The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-17
The Celebration of the Battle of An
tietnm.


tietam.
TO-DAY FIVE years ago the city of Philadel-
phia held its breath in suspense as II waited
Tor news from the Maryland border. For three
days it had been known that the Army of the
Potomac was fighting, with fearful carnage, to
drive back the advancing forces of General
Lee. A race without an equal in the annals Of
the earth was going on. On one side of the
river marched the Rebel host seeking to ad-
vance with sufficient rapidity to pass in front
of Mcclellan and gain the rich fields of the
Keystone State; while on the other side has
tened the Union forces, hurrying with the
energy of despair to intercept the enemy and
save the North from devastation. We of
Philadelphia knew of the mighty race, and
knew that on its result rested the safety of our
fair city, and probably the fate of our nation.
Future generations cannot understand the
anxiety which filed every heart until fear was
turned to wild exultation, when we knew that
the advancing wave had been met that the
flood-tide of Rebel inundation had been
checked, and theinsurgent columns rolled back
into desolated Virginia, defeated in their
scheme, and desperate at sight of the pro-
missed land, which they but saw from the
mountain.
To-day the high officers of the National and
State Governments proceed to celebrate the
anniversary of that eventful epoch in our his
tory. The President of the United States,
with all the Diplomatic Corps and Cabinet,
the Chief Justice, with his associates, and the
Governors of many of the loyal States, will be
present, and an opportunity afforded of COM
memorating with a ceremony appropriate to
the occasion the scene of the mighty battle.
Such an opportunity to do justice to the
bravery of the dead, and to glorify the princi-
pies for which they died, has seldom been pre-
sented. Yet how is the occasion being used
Will we hear the key-notes of the war, the
stirring utterances of the great doctrines
taught us by the strife Will the lessons
learned on the field of battle be inculcated in
the ears of listening thousands and the hearts
of the people which beat in unison with the boys
In blue on that eventful day be cheered with
the sentiments which came to US from Antie-
tam3 We fear not. We fear that the ami
versary of the battle of Antietam is to be made
the occasion for political meeting, and that on
the same ground where they were defeated
years ago. the Rebel principles are about to
renew their contest. 1t looks to us extremely
like an attempt of Mr.. Johnson and his party
to take advantage of the day to make a
grand political meeting out of the general
interest felt in the ceremonies. From the first
we have had our suspicious that the mana
gers of the whole affair were seeking to
use it for partisan ends. The orator of the
day is Johnson appointee; the places of dig
nifty are all given to the friends of 'my
policy" The claims of radicals are slighted;
and we hear from Baltimore long and loud
complaints of the management and its course.
We know that Mr.. Johnson is none too good,
nor possessed of any too much delicacy, to
stand upon the graves of ten thousand dead
heroes and deliver speech for political effect
| His feelings blunted by long life as a
demagogue, are not of kind to cause him
to hesitate; and we anticipate that, unles;
a few words be spoken by some of our Cover
nors, the celebration of Antietam will be 8
| political Democratic meeting. We hope thai
it will not he 22d of February affair.
UFFVTrV N N ~ gTND y "