Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1866-08-01


The Fourth Of July has been called our Sabbath
day Of Freedom.
July 4th l77G Just ninety years ego, the thirteen
American Colonies proclaimed to the world theil
Declaration of Independence. II does us good even
10 this day 10 read the stirring words of fathers
IN that manly document 1t was bold adventure
they made, but pledging TO each other "theiT lives
their fortunes and their sacred honor, and appeal
ing TO the God of nations they unsheahed the sword
and bearing soft the eagle banner with its stripes
and stars, they made good their claim and achieve
their nationality amid the plaudts of the world
One of the poets beyond the waters sang as be
thought Of the struggle
III humanity shows to the god Of the world,
IT'S that Of a people with banners unfurled
Resolved for their freedom to die"
The immortal Washington led our armies to tri-
umph, and acknowledged first in war, first in peace
and first in the hearts of his countrymen,7 he laid
broad and deep the foundations OF this great Repub
lie of the West.
In the war of 1912, victory again perched upon
our national banner As it fOated proudly TO the
breeze.
And later still, when borne by the hero Of Lundys
Lane and General Taylor it waved in glory at Palo
Alto, Resaca de Ia Palma Churabusco, and in the
Halls OF Montezuma, opening before us the golden
treasures Of California
The elder Adams, when Congress sent out its
Declaration Of Independence, wrote almost in pro-
phetic vision, This day will be immortal. 1t will
be celebrated with bonfres and illuminations, and
with the ringing Of bells till the end of time. How
clearly he the grandeur of the great deed that
was done. The tyranny of Kings was TO be checked
by this universal coronation Of man. The oppres-
.ions Of the Old World were 10 be rebuked by the
great popular government Of the New.
And IS this day returned yesr after year, multi
.Edes all the land thronged around the altars
Of the Lord with praise and Thanksgiving for his
mighty delverance, and orators and poets Wed with
each other in rendering honor to the brave no
perlled all TO hold up the national banner, and in
drawing pictures of our cOuntrys greatness. They
told of the suferGgs Of fathers of their heroic
endurance; of their deeds of valor; of Lexington,
and Concord, and Bunker Hill, and Brandywine
and Saratoga, and Yorktown, and of New Orleans,
Emucfau, and Talladegha; of Champlan and Lake
Erie; Of the brief dispatch Of Commodore Perry
" We have met the enemy and thew are ours :" of
Decatur and Paul Jones, and the immortal words of
Lawrence Don't give up the ship as she went
down with stresmers hying; and of La Fsyette, who
left the vine-csd hills of his beloved France TO
crusade for Freedom in Freedoms holy land p and
Of Baron Steuben, and myriads more who came
scrOss the sea to make common cause with Us in the
struggle Of liberty
They spoke also of the battle flags and OF the
thousands starved by the British on Long Island !;
and Of the SCARED veterans who survived the revou
ton, snd of the $4,000 who laid down their lives on
their countrys altar; and of the loyal wives and
mothers and daughters who cheered the soldiers in
their march 90 glory and the grave.
They told also of the tories of the Caroinas, and
Of the freebootoTs-the ancestors of many OF the
rebels who were most violent in our late war; of
the robberes and cruelties and outrages and muir
ders; and in contrast with the loyalty they were
hoRoring they would sometimes refer 10 Benedict
Arnold, who, al West Point, turned ,r4itor 10 his
flag, and with this scathng acrostic to his name
they sent his memory down through the ages
B Ora for curse TO virtue and mankind,
L srth's broadest realm ne'er knew so black mind,
isht's sable vail your crimes can never hide:
al the glare ;hs. iDiany can give.
Curses vi ages will attend your name
Traitors alone viii glory in your shame.
Almighty vengeance sternIy waits to roll
Z iyers Of sulphur on your trescherous soul.
SS5s 5 ooas S9gdahs b osc5 Win 90nsGOa' dread
Let he'll receive you, riveted in chains
oomed TO the hottest focus OF its fames.
Monuments went up at Bunker Hill and Wyo-
ming and Baltimore and Washington; and Webster
and Clay and other men Of eloquent words which
now circulate in the text books OF our common
schools throughout the land, dwelt on the grand
achievements Of the past and the bright hopes of
the future The Star Spanged Banner was sung,
and the nation anne in on the chorus
0 thus be It ever, when frecmen sh. Il stand
Between their loved homes and vars desolalon,
Blessed with victory and peace the heaven land
Then conquer We must, when cause it is just,
And this be motto, " In God is our trust
And She Star Spangled Banner; o long may it wsvc,
Ger he land Of the free and the home OF the brave
Such was the spirit of I776. Such was the spirit
OF our fathers who beqUeathed us legacy OF free
dom. And as our eagle banner commanded the re-
spect Of the nations and country extended from
the lakes 20 the gulf and from ocean to ocean, and
We were advancing in all the elements Of prosperity
and power, the hope was cherished that the Union
might remain and indiVisible, and that all Sec
uons would equally guard cur national life.
But strange as II light have seemed, We have lust
passed through civil war unparalleled in the an
nails oi the race Three millions of men have met
IN the shock Of arms, and more than ten times the
number that fell in first revolution are sleeping
that sleep that knows no waking.
Tie may rear, the loud thunder may rattle
They heed not they hear not hey have ough their ast battle
No sound osn awake them 50 glory again,
4 privileged aristocracy claimed the whole OF The
United States Is a hunting ground for their runna-
way negroes, and when Abraham Lincoln was
elected President thew construed that act into an ex
tended check upon their defiance and expansion
They thercupun organized rebellion and set up
Confederate government, the chief corner stone Of
which, according 10 Alexander Stevens was African
slavery They fired upon our national flag at Fort
Sumter snd thus in the interest of slavery struck al
The Lte OF the nation, and war the inevitable
result.
You know how nearly all our men in public sta
tions tried not 10 interfere with slavery; how our
Generals issued public orders 10 force the slaves back
beyond the army line; how reluctant the President
vas TO take any other course till foreign interverl-
lion stared him in the face; till loyal Governors one
after another from the East, and the great West
lent him word II viii be next TO impossible for Us
20 raise more men or money 20 protect slavery
Then came the hundred days notice; and when that
despised the Emancipation Proclamation fol-
lowed as measure. Al once you remember how
the sky began 70 clear. The dread Of foreign In
ieryentlon died out as foreign thrones feared the
people on the question Of liberty Victories follow
d-Nlcks6urg, Gettysburg Antietam-and q hun
ared thousand coiored troops were added to cur ad-
vanclng hosts. Men and money came in in abun-
dance ana Providence brought forward the right
generals. Mcclellan and Buell. stepped aside, and
Generals Grant Sherman and Sheridan moved to
the front. Atlanta, Savannah, Richmond and Lees
army soon were ours and the Confederacv with its
corner stone passed away.
When pOsterty shall understand what the cbsnn
pions Of the Divine right Of slavery did; that tbev
were implicated in perjury and piracy and murder |
and the starvation Of 6+ 900 prisoners thev will NOT
be surprised that the sovereign people of Tennessee
for example IN State Convention assembled solern n
ly decreed that henceforth every chain should he
broken. They will thank God that the nation rose
up ard by Constitutional Amendment declared ,
that slavery should cease forever and that Congress
should have power 10 carry out this decree by ap-
propTiase legislation. And here, retarned soldiers
and fellow-citizens as will Je done in thousands of