The Xenia sentinel. [volume] (Xenia [Ohio]) 1863-186?, 1865-02-17

that time there was not an hour By day or by
night in which there were not shells or min
ME balls passing by or striking objects
around and among you, and yet youF, total
loss in killed and wounded in all the twen-
kty-nine days, has been only thfTty.fUsi 9th
ker1regiments on your right and on your left,
no more exposed than you, lost two or three
times as many. Now, l ask, in view Of all
this have you not the greatest reason for the
most profound gratitude Of your hearts for
being thus remarkably preserved as q regi-
ment7 ] would not underrate the impsF-
lance Of good Judgment eOolneSs aud disere-
tiOn on the part Of officers Officers who are
quick to perceive the relation of things, the
relative position Of lines, the advantage of
ground or any advantage that a sudden
change might give them over the enemy, who
are brave where bravery is necessary and
cautious where. exposure is not required and
would accomplish nothing, who do not per
nit their men to expose themselves unneees-
ssrily or rashly, such officers, say can
hardly be too, highly valued and an salts
fed that under God we owe no small part of
our good fortune to such management on, the
part Of our officers. But there is a tendency
both in the army and at home when success
perches on our banners to give all the glory
to some high officer making an Idol of him,
regardless alike Of the important agency of
subordinate officers and private soldiers, who
are the bone and sineW and courage that are
the chief instruments Of victory, and also
forgetful of that Being who gives both Off
Ger and soldier all their military qualifca-
tions, and govern all the circumstances of
the conflict DaEid, with al his military
ability said, q will not trust in my bow,
nor shall my sword save me-" Not unto us,
0 Lord, not unto US but unto thy name be the
I Il T. -, a.. IL n.d
than to put confidence in man." -l 1t-
Aside from the good fortune of our regi-
ment, we have great reason for thankfulness
on account of the late great Vietories of our
armies here and before Richmond. The victo-
ries here viii appear great when we look at
the obstacles that have been overcome--a
desperate army Of seventy thousand men in
what were considered impregnable mountain
fastnesses, which they had for years been
fortifying. have seen all the great battle
grounds Of the east and the principle ones
of the west, and from. the Potomac to the
| Chicahominy or the James, on the line Of the
RappahannOo or the Rapid Ann, there is no
batLle ground anything like as strong by
/ nature as that GibralteF of BuZzaTd Roost
and the mountainous district from there to
Resaca, Even Lockout and Mission Ridge
were not capable of anything like so strong
a defence. ! ct it was taken with butlittle
! loss of life, How2 We say by a flank
movement. The truth is God gave the proud
| bOasting rebel-leaders over to im6ecility and
! turned their councils into foolishness. They
made their front bristle with batteries and
! then lay back and boosted that they would
| destroy us. But in their vain self-gratula-
| tion, and short-sightedness they left an open
/ door through Snake-Gap, and we came in
with impunity on their flank and rear, COM
pelling them to abandon their proud position
/ On which they had spent so much labor. A
child, not left to the folly and weakness of a
| reprObate mind should have known better
! than to leave the side door open while the
/ front was looked and barred. Then again
the strongholds in those parts of the Allatoo-
ma mountains, out Of which they have been
drivenj were capable of powerful resistance.
Even the last important Gap in the Blue
| Ridge is now in our possession before they
had common wisdom to make it strong for
themselves. Does it not seem that God is at
last beginning to leave them to be destroyed
| by the folly and imbecility of their own
madness In all these battles in which we
have driven them one hundred miles through
their chosen and fortified ground, we have
| lost not more than fifteen thousand men.
| Our losses in the east have been much great
| er, but greater in Importance have been the
| Victories there. The fall Of Richmond may
be looked for soon. We need no voice of
ppophesy to cry in regard to her, as of her
ancient mother, fallen, fallen, is Babylon,
that city Of pride and pollution, rebellion
and vain-glory. The defeat of that army
that considered itself inEinoible, and the fall
of the rebel GapitOl,is most important on ae--
count Of the moral influence it viii exert
at home and abroad. In other respects the
victories here are as important as those in
! tho Eoaf Gnnrnin ir fhn. In md l
thiest State now in active rebellion. It con
| tains the chief military resources of the enc
my, and threfOre our victories here are q
powerful blow on the vitals Of the rebellion.
Then let US thank God and take courage, and
| in proportion as we desire the war to close
speedily let US rejoice in the greatness Of
the late victories. etf
For the dead ne weep. We can do no
more. rr.i-eea Edo - .9
a1trFhere is a tear for all who die, 'G5a t1
A mOurner o'er the humblest grave;
| But nations swell the funeral cry,
And triumph weeps above the brave"
If tears would bring back our fallen, frinds
and brothers, they would soon be with us.
] But their faces we shall see no more. They
are gone to the undiscovered land. We may
not follow them now except in the hope that
| they have found a peaceful home where the
! bugle will no more call them to the conflict,
where the roar of battle has given place to
sWeeter music, where the wicked cease from
| troubling and the weary are at rest, al. e..
40, the lost, the unforgOtten, though the
world. be Oft forgot; ae IN
| O, the shrouded and the lonely, in our hearts
/ they perish notl"
In the hearts of the living they have mon
uments more durable than marble. Over
h, al e h of 81
/ memory will not Hither nor fade Coming
years will adorn them with fresh flowers
fairer and sweeter than those now blooming
over their graves. It matters little then,
that we have shrouded them with their bloody
! blankets, and buried them away down in the
dark forest, or high up on the lonely noun
/ tain, leaving them without polished stones
| to tell the story of their deeds.
| At last call heads must come to the cold
tomb" and only the actions of tie just
smell sweet and blossom in the dust"
The wounded and suffering have our pray
ers and our sympathy. Many Of you know
what it is to be wounded and have to spend
| weary weeks and months Of loneliness and
pain in the dreary hospital.
The beTeaved at home, we cannot, in our
thanksgiving, forget. We share their sOr-
rows, but that is Of little avail to them, and
we commend them 10 Him who is the stran-
gers shield, the widows stay and the or
phan's help. ..---.----
40, thou who driest the mourner's tear1rY
How dark this world would be, .--.,.r
| If when distressed and troubled here
We could not fly to thee"
The thought of the dead, the wounded and
the bereaved, is a dark shade on the sunlight
and joy of victory. But the cup of life is new
er filed exclusively with nectar. II has its
portion of gall and wormwoOd in every con-
dition, even in days of peace, and
'Ie who has not learned to know,