The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-06-20

IAN EXTINCT RACE.
9As solaier 81 the war OF the Re.
From the Burlington Hawkeye.
At the decoration of the graves of
the Union soldiers in the National
Cemetery at Gettysburgb. Gen. b. F.
Butler delivered an address on the
Private soldier in the war of the re-
bellion." 1t was touching theme.
There is always a wonderful pathos in
. speech or play or story founded on
life that had ceased to exist. This is
the charm of Uncle Toms Cabin ;"
this is the power in Joaquin Miller's
Danites," this must have lent tender
ness and pathos to Gen. Buffers ad-
dress.
The "private soldier in the war of
the rebellion" He is dead. Or lost.
Strayed or stolen, possibly. We do
not know where he is, but he is not
here. He has gone away to some
place. Perhaps he has ceased to be
necessary. Perhaps if he were here
he would be in the way. At any rate
he is not around. He does not go to
the Legislature. We do not find him
in Congress. He is not eagerly sought
as candidate for anything. Nobody
appears to know anything about him,
Occasionally he appears at the pension
list, with one leg, wife and seven
children, and eight dollars a month.
If -four takes much of rise, he will
not last much longer at this rate, and
we will soon be deprived of the occa.
sional glimpse we have of him.
1t is asserted and quite generally be.
lieved, that at one time he was quite
numarous, and was even considered
rather convenient, ifnot, indeed, quite
Indispensable. 1t was found that up
wards of one hundred of him were
necessary in order to secure mere line
commissions for three eminent and
deserving men. When field commits.
sions for three even more eminent and
great men, upwards of thousand
private soldiers were necessary. One
thousandI 1t seems an enormous
number now, when by consulting the
Congressional directory we find there
are none in all this proud Republic.
But twelve or fifteen years ago even
that, incredible as it may appear to us
to-day, was considered . small num-
Der. There were private soldiers and
private soldiers. There were even
hundreds of thousands of them.
And they were useful. They dug
trenches; they constructed long lines
of breastworks, and then, when an
enemy came in sight, they climbed
over them and went outside of them
to fight. They worked and watched
and fought. Cooperating with great
and eminent men who have since
passed to their rewards in one office
and another-tbese private soldiers
sometimes rendered very useful SER
vice in winning great battles. Oh,
they were useful. Some historians
have even gone so far as to maintain
that without them the war could hard
ly have been carried to a successful
termination. They were really quite
useful.
And now they are all gone. 1t
seems sad, looking back at the war.
that none but the generals, and colo
nels and majors and line officers
should have survived its dreadful raw
ages. Providence, ever mindful of the
wants ofa great and growing nation,
undoubtedly took special care of these
great men, and in its great anxiety
that the country should not suffer |
from lack of eminent men kind of
forgot the private soldiers and let
them wander away. And so they are
all gone. Some of them got shot. |
Some of them died. Some of them |
got married and moved out of the
world, to settle upon tracts of gov
ernment land, where the Indians !
could get them more easily. Some OF
them went into business. Some OF
them are teaching school. Some of
them are driving dray. Some of them
went away and didn't leave their pres
ent address. But all the same, they
are all gone, and it seems dreadfully
lonesome without them. There used
to be 80 many of them.