Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-10-01
Address Of Col La Grange Of the Isl CaTalry.

The following eloquent and appropriate adj
dress was made by Col o. Il. La GRANGE, OF
/ the lst Wisconsin cavalry, at Gainesville,
| Ca, Sept, LIST, 1864, to the veterans of the
lst battalion Of his regiment, on the occasion
I.of the expiration Of their term Of services:
COMRADES The hour of our parting is at
hand Time in its onward movement has
brought US to that curren of your lives
which is to bear you from US. If we had the
power we have not the wish to stay its course
Your names are this day dropped from our
muster rolls, but they are written with the
memory of your deeds upon our hearts, and
will remain in sacred characters, while we
are permitted to honor patriotism or rever-
ence manly virtue. .+t.-t
After full period of faithful service you
are. now with an honorable discharge return
ing to your homes: your homes, those gar
dens of the soul where every human virtue
must find root and nourishment before it bios
SONS and bears fruit in worthy actions, fit to
help mankind. 1t is my earnest hope that
you may find no shadow on your hearthstones,
no cloud to din the loyelight that should
meet you there.
Some of you will come back to witness the
last act of this sad tragedy of civil war;
Your training in difficult arm has given
your services a peculiar value, and those who
do return should be rewarded by the Govern
ment and respected by the people according
to their merit. Some of you will call for
"the second relief" and remain in the ranks
of civil life. In its more difficult though less
dangerous battles, continued exercise of
i tie qualities you have here displayed will WIN
| yoN as a class such high respect that when a
malexcels his neighbors in energy, honesty,
and Success, they shall account for it by say
ing, = In was a patriot soldier in the great
rebellionY
In that teming future which is so full of
work and biz with promise for all earnest
men, shall D happy if in some good work
it is permitted ne to follow some of you as
faithfully as youSave here supported me.
In going from u you will bear with you
thoughts and menAries of some whom to
have known is honor, and with whom to have
been associated is an 'qestimable privilege.
| You will think of Daniels whose fiery spirit
so soon wore his frail bod out; of Phillip,
J Gregory, Dunmore and Eegleston, the rep
resentatives of those whose names made up
! the list of our great but well rewarded sacri-
| fee on our first campaign. You will not for
get Getchell, Clinton, Caldwell, sandon and
| Warren, and the true men with item, the
| speaking silence of whose noble Ives in
| Southern prisons, ought to win their couutry's
gratitude and shame their captors into man
| hood. In your minds will be place for Ship
man, Harnden, Croker, Warren, Torrey AMI
| those like them whose torn and suffering bod
les would not let their gallant spirits out, till
| they had done more work for freedom, You
will remember my brother who only asked ''if
| he did right to storm the CREST" and uncom-
| plaingly went home to die and Paine, the
latest. and perhaps the noblest of our mar
| tyr-heroes, whose young life was as sweet and
| full of promise as a summers dawn, whose
| dust ennobles an unmarked grave beyond the
line of our advancing army, while his uncon-
quered spirit still seems ringing back along
| the regiment that thrilling forward" which
was the last word to pass his mortal lips
| You will remember him,
"Though he shouts charge nor the brave line
leads,
But sleeps in peace with his glorious deeds"
You will remember all of the unnamed, but
| not unhonored, ones of whom those names
| are typical. You will remember, too, that
yours was regiment which, when you left it,
| had taken from the enemy more men than it
ever had upon its muster roll, plus its own
| losses. You will point to its record in those
official reports of which history is made, and
| in the coming time, when men shall speak OF
the g New Era" dating from the War, and OF
| its Wondrnns prngrnss. and tho countless bleSo-
ings that it brought Gods millions, you can
say with honest pride that you were at its
| birth. -
| In parting, / can use no other words than
| those once spoken by the greatest and best
of men-they would seem sacreligious in my
| mouth, but that they are addressed to men
as true and tried as then surrounded him -
"With heart full of gratitude and love,
now take leave of you. most devoutly wish
that your latter days may be as prosperous
and happy as your former ones have been
| glorious and honorable" ~
God bless you all. Farewell.