The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-12-16
Up Telegraph,
TO FaE REGIsTER.--
CHIC A G 0
uectlnr ofthe Observation-Disclosures
of the Various Armies-The WEI
.. Snnecb NJ General sherman.

from the General OF the Arinies 10 lu'
aaoon6 lieutenant; men bearing names
that have become historical and which
lii Ina handed down to future genera
t,ons "a inseparsbly connected with the
life of the Republic. The hotels wher.
are located the headquarters of the dil
ferent armies are alive with excitement
and enthusiasm. Around and III tIe no
tells are great crowds of citlzens' ueS sis
GUS Of paying their respects u 'n1 us
tinGuished soldiers, or 10 oatcu
i;sa of the great leaders, Grant,
SharT,o, Thomas, Schoheld, &c.
sue " nn Early hour in the day the differ
- ornies gathered at the various
,,Iaces of meeting, for the purpose OF
transacting the business connected wiz
their organizations, and, after hea., as
the reports of the various COMMIT 49,
and listening to coDgratulatory ther aS.
es from their various CHIEFS INV
iourned until tomorrow. .1.1 +bis
The Opera House was c'o neo1,;nrS
evening to its utmost with tno noiuiots
of the grand armies an" our ol.iA Gus
Wo;or General George II. Thomas pre-
siSsJ onJ introduced Lieutenant Gen
81 Sherman who made the following
welcome address:
TrITow.SoLpIEES It is my pleasing
49, 70 address you this evening IN
lis Of welcome for the deeds that
bayebeen spread before you. From the
c;tv and from the country, from the
town and the village, you have come TO-
rether, tie representatives OF your
Grand volunteer armies which respond
ed to their country s call in her hour OF
danger and fought sometimes side by
side and sometimes apart, yet always IN
unison. [Cheers.]
At her bidding you returned 10 your
homes as farmers and as mecnahlcs'
as artisans and citizens, and after
short rest you have again assem-
hled, as it were, upon pinnacle, 10 look
hack toward that vale wherein you
struge led SO long, to point out TO each
other the spots of greatest interest ana
70 live over again those hours and days
anu months of deepest anguish or of JOY.
know that you have laid aside forever
the feelings of animosity and anger
which Won may have entertained, and
that Won have dropped into oblivion the
iitt,e iealousies and rivalries of the
bonr You now stand here with hand
extended in fraterLal friendship who
have rloricd in the right to defend the
0ar Of YOUR county on land ana sea;
Won have fought for the Union OF our
fathers Tcheers l. and tho flag OF our
coun,rv fcheers |; 20 mere self-gloritica-
tion NOW auimates yos, but q just pride
in yonr own actions aud deep, intense
1--we of the comrades who stood by your
side in the hour Of deadly strife ana
shouted with yol in the hour OF victory
ICheers.
Happily, my friends, you did not be-
long TO that class of oar people III
whose hearts was planted from youth
the prrnicious doctrine of State power,
and I'll At the citizens should love a part
of the country better than the whole.
lApplause.l You were reared in bet
ter school and taught TO revere the
constitution of the whole country,
aud to love the wise and genial intiu-
ences uadrr which are assured the
largest measure of sec Irlty and happl-
ness consistent with the safety OF the
whole. We believe that the will OF the
majority should rule, as We believe that
in This wc have discovered panacea
for the ills that have, from the earliest
history eft the world, raraEed aud at
tlicted the human family. Bat we were
no exception totho general rule that
miuoritios viii not always bow peace
ably 10 the decision of tho majority,
and found that we must maintain the
privilege of our birthright by force.
YOu may search history in vain for a
more h4grant violation of faith than
that which resulted III oar civil war.
Never we're people more rathlessly,
NOR. uuwiiling!y dragged into a long,
bloody conflict, and never was the oc-
casion 80 utterly unprcparcd for the at
tempt; Il prepare for the danger was
called cnyaydIce, aud the whole CIV
ilizrd world was taught To believe that
the broad stripes on our flag were to be
trailed in the dust, the stars sunk Tor
ever from view, aud that our fair fabric
ofunon was broken up beyond recall.
Oar attempts to reason were laughed
at, our laws were dcrlded 10 Scorn, the
public property was seized, and "a war
begun. Men wasted their eloq uence in
vain in the attempt to avert this storm,
statesmen exhausted tho last peaceful
remedy, and potuntil then was the last
aTbiter reSorted to.
The volunteer soldier thea stepped
forth into the field and offered his life
and mis- services To defend and maintain
the Government against all its enemies,
and swora al oath tina: rebellion and
anarchy should not YG.c this land of
ours, but that liberty, ilstice and law
should We restored 10 their rightful
throne. Cheers lie has kept his
word, and you now behold the good
ship of state again full rugged and once
more on her IRE" course towards glO'
riuus future. Iuu know that flag /:
still there. Cheers Nos a star has
been lost, not . stripe dimmcd. Thai
same flag we have followed SO often IL
the glare of scorchiug suu, by th'
moons pale beams, by the light OF M
blazing pine torch, now waves a!o!t II
victory and peace.
Shall not then claim for You wht
represent the ideal volunteer, the high
est honor that cen be conceded by NOR
tai on earth? You can easily recall how
long the war seemed TO us in its pro
gress, but how short, even now, lookin!
back after Il period of httlo NOR
than three years. How inconceivabl,
short, thgn, will it appear to those wht
a hundred years hence will crop
through the pages of history 10 learn O
the events and causes that led four mil
lions of people TO rebel when no singh
act of oppression or tyranny was eve
alleged. We owe it To them, willis
still in the Vigor of life and health, Il
record the parts we played i. the CRANE
drama of life and the motives and feel
ings that actuatcd us through IS yayi
Gus stages.
Many n time and oft yOr have !air
upon the bare ground, with no canopy
above you but that Of heaven with It's
hosts of glittering stars, and | know
ysp have dreamed Of Il time TO come
when seated, iii peace and society, sur
rounded by aGmiriug friends, yuu would
be crawncd with u tiara of iisat, Sach
as now hang, over your heads. Accept
this, then, as tine irujtiou of your
dream, and enjoy the hour cheers !
-Four OF y0ur comrades. one from each
OF the arRies specially represented here.
will address YOU and toll YOU of The
deeds you have done. Give them a
willing and attentive ear, aud when
you go back TO your homeS tell them
all that theS@ armies, though dispersed
in the flesh vet live in the spirit ~