Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1876-10-05
An Eloquent Appeal.

II any have thought that Col. Robert
Iusel soil w4s merely u brilliant stump
speaker. destitute OF the genuine qualities
OF the great ofai-r, they should read The
following powerful! passage from hi. Ad-
dress 10 the soldiers al Iud ianapoll,
The past rises before me Ike a dream.
Again we are Ia the great Struggle Tor ua-
tlOiai lie. We hear the sound. OF pi--
par atl0n-the muslc 81 the bui-t,tuu>
druMs-ihe silver voices of heroic bust-..
We see thousands OF a>s-mb.age- aud
hear the appeals OF orators; We SEQ the
pslc cheeks OF women aud the flushed
faces Of meu; and in those a-.-mDlage-
We see all the dead whose dust Ne have
covered wiki flowers. We lo>r sight of
them no more. We are with them when
they enlist in the great army ol freedom.
We see them part from those they love.
some are walking for the Ia, time IN quiet
woody places WIN the fnadens they adore
We srAr the HaIspe.sugs ana the sweet
VOWS oil eternal love a. they liuserin2ly
part OTeyer. Other, are bending over
cradles, kissing babies thst are asleep
Some are receiyiE. tie blessings OF OLD
men. Some are parting who hold them
and press them 10 their hearts again and
AGAIN. and say nothing and some are talk
ing with wives. aud endeavuring with
brave words spoken Ia the old tones to
drive from their hearts the awful fear.
We see them part. We see the wife stand
IN. ia The door. with the babe in her arm.
standing IN the sunlight soObing-at
the turn OF the road hand wave--she
answers By holding high in he. loving
hands the child. lie is gone, and for
ever.
We see them all as they march proudly
away under the Haunting flags, Keeping
time 10 the wild. grand music of war
marching down the streets OF tue great
cities-through the towns and across the
pralrles-down TO the fields OF glory. TO
DO aud 10 die tor the eternal right.
We 90 with them one and all. We are
by their side on all the CORY tields-in all
the hospitals Of pain-on all the weary
marches. We stand guard with them ia
the wild storm and under the quiet stars.
We are with them in Tavines running with
blood-in the burrows of old fields We
are with them between contendiBg hosts.
unable TO move, Wild with Thirst, the life
ebbng slowly away among the withered
leaves. We see them pierced by balls and
torn with shells IA the trenches by forts.
and in the whirlwinds of the charge. where
men become iron, with nerves of steel.
We are with them in the prisons OF hatred
and famine; but human speech can never
tell what they endured.
We are at home when the news comes
that they arc dead. We see the maiden ia
the shadow OF her first sorrow. We see
the slyered head Of the Old man bowed
with the izst grief.
The past rises before Us and We see four
millions of human beings governed by
the lash; We see them bound hand ad
foot; We hear the strokes of cruel whips;
We see the hounds tracking women through
tangled swamps. We see babes sold from
the breasts of mothers. Cruelty unspeak-
able, Outrage infinite,
Four million bodies in chains-feur mill
ion souls in letters. All the scared rela-
tions of wife, mother. father, and child
trampled beneath the brutal feet of might.
And all this was done under our own
beautiful banner of the free.
The past rises before US. We hear the
roar and shrek of the bursting shell. The
broken festegs fall. These heroes died.