Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1865-05-19
COMING HOME.

"They are coming home" This is the glad
news which goes all over the country and dspreads
Joy in every town and village, to the farthest
backwoods cabin ofthe West. They are COM
ing home; bronzed and battle-scarred, our pa
triOt soldiers are returning TO the arms of their
mothers wives, sisters and sweethearts.- After
four long years of bitter war; they are at last
turning their faces towards the homes they left
to follow the old flag. They went away with
sad hearts, to fulfill their duty-they return
proudly and iOyfully, heroes whom the nation
welcomes with open arms; they come back to sit
in the seat of honor at every fireside; to receive
such love praise, and well-wOn rewards as none
before them ever earned. There is scarcely a
house in the land, in which the news, "they are
coming home, has not caused stir of prepara-
ton; and the saddest houses to-day are not those
to which the wanderer shall never return for
these too have share in the great Joy and
pride, and every soldiers widow, and every
mother whose son has died in the war will hear
the praises of her lost from the lips ofhis COM
rades; but the saddest houses to-day are those
which have furnished no soldier 10 the great
war. - .,... ..--.-. Er
The soldiers are coming home; how proudly
they walk the streets to which their tolls and
bravery have brought back peace; how eagerly
they are welcomed and how lovingly and res
pectfully greeted by every passer by How
adniringly the little boys and girls gather
around to look and touch, and listen to the
brown, way worn man-One OF Sherman boys
or one of Sheridaus, or one of the dear old Ar
my of the Potomaci They have suffered much;
they have endured bravely, but now their re-
ward is come. 'They that sow in tears shall
reap in Joy He that goeth forth and weepeth
bearing precious seed shall doubtless come
again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with
him." Truly, they are bringing their sheaves
with them; and as the nation receives and well
comes these dear brothers to the homes from
which they have been so long absent our breasts
are filled with the grand old song of returning
peace: when the Lord turned again the captiv-
tivity of Zion, we were like them that dream
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and
our tongue with singing; then said they among
the heather, The Lord hath done great things
for them. The Lord hath done great things
for US, whereof we are glad.
They are coming home-and day by day and
year by year their honors and rewards will grow
greater. The lamented General Rice said to
the soldiers of his brigade but few days before
the march into the Wilderness: "You know
how in your own homes soldier of the Revolu-
ton was reverenced, because he had fought in
the great battles which first gave us liberty =
But your reward will be greater and more endu-
ring than theirs. When this war is over, and
you go home, you will be received by shouts
and hosannahs and cherished as men never wer,
before in the world; your children and children
children to the farthest generation will make
it their proudest boast that their fathers fought
in this great and holy war You will found
families in the land the highest in the land will
be proud to say, My ancestor served in the
great war; And if he die on the field of battle
as many of us must, do you think we will be
forgotten? All, don't believe it! When the
war is over, be sure every smallest incident Of
its history will be traced, every name viii be
recorded, every brave deed will be searched out
and for a century to come your trials your suf-
erings, your constancy and bravery will be cho-
sen themes of the most finished scholars and the
greatest writers our county produces. No act
of ours will escape the vigilance of that multi
tude of busy writers, who will, in every state
and in every town, search out our names and the
story of our services, to make them known to
the nation which will call us fathers of redeem
ed country the soldiers of greater revolution
All, it is proud thing to fight in this war;
To some of them this return will bring sOr-
rowful reminiscences-of losses incurred during
their absence, of dear ones gone never to be seen
again. In shOp-window on Broadway we
saw, this morning, a painting which will doubt
less represent not uncommon experience. A
war-wOrn veteran steps into the little field
which encloses his cottage, and as his foot sep
crates the spires of grass, he sees a rude stone
on which is inscribed, aWillie, May l, 1864
and his streaming eyes tell us the meaning ol
the incident. But to most of our noble men
their return will not be SO sad as this; and they
will come with beaming, not weeping faces
with hearts swelling not with sorrow, but with
pride and Joy. -
They have fought in a righteous cause, and
they return victors to prosperous land, filled
with comfort for all. They come back TO take
their old places in society, to pursue the old IN
dustries which yielded them honest bread be
fore the war; they find peace and joy, and abun-
dance, awaiting them. How different with those
poor creatures who were misled by wicked con-
spirators into rebelling against their country
The rebel soldiers have suffered as much,
have Jared even poor, aud toiled harder; but
they return to desolate homes, with the feeling
and knowledge, gained too late, that they have
fought in a bad cause, are execrated by all the
world, aud that the leaders, whom too blind
ly they followed, have brought only ruin on the
South; only misery and disgrace to their unfor-
tunate victims.-N T. EUe, Post.