Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-02
A GENEROUS TRIBUTE.
A Plea for America by the Author o.
Tom. browns seRoOldRyE

the NOrJnern states nave borne during tno
war, and the noble heroism Of our
in contrast with what has been re-
presented of us abroad. We have only
room for an extract
And now for the example set by the
men of birth, wealth, and high position.
Here too l feel sure hat few simple
facts, taken at hazard from the mass which
l have under my hand, will be more than
enough to satisfy every just and generous
among my countrymen, and l am
proud to believe that, whatever u pre-
JUDGES may be, thereare few indeed among
us to whom such an appeal will be made
in vain. |
have said above that the mass of ma
terials is large. l might have said unman-
ageable, 1t is indeed impossible to take
more than an example here and there, and
to bring these out as clearly as one can in
the limits of an article. Let me take as
mine a family or two, with sonne one or
more of whose members I have the honor
Of friendship or acquaintance. And, first,
that of J. Russell Lowell, the man to
whose works l owe more, personally, than
to that of any other American. 1t would
be hard to find a nobler record. Theiyoung
men of this stock seem to have been ali
of high mark, distinguished specially for
intellectual power and attachments. Surely
the sickle of war has never been put more
comes William Putnam, age 81, the soc
surviving son of Lowell's sister, a boy of
the highest culture and promise, MORALLY
wounded at Balls Bluff in October, 1851, /
in the first months Of the war, while in the
act Of going to the help of a wounded
companion. At the same bitter fight his
cousin, James Jackson Lowell, aged "a,
was badly hurt, but, after a short absence
to recruit, joined his regiment again and
fell on June 80, 1852. "Tell my father l
was dressing tho line of my company
when l was hit" was his last message
home. He had been frat in his year at
Harvard, and was taking private pupils
in the law-school when the wal broke put.
Warren Russell fell at Bulls Run, in Au-
gust, 1852. Many of US here may re-
member the account, which was reprinted
in the Times and other papers, of the pre-
sentation of oolors to the I'd Massa-
chusetts Infantry, by DR.. Motley, at
Boston, in the summer of 1851.
1t attracted special notice from
the fact that the author of the History
of the Dutch Republic had been so,late-
ly living among us, and was so well
known and liked here. The group of
officers who received those colors were the
very ~jstfnesse dOres of Massachusetts
Quincy, Dwight, Abbot, Robson, Russell,
Shaw, Gordon, Savage, Perkins. Such a
roll will speak volumes to all who have
any acquaintance with New England his
tory. Those colors have oome home rid
died, tattered, blackened, but 1ve-sixths
ofthe young officers have given their lives
for them, and of the 1000 rank and file
who then surrounded them, scarcely 100
survive. This by-the-way. l refer to the
muster, because Robert Shaw was among
those officers-a name already honored in
these pages, another nephew of Lowells.
Shaw's sister married Charles Lowell, of
whom more presently. We all know how
Robert Shaw after two years service, ae-
ceptsd the command of the first black
regiment raised in Massachusetts the
(54thG how hs led them in the operations
before Charleston, and was buried with
bis niggers " in the pit under Fort Wag-
ner-the grandest sepultare earned BY
any soldier of this century. By his side
fought and died Cabot Russell, the third
of Lowells nephews, then a captain of a
black company. Stephen George Perkins,
another nephew, was killed at Cedar
Greek; and Francis Dutton Russell ut one
of the innumerable Virginian battles.
| pass to the last on the list, and the
most remarkable. Charles Russell Low
ell, the emily brother of the James who fell
" pressing his line" was also the first
scholar of his year $3.50 at Harvard.
Ia had visited Europe for his health, and
made long riding-tours in Spain and AL
geria, where he became a consummste
horseman. On the day after the 9th Mas
sachnsetts were fred on in Baltimore
streets, Charles Lowell heard of il, aad
started by the next train to Washington.
passing through Baltimore. All commu-
nication between the two cities was sus-
pended, but he arrived on foot at Wash
ington in forty-eight hours, In those
first days Of confusion he became agent
for Massachusetts at Washington, and
brought order out OF chaos for his own
State before joining the army. His pow
or OF command and organization gained
him rapid promotion. He served With
distinction in the Peninsula campaigns of
Mcclellan, and after ARtietam, was select
ed to errry the captured standards to
Washington. He raised q second cavalry
regiment at home in the winter of 1861. |
he was placed in command of the cavalry
force which protected Washington during
the dark days of 1863. In Sher;dans
brilliant campaign Of 1854 he commanded
the cavalry brigade Of four regular reei-
ments, and the I'd Massachusetts yolun-
cavalry. He had thirteen horses shot
under him before the battle eff Cedar
Creek, on October le waa badly wopndeF'
in that day, and lifted ON to his
fourteenth horse to lead the final CHARGE
SO faint that he had TO give his orders in
a whisper. Urged by those around him
leave the Geld, he pressed on to the
critical point OF attack; and himself led
the last charge, which ended one of the
most obstinate battles Of the war. It is
the death Of this nephew which WIRING
from his uncle the lines which occur in
one of the last " Biglow Papers, publish
in one of the last winters numbers of
the atlantic Magazine:
"WGt's words to them whose faith and truth
Vn wars red tschstone rang true metal;
Who Veatured life, an love, an youth
Fol- the great prize o. dsth In battle
70 him who, deadly hurt, agsn
flAshed on afore the charges thunder,
Tippin' with the fire bolt Of men
That rived the rebel line Gsunder
"Ta'n't right to hev the young TO fi1st.
All thro6bin full o gifts and grsces,
Leaving life's paupers dry as daSt
To try and make b'lievs an their pIaeas
Nothini but tells us wut We miss
Tiers gaps our lives can't never say In.
Aa that world seems so FUR from this,
Lief for US loafeFs to g row grey in
He died next day of his wounds, leav.
nIg a widow Of twenty, himself nci thirty.
,he 6osett@ In which his commission as
General was published, did not reach the
rmy till after hit death. She ridan, with
ne generosity which most Of the great
Northern captains have sb own, declared
hat the country could better have spared
and that there VIZ g no n quality |
e q eold;ar Which ba oo n " 9L