Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-01-01
TEss Aymy Reunion.
GEN. sH1ERMAN's ADDRESS.

GEN. sHERMAN's ADDRESS.
THE following is the address of wei
come by Lieutenant General Sherman, at
the Grand Army Reunion, December 10
and 16: so'-e'@'
FELLOW SOLDIERS 1t is made my
pleasant duty to address you this evening
words of welcome to the, feast that is to
be spread before you From the city and
the country, from the town and the vii
lage,. you have come together, the repre-
sentatives of four of those grand volun-
teer armies, which responded at their
country's call in her hour of danger,
fought her 9battles--sometimes, side by
side; sometimes, far apart; yet always in
unison, and then. at her bidding, returned
to our homes as farmers and mechanics,
as artisans and citizens. I 5@evBk l8
After short rest you have again as
sembled to stand, as it were, on a
high pinnacle and look back across that
wide valley wherein you struggled so long,
to point out to each, other the spots OF
greatest interest and to live over again
those hours and days and months of deep
est anxiety and of Joy.
!. I know that you have laid aside forever
all feelings of animosity and anger, then
so natural and proper, and that you have
ousies and rivalries of the hour, and that
Tonight YOU stand here with hand ex-
tended in fraternalf friendship to every sol
dier in the land, whether he served in
your regiment or in your division, wheth-
er IN your army or any other, whether
upon the land or the sea, provided only
he fought for the Union of our fathers and
the flag of our whole country. No mere
feeling of self gloriication animates you,
but just pride in your own actions and
deep and intense love for the comrade
who stood by your side in the day of
battle and shouted with you in the hour
Of victory. f my
Happily, my friends, you did not belong
to that class Of our people in whose very
youth were planted the pernicious doc
trines that the highest allegiance was due
to the place of birth or of residence, and
that q citizen should love part of his
country better than She whole. You were
reared in a better school, and taught to
revere the constitution of your whole
country, and to believe that under its wise
and genial influence man would here at
tain the largest measure Of security and
happiness consistent with the general
safety. We believed that by the law of
maiCrities and frequent resort TO the
ballet-box, we had discovered panacea
for the ills that had from earliest history
afflicted the human family, and that we
should escape the conf cts and ravages
which war had caused in all prece ding
ages. But we were doomed to orealize that
we were no exception to the general rule,
that minorities would not always submit
to SO peaceful decree, and that we, too,
must fight to maintain the privileges OF
our birthright. go - -.
You may search history in vain for a
| more fagrant violation of faith, q more
ca1seless breach OF q national compact,
| than thogs which resulted in our civil war.
| Never before was an unwilling people so
ruthlesslv, so heedlsssly dragged into a
long and bloedy conflict; and never be-
fore was government 30 utterly unpre.
pared for it. All attempts TO avoid Its
Outbreak where charged to cowardice, and
the whole civilized world was madeto be.
lieve that that bright particular star which
/ had for a time shone so clear in the west
ern armament had sunk forever, and te
Ffslieye / tbst the fsir iahginwhioh had beer