Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-09-15
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.


More than a quarter of century has
rolled away, since first shouldered mus
ket and packed my knapsack as q private
soldiersg And 1t tiswith emotions of pleas
llre that recall those early days when /
abandoIeh the college hall to hasten to
Texas to aid our countrymen in driving
back the mongrel -hordes of Mexico-not
Spaniards, but a savage and degenerate
race, compound of Indian, Negro and
Spaniard-such race .oflmongrels as will
exist in Ohio, if Negro Equality be estab-
lished. But must not digress, for / was
speaking of comrades of by-gone years,
comrades long since dead; of Houston and
his heroes. How often recall their mem-
ories-those men of 1S36-7-S and o. With
them first commenced my soldier-boy
career-I first learned to understand the
brave, generous and sometimes naughty
character Of the Southron; it was there the
great truth was impressed upon my mind
that I" the black and white races are from
the antipodes of the human family.pr ~
Never again did | expect to grasp the
musket or the, sword; but how little we
know of the future. j had become citi-
zen of the Buckeye State-a State which
has produced constellation of heroes,
whose brilliant deeds have shed Immortality
upon our country's name. Again the war
drum beat, and the, tocsin called aloud to
arms to repel the invader from our Southern
border. Again | became private soldier.
BY the voice OF my comrades l was made
their Captain, and their soldier-like bearing
caused me to be chosen Colonel of the I'd
Ohio Volunteers. A year passed away;
battles were fought, and victories won; and
as recognition of the gallant services OF
I w rrnmntaH n thn cpninr
Colonelcy of the eight new regiments of
regular infantry, mine being the brave
, 10Th. ...,
had been one year with Taylor, but was
now with Scott. Step by step the veteran
warrior drove the Mexican from mountain
gorge to mountain gorge, down into the
lovely valley of Mexico-the Eden of Amer
lea, Five bloody battles there were efought,
and five victories crowned our arms.
Peace once more smiled upon our land;
and, by the treaty we, obtained, the cesson
of territory nearly equal to the half of Mex
ioo; and from California alone, we received
gold enough to- pay all the expenditures of
the war, and give us surplus OF more than
six hundred million dollars. 1r1 l.a, 81
Time passed; broken health caused me to
seek distant shores in search ofneW life and
new strength; and was still abroad when
the echo of fraternal war came moaning
across the waters. Americans who were in
Europe grieved as Americans no. where else
could grieve. % Surrounded by the gaudy
trappings of Kings and Courts, the towns
andpities filled with an armed police, and
every society, from the church to the thea
ter, contaminated by the presence Of detec-
tivest-these supple instruments Of despotic
power--and we all thanked God that we be-
ionged to a Republic; that we we're the
children of Democracy, and that our homes
were unstained by brothers blood by
br66lersished. To us, them the shock was
terrible, though not wholly unexpected
and in one instance an American fell dead
in his tracks, on hearing that our flag had
been. fired upon ab EOrtnSumteE. .r,' 5n1o
came home aud once more was In the
field surrounded by as noble a band of men
might better say "boys,7 but "boys" with
the hearts of herCes-as ever faced a foe up
on an ensanguined battle field. I Applause.
My comrades were soldiers in the highest,
roblest sense, for every true soldier is al
heart a, gentleman. (Applause.1 Patient
and enduring on thei,march, cheerful and
orderly in camp, heroic in battle, and gen.
erous after victory; such. was the character
of the men with whom I had the honor to
be associated such is the real type of thu
American, soldier. Was it strange, then
that learned to love them as my brothers
And say TO yOu,5 citizens, cherish these
brave young men, for they are your bright.
estjeWels; they are your sons and brothers
Z Butall are not here, How shall we speal
of the absent ones-thosep dead heroes
/ whose graves mark so many battle fields
but,whose names aud deeds shall forever
live in our hearts and memories-r-alive il
observation-disclosures: alive i'm the hearts nj