Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-05-31

Honor we our heroes dead,
Valiant in their country quarrel,
And each soldiers honored bed
Proudly wreathe with rose and laurel.
In life's column breaking ranks,
From the call that brought us hither;
Dropping from our serried fanks,
Ye have wandered, comrades, whittier?
To that starry esplanade
Than earth's mightiest, broader, grander,
Standing in the grand parade
Marshaled by the Great Commander,
Answering at the call Of roll
Read from Fame's immortal scroll,
Gone from lifes dark sentry-tramp,
Ger the dim Eternal river;
Resting in the heavenly camp,
Comrades, sleep in peace forever
Col. J. F. Godfrey, upon being in
troduced, said:
COMRADES OF THE GRAND ARMY
OF THE REPUBLIC
This is the first time, I believe,
that Decoration Day has ever been
observed in Los Angeles. A year
and half ago number Of soldiers
Of the Union army met and organ
ized Post of the Grand Army of
the Republic in this city. This is
not political order, though, in
America, every one befng in a
measure a politician, politicians
sometimes get into it. The real
object is noble one-to assist
those who have fought together; to
cultivate sentiments of fraternity
and charity, and Inculcate that love
of country, republican institutions
and republican principles which
all Americans ought to love. The
soldiers, assembling in Good Tenn
plar Hall, after organizing as
Post, bethought themselves of q
name. The first name presented
at that time was the name of q SOL
dier dear to every true American
heart, who filled the youthful idea
of a true and gallant knight-a
hero of romance-one of the most
chivalric characters ever known to
American history.
The hero Of q hundred battles
with a brave American foe, hon.
ored, famous, and hereafter to be
the subject of many pages of Amer
ica's history-dying as Leonidas
died-dying as the Spartan died
dying with no survivor to tell the
story of the last fight Of Custer.
But another Post of this State had
adopted the name before us, and so
another name WAS suggested-that
of Frank Bartlett, Of Massachu-
setts.
He was soldier not unknown to
fame, but still not ranking among
the leading soldiers Of the war.
Little was known of him except In
his own corps and In his own State. |
He belonged to that band of heroes
whose devotion to duty, whose
courage and patience made Grant |
successful and Sherman, Sher.
idan, Thomas and Custer famous.
He was perhaps one of the most |
famous Of his class that the Union
army produced. He was not a
strong man physically. He met
misfortune after misfortune; he
suffered from disease, from i'm
prisonment and from dreadful
wounds, but he never complained,
never halted, never rested until |
the war was ended. Then, with
one leg amputated above the knee
and mutilated arm-with wounds |
upon his body and his constitution
weakened by the malaria of the
Louisiana swamps-he returned to
his home in Massachusetts, o pa.
tient, suffering Christian man
whose days were numbered on this
earth. But he brought with him
from the war the large Views of
the statesman, the generous senti-
ments of the true soldier for the
fallen foe, and the few remaining
years of his life were devoted to |
conciliation, charity and the culti-
walton Of paternal feelings between
the two distracted sections Of the
country, He felt that the union of
these States, hallowed by meme-
ries that can never die, should
ever be preserved, and he prayed
that party feeling and partizan
strife should be restrained and
curbed and those Of one country
and one deoent-Americans all
should come again together united
as q people, united as one nation
under one flag forever.
And SO we, living here In this
furthermost section of the Union,
on the common ground where the
Northern and the Southern soldier
live in peace together, took for
the name of the Post of the Grand
Army the name of this young hero
with so brave a heart and such
charitable, chivalrous views. We
thought his name would be an en-
blem which would commend us to
the favor of those who fought in
grey as we'll as those who fought in
blue. Our mission is that of peace,
not war-God help 1t may ever
be 80.
And now, soldiers of the Grand
Army OF the Republic. let no diff
ference of political sentiment or
opinion divide you. You fought
for a cause which, at least, has pre-
served the union of these States;
strive hard to make that union
something more than q name;
show your love of country by en-
dearing 1t to all, North and South,
East and West, by giving q good,
honest, secure and liberal govern
ment to them all.
After q prayer the assemblage
was dismissed.