The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-07-13


er have l bowed in more earnest ferveni
gratitude to Him for kindness to my coun-
| try than when that load of agony was lit
cd from my heart and the first troops were
posted in the Notifications that defended the
capital of the nation. a''a
| God, not man has saved the republic. -
| And nation, which God has proved wor-
thy to save by such signal intefposition Of
His providence, must be destined to a long
and glorious life. To the rernotest ages, it
will remember and honor and bless the me-
BILE heroes who have been the instruments Of
God to save it. From every city and viii
Iage and rural district they flew to arms
when the tocsin sounded. With holy en-.
thusiasm they left the blessed paths of peace
to tread the fry road to death as over a
howery sod They came, not as come the
mercenary soldiers of despotic rulers, but
actuated by such noble impulses as never
before moved an army. Untried
in the arts and hardships and perils of war
they soon became the most skillful, patient
and ge!lant army the world ever saw, and
and were able to triumph over an enemy
whom no other army ever known to history
conld have subdued. With heroic fortitude
they bore the sufferings of the march. the
camp and the hospital, and the battle field.
| with the most sublime devotion, offered up
their lives upon the altar of our country
| If the recording angel could have bung over
every battle field, and camp and hospital.
and recorded all the lofty deeds and inspired
words, performed or spoken, by your heroic
sons, while writhng there in the agony Of
| wounds and death, he would give you one Of
| fIsah rio h,,
| man race. a record which honor, not only
our republic, but our common humanity.
Their graves cover the land, from toe Rio
Grande to the Potomac. Let the memory
of the dead be forever cherished in our heart
of hearts. And as for the living, who now
come home, to. dwell. again amongst u.s.
many of them disabled by disease and
wounds: Oh let US not forget that it will
be the ever-present duty, as it will be the
pride and pleasure of this people. to take
care that these men receive the respect and
kindness which they have earned by their
exalted service. They come not back as
beggars, to whom our gifts are charities.
but they come back the noble heroes to whom
we owe everything we have and are and
hope to be; to whom we owe the very ex-
istence of our country, and our own happi
ness and honor, aud all that makes life val
liable But for their wounds and sufferings
and tolls. we would be to day without a
country, wretchedvictims of the treacherous
barbarism which sought our. destruction. =
What would these farms and towns and
cities be worth to-day,if their precious blood
had not purchased the redemption of our
countryl What would life be worth to us
if darkened by degradation from which their
sufferings and tolls have saved us; s,s .!ts q
Men and women of Wisconsin /! Les
pecially exhort you to remember your return
ing sons. With one accord tue nation has
recognized the valor and fortituIc and ok lit
of those stalwart heroes whom you sent forth
into this war. Words fail me to express the
pride that has swelled my heart almost to
bursting, when have seen with what un-
hinching heroism these Wisconsin men could
face rebel fire, with .ring and wicked as
the fire of hell itself. They have borne your
flag high in front, in the thickest of the fight
on every hard fought battle field, and have
brought it back again, covered over with glo-
ry, with no stain Of dishonor on its folds.-
Let it be your pride and pleasure, as it is
your bounden duty, to take care that the
declining years of your sick and wounded
and suffering heroes are cheered by the con
slant kindness of a grateful people
| Turn now from these noble defenders of
our country to the enemy whom they have
80 completely vanquished. Who are they !?
And what shall be done with them 1t was
because they veterinarians that this strug
gle was mighty enough to shake the earth.
1t was indeed struggle of giants. They
we're such enemies as no government ever
subdued before-as no other nation on the
face of the earth could subdue to day The
traitors who commenced this war had no
grievances of which to complain. On the
contrary, the handful of Shareholders, who
instgated and controlled the rebellion, had
been the virtual rulers of this great repub-
lie for thirty years. and they had ruled us
with scourge of scorpions Their tyranny
penetrated every ramitication of our public
policy Their restless, relentless disposition
watched and moulded the lninutest items of
national legislation. They were the op-
pressors and aggressors and our just grounds
of complaint against them were countless as
the sands of the ocean. But We bore every
thug with patient forbearance, which fu-
ture generations would have deemed pusil
luminous, if We had not at last so .notly
indicated our manhood in this war; We
bore it because We loved our country and
hoped, even against hope, for some peacea-
BILE deliverance But the shareholders not
satisfied with making the entire republic
in all things tributary to the aggrandize
ment of their baleful institution, not satisfied
with the absolute sway of nation of TWEEN
| ty millions of people, sought upon the ruins
| of our country to erect a government I'M
der which there should be no spot of earth
whereon the wandering dove of freedom
could rest her weary feet.
Whom the Gods will DESTROY they first
make mad. Was ever before such madness
as this Was crime ever SO foolish SO b. ID
before To exchange preponderating in
| huence in the government of this great ma
ton for the doubtful issues of contest at
arms in which all the attributes of God and
all the interests of humanity were opposed
1 to them We have triunphed at last. But
the triumph has been.to us most COSTLY
| How many of our noblest countrylnen sleeu
in soldiers graves. From how many dark
ened hearth goes forth the lamentation OF
the widow and the orphan.
And now in the hour of triumph, let Us
Hook duty full in the face Let no thought
i of vengeance sully the essential radiance
which now surrounds the Republic hope
that in their treatment of these subdued trai.
tors the American people will be actuated
by the same exalted patriotism which has
borne them through this fearful struggle
} that whatever is done will he done solely
for the promotion of the highest good of on
beloved country.
While would count it mockery of Jus
tice and humanity and God to overlook tn,
! crimes of those malignant leaders who arr
responsible for all the miseries of this war
or those tiends who have been murderer
or tormentors of our prisoners yet am sat
t is6ed that it will be safe and wise, and RICH
to pardon the masses, who have been eithe
d forced or deIuded into the revolt Betwee
the rebel soldiers and the national soldier
8 there has been no such implacable hostiit
: as would prevent the consolidation of peac,