Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1865-05-27
Our Returning Heroes.
BY HORACE GREELEY.

Before these lines can reach the MAORI
ty of their readers the van of the trium-
phaDt Union armies will have encamped
around Washington City. though their rear
guard may scarcely yet have passed through
from the grand old Army of the Poto
mac, the sturdy Army of The james, the
Army Of Tennessee, Of the Cumberland, and
of Georgia--will, on or about the lst of
June, be assembled at the Federal Metrop-
oils, preliminary to their speedy and honor.
able discharge from the service. Some of
them bore part in the disastrous expert
ences Of our FIRST campaigns-of either Bull
Run, Wilson's Greek, Lexington, Mo.
Gaines Mill, Secession Vile, and the earlier
attempts on Vicksburg--far more of them
recoied from the deadly fire that reddened
the frozen, slippery sleeps of Fredericks
burg, or shared the modification melted by
our bafled effort at Charlottesville, or
glowed with the valor which wrested vieio
ry from The jaws of ruin at Stone River
while the hearts Of tens of thousands among
them thrill with patriotic pride at the men,
tion of Shiloh, of Fort Donelson, of Aniie.
tam, of Gettysburg. Of the campaign which
eliminated in the surrender of Vicksburg,
of Sherman's magnificent march from the
Tennessee to Savannah and to Raleigh
of Grants tenacious hold on Lee. which
nothing could relax or shake until be had,
through every shade OF fortune, hunted Re.
beilion from its cuirassed capital, and
chased the Rebel Generalissmo to sur.
render OF his entire army. In that bronzed
host about to be finally mustered at Wash.
ington, there are the relics of hundred
desperate conflicts, individuals among them
having participated in more than twenty -
Some of them have marched in defence of
the Union much further 10 the aggregate
than the distance from New York TO Liv.
erpoo and. though there are some recent
recruits in their ranks. the regiments that
will answer at roll-cal in this muster have
lost more men by; wounds in battle than
will now respond to their names. Some
OF them have not seen the face of paymas-
ter since last September or October many
are poorly clad and shod, and are going
home to resume life of rugged labor for
mere subsistence many. who have braved
death unharmed through the carnage Of
many battles, return to hearths made desc
late in their absence by the death of those
they most deeply loved. 1t is not pro- able
that their country. during the remainder of
their lives. will ever call them again to the
tented field. They leave at least Two
Hundred Thousand veterans in the field,
nearly half OF them cavalry. who are amply
adequate to the speedy stamping out of any
future outbreak of the now smo,hered fires
of the Rebellion. The like number who
are soon to stack arms on the Potomac
will probably never be called to recover
them God grant that their children also
may never be summoned to repeat the
stern experiences of the last four years
Most certainly, I know that our soldiers
are not all heroes. Some of them enlisted
for the bounty, intending to earn 1t at as
slender cost and risk as might be. Some
of them attempted deserlion others have
disgraced their colors by cowardice or rob.
berry. As a whole. however, hold the
armies of the United States, while at least
equal 10 intelligence aud moral worth to
their fellow citizens generally. decidedly
! heir superiors in average bravery, patriot
ism, and the spirit of self-sacrice. How
generally. how patiently. bow buoyantly
they have borne fatigue. exposure. privatioD,
suffering. for the salvation OF their country,
trust that country is not likely to forget,
Yeti write TO urge my fellow citizens to
a persistent, all embracing, systematic re-
and rsqntal ot the obligation.
| write TO urge that everywhere the loyal
men aud women OF these States form local