
down upon the shores of eternity-then and
not till then will the glory of your deeds cease
to roll in song from human tongues
Year after year, the fiery flashes of the
artillery Of battle and the confagration of
houses lit up the land. Year after year, like
rock, the armed band of our patriot fathers
rolled back the invading waves of British
power and insolence. The thunders of battle
reverberated through every one of the thirteen
colonies, from Massachusetts, to Georgia At
Bunker Hill, at Saratoga. at Trenton, Prince
ton, the Cow Pens. at Kings Mountain, Eutaw
Springs, at Monmouth, and at Yorktown.
which the fiery and deathless courage of
American freemen rendered classic fields of
desperate triumph of Liberty over Tyranny;
amid the smoke and ihunders of battle. amid
blood and slaughter, amidst heaps OF friends
and foes stretched in death around them, our
heroic sires wrested from the hands of George
the Third the proud legacy of freedom for
themselves and their pos;erisy forever.
And shall We basely surrender this inestima-
bic inheritance, the peerless boon which cost
our fathers so m1ch blood, and toll, and
treasure? NO thousand times NO, And
this response comes from the battle fields of
Virginia of Tennessee. of Georgia, and Miss
issipp. 1t is the dead speaking to the living
it is the promise of The living in memory Of
the gallant desd-it comes to Us by sunlight
and 10 darkness. from the east. the west, the
north and south. 1t is heard above the roar
of Niagara's mighty cataract-it is The echo
of the Aleghanies rolled back to our own
Sierras-it is heard everywhere over the land