Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1877-02-07

:.
X was bright, warm and beautiful. All i
wss quiet sud peaceful, as If nature was
unconscious ot, nf had no sympathy with.
tho impending STRIFE On the gun boats,
everything Was animation and STIR, drill I
ing on one, clearing the decks on another,
xll preparing for the attack, few miles
above lay the fort, sufieu and silent We
left our steamers, landing on the right I
bank of the river and were soon ON the
march, for the purpose as we sup osed
Of iuvrs.ing the fort, and prevent. The /
cnemy from escaping, and .eachias s'ort /
Donaldson. We had gone but short |
distance when We were halted in mea- I
dow close TO thezriyerr and in plain view
OF the fort and our heet Of gun boats.
that had steamed up and commenced the
attack With what intense interest We
watched that combat. Our little feet
Rted with accuracy and deadly sim,
while the fort answered bIayely and
promptly. The smoke settled down over
| the AseHe OF coatcst aud almost hid IT
/ from our view. Presently we saw the
Carondalets swing round from behind al
island, and come careening down the
friyer, like y wounded soldier staggering
to the rear. A solid shot had passed
through her boilers, and many brayea
lads lay scaieed and dead on her deck.
But the noble old Commodore Fuote,
held his position aud long after we had
left the river and were seeking the rear
of the fort by u circuitous route, we
, heard the sulien barking OF the brazen
! throated dogs. But by aud by All was
still. And when that night in pitchy
darkness and drenching rain we bi-
/ -oaaeed aeaE the fort, ge learned that 1t
4 had surrendered, most Of the garriaon
having fed to Fort Donaldson, TO fight us
again and finsliy surrender to US on the
18Th Of February. We made comforta-
bic beds OF rails, tina, kept US out of the
water, and without blankets or baggage
/. watched for the morning, aud when ut
L length 1t came, and the sun rose over the
!. hills, it illumined the stars and stripes,
as they fioated from the fiag staff in the
parade ground .of the htfie fort, while
!, underneath that victorious banner lay
< the confederate dead. The warm sun
!, light, the kindly bending heavens, and
ei nxtursfs sMeel bencdlctions OF peace,
+ rested alike ON and over The living N the
. blne and the silent steepers wrapped 10
: the gray.
But our army experiences, whether on
the Potomac or the tennessee, were all
IS in kind, If not in extent and degree, o.
a. the same nature and character, and
will not weary you With personal rccol-
lections, neither is it my purpose to tres
II pass on the domain of The historian on
- this occasion, that work bsing entrusted
= :, to mpfe competent and sknlful hand
= Fifteen years ago to-day, there wero bu
r few, II any, in all the land, wao com
. pretended the magnitude of the wprs
that lay before us, or through what val
's leys Of humiliation, and sceues of deatf
- and lesoiation the nation should pas
:. before reaching the secure resting piac,
y ;, of just and honorable peace. Neithel
- , do believe that this people would have
: shrunk from the terrible task, had III
'e fearful reality been portrayed in letter
and characters IF living light on God,
. armament 1t MAS the decisive move
9 ment Of our nat. onai existence, The or
~ deal that tested the morat strength O
es this people, and their attachIntnt 10, an
~ faith in, that immortal declaration 1
.. principles which they he'd giyen to tn
ns world. By admitting the right Of ma
y, TO hold his fellow man in bondage, an
~ ~ consegting to the disiniegration Of thi
'n union with all its sacred and hallowe
!, y memories, its high aud lofty purposes
:. its achievement Is IN the pas, and all II
!" hopes4 and promises for the future, "
z might have purchased peace. But j
nc denying the one and rnfusing the othe
~ We accepted the dire alternative Of wal
~ When this fnal trial came, the Amerlca
", heart, bound up in the same bundle Wit
cu The hopes and liberties of the worit
"a, ,a WAS found eauai TO the emergency. W
ou hare chosen the eagle as our nations
~ symbol, the emblem Of our national lii
Gu Gu and character, and in his dauntiess cou
W age, matchiess prowess and bold intrep
~, dity, we'll represents the spirit of Anne
ll' ican patriotism and love Of liberty. Be
.u him as he is seated on the projectir
~ =. limb of an old oak, oYerhanging yond,
:, ~ beetling cliff, watching the approachin
Gu storm, ~ If anxious to measure h
sc' strength with his contending elemen
io mark with what apparent satisfaction |
=. - listens to the thunders low mus,ering
- - and follows, with keen glance, the vivi
az lightning a. II flashes from cloud
- cloud. As the storm approaches nearc
..n and the tempest ID heard In the distal
ne i tree tops, he raises him sslf up, tries h
~ wings as If renssrring himself of h
,se power, ahd settles down again apparent
1el satisfied With tho teat. And when )
~ length the storm besets upon him IL
's.s its fury, when tho ligh:nings enyolo
re- him and the thunder shakes the sol
' NY land, with. one loud defiant scream
eu spreads his pinions and lifts himself ,
~ highes, still higher, till be appears bu.
.l speck against the csim blue vault, I
above cloud and storm above the thu
- yfers rrssk md atiighsnings track.
. When the cloud OF war appeared IL
- aman's hand on tho southern .horixe
and the low mutterings al The gatheri
"a storm startled the nation from It's 10
dream of peace the eve that watched