New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-10-22
THEY VOTE A. THEY FIGHT, ASD
THEY FIGHT MOLLY.

THEY FIGHT NOBLY.
All honor to the soldiers in tho trenche7-end-
less honors. unceasng respect TO the brave rank
and file that hug Richmond in their doaih-grip!
They vote as they fight. and they fight like
gods
This Is October, and the rains Of Autumn
have filled the rihc-pits. The alternate use OF
the tin cup to bail wator aud hold cc1iee. has
sbatcd the flood in the house Of the soldier on
picket and in the trenches. But the mud re-
mains with him, and be stands in il, and he
sits in II, and he leans on il, and he kneelS IN It,
4 new creation Of man out Of clay-this soldier
is mud lrow hi, boots to his cap, his face Is
mud. his hands as mud, all but his musket Is
mud-all save bis musket and the heart and
brain Of him.
Il is cold in the rne.pits, and in tho trenches,
and IN the sheltcr.tents. The earth is vet, the
wind is in The North, the shy il gray-and the
improyidence imposed by forced marches in
summer campaign in a hot climate, has left upon
The bloody trail Of our conquered advance INTO
Virginia, the oyorcoats aud flannel drawers and
shirts Of an army. The third Zoe, cold, attacks
our dear brother in front Of Richmond, but does
not abate Lis port, does not bend his spirit. lie
scrapes tho mud of him with stick, from
Saxon and a soldicrly instinct, takes furtiyely
into his bosom as an unlawful nesting, The
passing thought Of the frcside at home, and
wife. mother, children aud wor-hipful sisters,
signs rs he dismisscs it, aud locks bis jaw with
the clench Of duty, and faces toward Richmond
with face cut out Of determined bronze.
You ideali-is whorummage the Mediterranean
.lumbcr.roous Of nrt for the bust Of Hannibal a.
The type Of the soldier, ~ TO the Army OF the
Potomac and sec one hundred thousand greater
than he. Every one of them il q volunteer.
They sleep in the mud, they eat IN tho mud,
they watch in the mud, they fight in The mud,
not from the necessity which rake5 into the
rank; The armies Of Europe, but from the divine
impulse which dcyotes man To duty. They
shivcr in this Northern autumnal Wind, count
ing the DAYS Ia the coming Of The
poymaster aid measuring their separation
from better and warmer clothing, but
never counting the cost OF their service OF their
country, and never measuring their distance
from death. They contracted three years ago,
two years ago, one year ago, 90 die for free
DOM and they stand in front Of Richmond
ready 10 fulfill the denfgod-like agreement, Of
their own free wills, and without duros. And
all along behind them 10 The Eapidan is a line
Of mounds covering men just like them, who
fought through gauntlet of death that would
have licked mp the armies Of Napoleon As fast
as be could have raised them, snd would have
prevented History TO tho cOnqueror5 and The
conquered al Waterloo.
Dcmgod-like indeed they are--thcse soldiers
in the ranks Of or armies. They fight and
they vote They handle tie bullet with The
right haud-with the left, the ballot. They
make warm the same moment, they make
Government. They fire into the breasts Of a
soldiery employed TO destroy their couutryi be-
fore biting the cartridges for the next loading Of
their pieces they, with tho sovereign power
which is theirs, turn ard appoint q civil admin
i,trauon FOR tho United States Of America FOR a.
period u four years Oh! how in measure and
compare with one Of those muddy, clay
smutchod, wator-soakcd men, smelling OF pow
der and leaning on his muskct, and declaring
with imperial tone 10 the Commissioners of
Election. a. be draws his ballot ont Of his cart
ridge-box, IL vote for ABRAHAM LISCoLs and
the continuance Of this war how in measures
with him do the Frederlcks the Great become
rreGercks the Little and the great Napoleons
diminish TO small Napoeons!
The country revcred the army for its fighting
1t will worship it for its voting. There Is moi
in the history of politics such fidelity to Prn-
chile as the soldiers Of Pennsylvania, Indiana
aud Ohio have shown in their State elections M
tho field. Their former couinander-in-chief
popular throughout the armies, was selected ny
the Democrats as "a candidate sure to "catch
the soldiers vote" He was made the repre-
sentative Of ii policy which should stop the war,
and enable the soldier 10 return 10 his home,
and was made the sponsor OF lie that was de-
signed TO corrupt the idea Of the struggle We are
engaged in-that the war was fought not
for the nation bgt for the negro. They
selected a soldier for candidate,
and placed him on a platform Of peace, and ap-
pealed to the mothers, and the fathers, and the
wives, and the sisters, aud the longing children,
Of the soldiers in the field. to get the soldiers
..,,l1 il, far, hon ar Iar