The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-18

Through such heroic souls az those
The Lord of Hosts his GOdhead showsl
Der them no mournful requiem floats,
But bugles peal their loudest notes
AS to the heaven of Fame they march
Beneath our fag-ts rainbow arch.
with an eternal furlough best
Sweet, sweet shall be the patriots rest
Fatigued with toll whose fruits sublime
Are budding on the bough of Time.
And while above these santed brave
One stripe Of their Cd Flag shall wave,
This consecrated spot will be
sacred Mecca Of the Free.
Governor Swami thenintroduced to the assemblage
President johnson, who advancing to front of the
PLATFORM was greeted with applause.
Speech of President johnson.
My Felow-countrymen:- In appearing before you
1t is not for the purpose OF making any lengthy re-
marlss but simply to express my appreciation of the
ceremonies which have taken place to-day. My ap-
pearance on this occasion will be the speech that
will make. My reflections and my meditations will
be in silent communion with the dead, whose deeds
we are here to commemorate.
shall not attempt to give utterance to the feelings
and emotions inspired by the addresses and prayers
which have been made and the hymns which have
been sung. l shall attempt such thing. 1 am
merely here to give my countenance and aid to the
ceremonies on mis- occasion but must be permitted
to express my hope that we may follow the example
which has been so eloquently alluded to this after
noon, and winch has been so clearly set by the
illustrous dead, when we look on your battle fields
and think of the brave men on both sides who fell in
the fierce struggle of battle, and who sleep silent in
after the earnest conflict has ceased
Woudto God we OF the living could initiate their
together in friendship and peace. (Applause.) You
my fellow citizens have my earnest wishes, as you
have had my efforts in times gone by, in the earliest
and most trying pers to preserve the Union of these
States TO restore peace and harmony to distracted
and divided country and you shall have my last efforts
in vindcation of the flag OF the Republic and of the
Constitution of our fathers (Appause.)
The benedction was then pronounced when the
President Cabinet officers, Governor Swami, and
others, left the platform. Colonel j. NJ Moore, and
his assistants, formed the military, who escorted the
President and his party to the cars at Keedysyille,
which place they left at about seven o'clock for WASH
ton and Baltimore,
The calls were then renewed for Governor Geary by
the crowd, which constituted meeting independent
Of the regular arrangement by the authorities of the
State and the Board of Managers of the Antietam
Governor Geary being impatiently and vociferously
called for came forward.
Speech of Governor Geary.
Fellow citizens After all you have heard to-day
had supposed you would want nothing The
programme opened and closed with prayer. Those
who have waited must come in at the last hour But
my friends we still have place in the hearts OF the
| people. (Appause.) When you come to Pennsyl-
vania will let everybody speak. We want to bear
Of this country. We have no gag (Appause) We
| have no programme for this purpose. (Renewed ap-
| plause) We have no gag on our programmes; but
| am not here to say anything on that subject
The orator of the day has presented to you the his
tory of the great battle which seeking to
| commemorate in the dedication of this cemetery and
the location of the monument in honor of the heroic
we h e S ahga g ef o fb beop
established by and for the people should not perish
| from earth" Appause) The battle OF Antetam
was fought under circumstances of the greatest de-
| preston. When public confidence was lost, and the
army of the Potomac had been greatly diminished by
| the disastrous campaigns on the Peninsula and in
Eastern Virginia, and the loss of 10000 men at the
shameful surrender at Harpers Ferry. (Appla ausel
In Lees crossing to fight the battle at Antetam he
had, therefore, the prestige of his victories to begin
here we must review events by thesmost liberal logic
| known to military ethics While the Army of the Po-
tomac had lost more men than the Rebels, according
to the authority of the latter Lee was obliged to flee
and true and hearty victory resulted to the Union
army.
here (cries of go on') feel it improper for to
let this occasion go past without placing record the
honored regiments of Pennsylvania who fought here
(Cries OF 'Huzza for Pennsylvania-go on'O |
proudly place on record these regiments of my native
State and claim for her a full share of the honor Of
the victory of Antietam. (Cheers)
The Governor then recapitulated the numbers of
the way of summary, that five regiments of cavalry,
six battaons of artillery and fifty regiments of in
Aniea1 From t6e Teeords have drawn sots
and 1 find them replete with the splendid achieve
Pennsylvania all the honor she has won, say 1t
was here as always with that great State, when she
presented her full strength of numbers she carried the
| government to glorious victory. l would not de-
tract in the least degree from the glory and honor of
the other States. Iwould not deprive them of one
particle of glory to their troops ON this battlefield.
1t was sacred flow of blood in crimson stain at
Aniletanwnot@ 10 10 any paTtcuaf i @ s9I,eI
for it to Maine, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Wiscon-
sim Iowa. Pennsylvania and other States Tor the VIC
| tory whose sons perished the field. They are as
dear to us and are cherished as kindly as our own.
The sons of all dyed this soil with their blood, and
when the day dawned the battle here it found the
Union dead all cOmminged on the field of strife and
while the continues to rise and set ana the dews
| dstil from Heaven, our children and chidren's
children will come hither worship at this shrine
and they will to the patriotic dead here and to
the memory of those who fought and fell to preserve
the union of the country and the rights OF menth(
rights offreemen in preserved Republic. (ApplauSe
l have been speaking repeatedly for the last two
days, and will therefore conclude my remarks. There
are here Governor Fenton, Lieutenant-Governor Cox
and the Governor OF Maine, whom have no doub
You viii be glad to hear
There were cries of 'go on" but Governor Geary
withdrew after introducing Governor Fenton of New
York, who spoke as follows:-
Speech of Governor FentOn.
Fellow citizens:-I dislike to detain you even ont
moment, but l hesitate to leave this place without
saying few words, 1t is not easy to lind words t
| fully and htly express my feelings, that may b
most appropriately employed in the name of my State
whose eight hundred sons here sleep. There are time
| when human speech is too poor and weak to embod
the emotions which the recolections of heroic deed
inspire. New York had almost twenty-seYen thousanC
men upon this field of strife, and about one-eghth
| these were killed and wounded
| But New York was not alone here; nor were tn
mutllated and dead alone from her ranks. Other
come to-day MS l cOme-the representatives of State
united and living through the sacrifices of thei
hitting ceremonies dedicate this place wher
the devotion and valor inspired Of Chris
81 tian civilization blazed in the red line arount
these hills TO while the page of hstor
shall endure The token of our gratitude which W
now prepare place the dust that is hencefort
sacred is the index that in the fit eoquence Of senC
shall challenge the progress Of mankind. The noble;
| thought of man as to human right, the utmost sci
| denial at the call of duty, the grandes example
national devotion of the strong to the weak, chara
teristc OF our great war taking firm root strength