Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-01-12

spirit to get up hastily and spread.
| Walled towns, stored arsenalS and armies
chariots of war, elephants, ordnance, artil-
ery and the like,-all this is but sheep IN
lions skin, except the breed and DISPOSE
ton of the people be stout and warlike.
| Neither is the strength or character oil
nations, or armies, determined by numbers
Cortez subjugated millions in Mexico with
hundreds. Lord Give conquered thousands
with scores in India. Frederick the Great
held his own in seven years war, and beat
back five great monarchies with a few
Prussian battalions. So it has often been
| with armed contests.
A self-styled Armenian king, with an
army of half a million, laughed at fourteen
| thousand Romans that were opposed to him.
Yonder," he said, care too many for an
embassy. and too few for fight" But the
sun went down upon the king, fugitive,
and his great army annihilated. Many
instances in familiar history show that
victory depends most upon intelligence,
tact and pluck-real PrussianiSm. Nor do
the greatness and the strength of State lay
in its treasures of wealth. When Croesus
exhibited to Scion his immense sums of
gold, the philosopher replied 1T is well,
but if any other comes with better iron then
you, he will be master of all this gold"
Now, we had neither walled towns" nor
"stored arsenals," nor "Chariots of wal"
we had few elephants and an old camel
at the White House in siXty-one-we had
no drilled armies, and our gold and silver
was all exhausted in paying off the three
months troops and the extra session of Con-
gress. But we had race of ununiformed
soldiers, and plenty of iron, with skilled
hands to mould it into cannon and shot
The real strength of our national char
acter was in these elements-principally
race of men, with intelligence, patriotism
and humanity, added to a versatility of
genius which had served peace with IN
measured success, and could answer the
demands of war as well. These the heavy
metal that you planted against the gray and
dingy lines marshaled for treason: and as
Curtis said at Sedgwick's grave, "your
muskets are loaded not with buck and ball,
but brains"
We may not here record the full result and
cost of these developments. They are your
gifts to the Nation for which you may Just
ly claim reward.
In passing to this phase of the subject let
us lift the pail, for one glance, at the sea of
agony that rolled over the land from North
to Southern boundary, from East to Western
Oceans-that beat OH so lonely around
homes of atfiuence and left the marks of its
crimson tide on the steps at the cottage
door. Behold the sufferings that measured
the depths of human endurance. Estimate
the four years account, the personal sacri-
flee of which it is almost vain to utter a
syllable, for the appalling numbers only
begin, as the Imagination becomes exhaust
ed, by the fearful picture.
Think of the bear achievements - the
majesty of the Constitution and the laws
defended, the great Union saved the
wisdom OF the Fathers vindiCated and Re-
pubhcanism triumphant! The Nation
purged and healed of its plapued and
finally lifted to that proud eminence tow.
ards which all of her liberal cr1itrre her
diversified industries and best statesmen
snip, had been steadily tending-the perfect
model OF Free Government. And now a
great people with independence secured, at
peace with all the world, startled thrones
ask for friendly alliance and new States beg
for the hand OF fellowship.
we Qld pay slight tribute to your own
vaIor, anu 10 the memory of your comrades
whose brave spirits we are wont to invoke, |
while their story Is told with endless repe- |
ition. But the classic would be too long |
There are some who aCiU glide swiftly out
If the past and greet us tonight. Many |
rom the Old Brigade, that " great heir of
anne" that sometime sus tanned all the |
lOnOrs ola combat-the names of Stone |
md Tyler ofthe I'd; Bartlett and Merrill of |
he 3D.; Farr, Lille and Tracy of the 4th;
dudley, Hurlburt and Davenport of the |
til; Varney. Crandall and Dwinell of the
TIL; Chamberlain and Baxter of the 18th,
md a host of others from all these regi-
nents, officers and men. Five hundred
nd more from the Second Brigade. Many
rom the unattached regiments, batteries
nd companies. Roberts of 7th, Hall and
Jheney of the Sth, Jarvis, Bartlett and
ireen of the 9th, Dillingham;, Forest,
thompson, Darah, Newton and Hill of
be 10th, Cummings, Reynolds and Hen
y of the nth; long list from the 1st
'ermont cavalry with seventy-three en- {
agements inscribed upon her shot-riven
attic flag. But we turn sickeuing from
he awful gaps in these ever charging
ues-all of them. each command and
Enactment, with its own proud history, {
very man fallen and surviving-his rec I
I'd known and unknown to fame. yet
lmous each, to all ages.
We will not go to the other side TO stir c
le ashes of ruined towns, nor breathe one
Did breath upon the blighted hopes of the
listaken adversary. History wilt be 4
.tihful and we can wait for its verdict
These three things, the army-you, its
lost northern plank, gave to the country. P
or l will say heroism, called d
nth its humanity and exhibited 90
rength of national character, able to en- b
are upon the basis of the Declaration of
dependence and the Constitution.
Of course there was abundant aud o
oarty co-operatiod from all quarters, from
)ur own succession of loyal Governors d
Id from the people, but you had share
lch as the citizens had not through yOu, L
ese proud attributes were stamped upon
10 nations life, remaining hence unchal-
nged guarded against foreign usurpa-
Oh, raised above the presumption of do P
estic peril, are the royal patrimony of h
e succeeding race. h
Though much belong to others, these ~
e soldiers every way get on the imper- u
liable record of the nations fame. n
ould burn these into the amending scroll +
lderSc0red with the soldiers blood
Whit should be his retoard9 NJ
There have heen a great many benefac- h,
ons bestowei-some of which we have r.
} means of estimating. The ceaseless r.
easuro of gratitude which has been n
varded, when there was nothing else to 70
We, will find ample place in your choicest
collections By way of general aud
ecial statute all that could be asked,
ID more than could be claimed, has been
me, with assurance that this distinction
i'll assume larger proportions in years to
me.
To the eighty-one thousand, five hun :,
ed and seventy-nine MANNED soldiers, ID
oxen in spirit and decrepid, from your IN
nks and rolls, the Government has paid 10
e past year in pensions 81, 1862 ,S04. To "
g 1O3,54 dependent widows and or tt
lans of soldiers $l3,567 ,677 in annuities. II
To the sailors who were half shot away ID
the iron storm that rolled over the sea, ie
d those left dependent, when their hus-
nds and sons went down with their no
llks in Hampden Roads and the waters tt
the Atlantic, or were roasted in their al
on-clads, have received $430,019. maxi V
g an aggregate of about $25,000,00O, pr
id by the Government to this class of V
ferers. BY order of Congress 3l5,555 u,
ceased Union soldiers have been care al
lily gathered and tenderly inferred in pl
National Cemeteries at an