Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-03-03

never have recovered.
Had defeat met our army hundred |
years ago on his spot where we now
stand, III rnbabIe-extreme!y prob
abIe-that this would not have been
ti,e centeunini year of the Declaration
Of Americ N Independence Happily for
u, aud for themselves, the brave met.
vino stood here amid hailstorm OF
bullets a century since, knew no re-
ve-se Their star las the star of vic
tory.
have said that this is the field on |
which was fought the first battle foI |
independence. Certainly there had been |
prior conflicts between the patriots of |
America and the soldiers of Great |
Britain. But the Fl z which the colo |
nists first bore to the war was the royal |
ensign of King George! They had
fought in Massachu etts and had even
carried the war iuto Canada But the
object of the American soldiers had
not been independence. Their bosoma
were lnfamed at the thought of their
country's wrongs but they still pro-
fes~ ed allegiance to their sovereign iliI9
hurting anathemas at the ministry.
Here and there. perhaps, an advanced
thinker may have dreamed of indie
pendence. But still there Was no
general desire for separation. The
thought of independence had not TAKEN
root in the hearts Of the people. The
British constitution was the glory of
Euglishmen. It was regarded as the
perfection of wisdom. No system then
known was at all comparable to it. The
King was the bead of the state, the
fount in of honor and the dispenser
of noble benefits. To him the people
yielded love, affection, willing ODE
dience, and reverence well nigh APP
preaching alteration. All the troubles
that were preludes to the great drama
of the American Revolution, We're
| freely ascribed to the obstlnacy of the
ministry, to the mistakes of Parlia-
| ment-never to the tyranny of the
| King.
The colonists at first claimed only
| their rights as British subj ects. They
| called continually On the men of Eng
land to range themselves and aid them
in a righteous cause. Washington
says that when he took charge of the
army he abhored the idea of independ-
nee. In the fall of 1775 the Conven
ton of North Carolina unanimously
protested: "We have been told that
independence is our object. Cruel
suggestion! We again most soiemnly
declare that it Is our most earnest wish
and prayer to be restored to our CON
dition before the beginning of these
difficulties
In November, 1775, the PennsyI-
vania Assembly enjoined her delegates
in the Continental congress to dissent
from and utterly reject any PROPOSE
ton that may cause or lead to asepara
ton from the mother country. Della
ware, New jersey ard Maryland
passed resolutions still more positive
against independence. New York, in
December, protested that she had nc
desire for independence. AS late as
January, ITO, New Hampshire made
the same protest, and declared that
her people would rcioice il reconcilia
ton. And later still, the council of
Massachusetts,, on the very fed Of
battle, refused to ask Instructions from
the people on the gu stion of Indc
pendence. The army itsef-those
bold men who had FASTENED even from
the Southern colonies to the uui ed
fields around the bel aguered city of
Boston-they, we are told by the his
torian, sill Joined with their chat p
lains IN payers for their King
But Ill February, 1776, all was hang
ed The burning of Norfolk had
aroused the hot blood of the Virgin
ians. The Kings speech in Parlia-
ment forever closed the door to
reconciliation. His employing Hes
slams to subdue the colonies, caused a
revulsion OF feeling against him SC
great that he was utterly cast out from
the hearts of his people. Besides, an
extraordinary pamphlet, entitled
Common Sense, then appeared and
took America by storm. Copies
were eagerly seized SIS fast as
the printers could turn them
out, and sprea1 throughout all
the country. 1t pnrported to give =
common sense view # the matter OF
government. 1t proclaimed all men
by nature free and equal; that the
objects of government were freedom
and security; that the republic was the
only form of government not ba-ed on
usurpatiOn, tyranny and oppression.
Its effect vas to open up new channels
of thought; IS cIr Il talIZ" into utter
nnca the und efned feeling of III pend
ence then making its way throughout
the masses of the country. IL tore the
King from his high place in the affec-
ton of his Am, rican subjects and en-
nobled them with the thought that
they were created the equal of the
most exalted sovereign.
The effect of all these causes vas cleo
tricail Protestations against separa-
ton now gave place TO demands for
Independence. TIE thought of recon
Citation became passing dream.
There were none who spoke for it,
none who desired it, save only those
whose circumstances in life had rends
cred them inimical to Amer lea. A new
| I.,1
was the sun of independence. With
it's bright coming old things passed
away. Nc longer was the watchword
of battle, "our rights as British sub
jects" but "liberty or death" Eng
land, once the mother country, then
became the hated foreign foe Twas
in February, 1916, tha' the rebellion
came 10 be a revolution It was then
that the breath of the Deity passed
over a hemisphere and embued its
deniZsns with the spirit of freedom,
Independence, separate nationality,
a new government for the New World.
u government fou',ded on the equal
rights of man, and not the divine
right of king to rule. These ere the
eunoblng thoughts that Influenced the
mind of America just a hundred years
ago; that inspired Moore and Caswell
and Ellington and all their true fol
lowers, and first found expression on
the battle field in that memorable con-
test whose happy issue we to-day
| commemorate.
Aye, true it is, here was the first
libation of American blood in the
| sacred cause of American indepenI-
ence. These primeval pines Witness
the sacrifice and sing an everlasting
req uit M in honor of the immo rial deed.
| Nor is this the chiefest boast of Caro-
lima. 1t was her deleg ates in Conven-
ton assembled that by a unanimous
voice first gave utterance to the cry for
independence. When others wavered,
she was steady; when others were
| weak. her sons were strong; dangers
and impending calamity, perils and
| threatened invasion, had no terrors Tor