Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-06-04
DECORATION DAY
Honor to the Nations Dead /!
GRANT co. SOLDIERS MONUMENT.
How Decoration Day was OBJ
served at Lancaster.

| almost ever other town ana village
and city and cemetery throughout ouI
land, with ceremonies at once impress
sive and appropriate, with love and
reverence as natural and spontaneous
as the breezes that blew, and the sun
light which glorified the time, when
the flowers were strewod upon the
graves and the garlands were twined
around the marble above them. Ii
was bright and noble morning,
promising delightful and suspicious
day. A sky as blue, clouds as heecy
and breezes as refreshing as any ever
known in June, conspired to make
the day the rarest and the best that
could have been desired for the occa.
sion. During the forenoon the steady
arrival of people from the country
and from neighboring villages made
It apparent that the assemblage
would this year be as large if not
larger than any previous gathering
OF the kind in our village since the
dedication of the monumental marble
July 4, 1867. As the hour set for be
ginning the memorial exercises drew
nigh, throngs of people began to
gather IN the court house square. All
seemed TO have o real, live interest in
the work, and came to aid in the
performance of the same with all the
Zeal aud earnestness that might be-
and with as little pretension and pa
rade as possible.
The firing of cannon little after
one o'clock was the signal for the
ceremonies to begin. This soon made
the monument the nucleus of the con-
gregated people, or drew them more
closely around the speakers platform
an attractive and patriotic looking
structure, by the way, planned and
constructed by postmaster Chesebro.
On this platform were seated clergy
men, lawyers, representatives of the
press and several of the most promi-
nent citizens from different parts OF
the county.
Before proceeding TO give account
of the exercises at the monument
we must intrude upon the readers pa
thence by penning paragraph or so
OF history, statistics and description.
1t is certainly the source of consider
able local pride for us to remem Der
that the soldiers monument of Grant
county was the first memorial Of the
kind made and erected in the United
States, and to know that a great
many other counties throughout the
nation have followed our worthy and
reverential example. The idea which
has been 50 beautifully and durably
realized in the finely wrought colun n
and IFS eight surrounding cenotaphs,
upon which we gaze at intervals
while writing this, originated width
Mr.. Geo. II. Laughton, of PlattevilIe,
at very early period of the war
Others saw that the project was good
and began at once to bring it to q
contamination, The cost of the work
was 81 900, of which sum S., 600 were
raised by tax Of one mill on the
dollar levied by the County Board O.
Supervisors in 1865. The remaining
amount was raised by voluntary con.
tributions, subscription papers beiag
circulated for that purpose every
where in the county.
How and when the monument was
| dedicated, what was done and wha
distinguished personages were
present, need not be told now, foR
that is certainly fresh enough in the
memory OF almost every reader; but
of the noble and beautiful work itself
we shall here attempt an outline pic
ture, though reams have already been
written, and columns printed, des-
cribing and in admiration of the ar
tistic production. The central shaft
! of the monument has an altitude OF
twenty-six feet and rests upon base
of granite FIVE feet square. On each
of the four sides the basilary marbls
appear appropriate emblems, well
and accurately wrought, together
with the inscriptions given below:
The east side Of the central col.
umn bears the following inscription:
"DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY or TIE
BRAVE SOLDIERS OF GRANT COUNT, VINO
FELL IN DEFENCE OF UNIVERSAL LIBERTY,
nv THE GREAT REBELLION or 1861. THIS
MARBLE CONTAINS THEIR NAMES-THE MA.
NY BLOODY BATTLE FIELDS OF THE SOUTH
| THEIR ASHES THEIR MEMORY rs FOREVER
ENSHRINED IN THE HEARTS or THEIR COUN-
TRYMENn
On the south side, and beneath q
hand holding the links of Slavery's
broken chain, are craven the follow ,
ing we'll known words from the
Emancipation Proclamation:
~ DO ORDER AND DECLARE THAT All
PERSONS HELD As SLAVES = ARE AND
HENcEFoRWARD SHALL BE FREE"
Four sheathed swords, emblematic
of wars cessation, appear on tie side
facing the west. Beneath them is
found tht following significant coup
let:
| "Go, stranger, TO your country TELL
For her We fought. were buried where fell :"
On the side looking northward are
seen finely carved anchor and
wreath. This fitting an eloquent
sentence from the address delivered
| by President Lincoln at the dedica>
ton of the Gettysburg cemetry is
just beneath:
I'VE HERE HIGHLY RESOLVE THAT THESE
HoNoRED DEAD SHALL NOR HAVE DIED IN
'AlN; THAT THIS NATION, UNDER COD,
SHALL NAVE A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM;
AND THAT GOVERNMENT or 7HE PEOPLE.
81 TIE PEOPLE AND rOP Tur pPoDt I,