Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-09-29
Adde'S of COL La Grange of The 1T taralry.

The following eloquent and appropriate ad-
dress was made by Col. Q. H. La GRANGE, of
the 1st Wisconsin cavalry, at Gainesville,
Ga, Sept, lst, 1864, to the veterans of the
lst battalion Of his re giment, on the occasion
of the expiration of their term of service:
. CoNRAoEs The hour Of our parting is -
hand, Time in its onward Increment has
brought Us 10 that current 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 rover
ence manly virtue.
I 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 dim the loyelght that should
meet you there.
Some of you will come back to witness the
last act of this sad tragedy of civil war
Z 1
your services peculiar value, and those who
do return should be rewarded by the Govern
ncnt and respected by the people according
to their merit. Some Of you will call for
1.-THE second relief" and remain in the ranks
90 iyil life. In its more difficult though less
lar rerOus battles, a continued exercise of
Il qualities you have here displayed will WIN
" as d class such high respect that when a
man eNcels his neighbOrs in energy, honesty,
and success, they shall account for it by say
ing, he was patriot soldier III the great
rebellion"
In that teeming future which is so full OF
work and big with promise for all earnest
men, l shall be happy if in some good work
1t Is permitted me to follow some Of you as
faithfully as you have here supported me.
| In going from US you will bear with you
| thoughts and memories of some whom to
nave known is honor, and with whom to have
been associated is an inestmable privilege.
You will think Of Daniels, whose fiery spirit
so soon wore his frail body out; Of Phillip
Gregory, Dunmore and Eggleston, the rep
resentatives of those whose names made up
j the list OF our great but well rewarded sacri-
ice on our first campaign You will not for
| get Getchell, Clinton, Caldwell, Sandon and
| Warren, and the true men with them, the
| speaking silence of whose noble lives in
Southern prisons, ought to win their country's
gratitude and shame their capt0rS into man
hood In your minds will be place FIR Ship
man, Harnden, Croker, Warren, Torrey and
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 ror 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 IL
ever had upon its muster roll, plus it's own
| losses. You will point to it's record in those
official reports of which history is made, and
! in the coming time, when men shall speak of
| the "New Era," dating from the War; and of
its WondrOus progress, and the countless bless
| 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 sacreligous 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, l
now take leave of you Imost 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.