Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-06-25
BUNKER HILL.


1t is not an exaggeration to say that the /
celebration at Bunker Hill has been as /
snuch enjoyed by the people of the South /
as it was by the Bostonians themselves.
Not that there is anything in the Bunker /
Hill business, for the unvarnished truth of
the matter is that about three thousand
British regulars after two or three bloody
about two thousand raw Ameri-
can recruits. behind breastworks, finally
with great bravery carried the works.
thrashing their foe in a lively way, until
they ran off bodily, leaving their dead and
wounded. 1t was au American defeat,
and our forefathers have very little, in a
military point; to boast of. But as we
have said, the old Bunker Hill business
is not in question-it was a defeat; but
the new Bunker Hill engagement Of last
week is one Of the most glorious victories
ever known in America. 1t was q battle
won by Northern and Southern men. some
in uniform and some not, over the regulars
of Prejudice and Hate, who, under the
command of politicians, have been bilieted
on the country from ever since the closing
shot of the war; 1t is the first time the
people of either section have had fair
show at each other without the interven-
ton Of politicians, and the result has been
an electrical demonstration Of good-feel-
ing, so sudden, SO spontaneous, so hearty,
that one cannot help thinking with regret
of how long it must have been pent up,
and of how much time that might have
been spent in brotherly love has been lost.
The dawn of this Massachusetts sunburst
has been creeping into brightness more
since October last than in the whole niIe
years succeeding the war. Here and there
a lighting up along tile Southern horizon
were seen in the decoration of Union graves
by Confederate organizations. Then,
along the North the gray light began to
appear, in the decoration Of the graves OF
Southern dead who died IN prison, by
Northern organizations; then in Richmond
not many months ago, at the meeting OF
the National Board of Trade, the light be.
gan to brighten; and again in Richmond
not many weeks ago, when, in the Inter.
national Christian Association, brave
ex-Federal officer spoke of the name oil
Lee as Zone many Of you already love, sln6
worthy''-words that were received will
tumultuous applause from delegates from
all parts of the country. These were signs
of coming day. but few Of our people were
hopeful enough to expect those glorious
RAYS which have shot up in the horizon o.
the old Bay State. That light will be re
Elected all over the South. There are M
people ia tile world more easily touched by
an exhibition of friendship than those O.
the South, and the North will find that il
takes very little sunshine of friendly
feeling to make them throw off the cloak
like the traveller in Esop's fable, so timel.
and appropriately applied by Col. Skinner
in the International Christian Association
at Richmond, the other day, and which
was so unanimously appla1ded by thos'
who came from where the wind had blown
roughly enough in years rot Ion 6 past. Ih
Massachusetts demonstration has sdon'
naore in forty-eight hours to 'restore TIN
ITnion'' in the sense that the North want
ed it restored than all the force bills ant
sectional legislation could have done il
forty eight years.
Just as we finish this we see goo'
symptom on tie shores OF Virginia. Whel
the Norfolk Blues, a former ''rebel' artll
lery company, returned from tlteir bostol
trip. battalion of U. S. Marines, On .
q, S. Steamer, received them and escorted
them up the harboR. and Il U. s. ship 0
the line fired a salute. nhat's it! Wiic
officers of the government begin to lo:'
their eountrymeH rs well as their coaGlft
the ice W i'll all melt away.