Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-06-05
lowing very beautiful poem, written
by Thomas S. Collier:

lowing very beautiful poem, written
by Thomas s. Collier:
The golde. sunlight falls the far OF Southern
Rich With the tender verdure born from heavens
Aud vioIsts and dsisis. bloom above each silent
grave.
Where. free from battles fierce alarms. sumber our
The swirl years circle on their course 1t seems but
since chsrisston's frowniug cannon sang their
challenge TO the fray /;
sidngs flew,
And ths stern answer Of the land TO Louder echoes
grew.
The freemen of New England rose and seized their
The Western farmer turned away and left the prai-
ries charms
From Maine to California awoke the peoples might,
To fight and die, II 1t must be, for country and for
Through quiet valleys sounded clear the wa-,irum's
And soon was heard. In prompt reply, the tramp Of
many feet:
And breaking rudeiy FROM the clasp Of peace and
Brave souls rushed on where battles surge was
crowned with crimson foam.
Along the rivers running deep amid the Southern
TAe rifles crash. the bagles call, the bsyonet grimy
shines;
contendIax armies melt away BY Jamess sun,lit
Death rules where bearded grain fields beside Ants-
tam CLEAN.
Where the Atlantic rollers sweep Carolina's sandy
shore,
From many. frigats,s oaken sides tho grea, guns
ferceiy roar;
And dswn the hollows Of the deep to dim-t coral
caves.
Deaths endless siumber ON their eyes, sink oceans
fallen braves.
| We know that sorrow grew apace through all the
heightened days.
The chesrs that made the weIkin ring DER fields
Of carnage red
Had for refrain loves heartbroke moan above the
sleeping dead.
All, proudly beat the pulse when the news Of
How sweiied the soul in sympathy for brave deeds
And even when defeat would come and fosmen win
We knew our boys had fought their best to conquer
| in the fray.
treats
Great armies met, and from the shore have passed
4
We hear more the trumpets bray or bugle's stir.
ring call,
And full Of dents in uiet sheathed, the swords hang
on the wall.
We keep the names that fame has crowned the
/ heroes slumbering lie
In green clad mounds all grandy arched by purple
No matter where their graves may be, unmarked or
gracsd with stone,
The liberty for which they died the whole wide land
doth own
strew flowers on the graves to-day ; when comes the
The sweet remembrance of the deed within each
| ? heart will glow,
| And when we. too, are laid at rest beneath the
Some other hands will leave their gifts as by our
| homes they pass.
strew flowers upon their graves. and eth remember
| grasses grow
Alike upon the resting place of fallen friend and
foe.
Why should keep the bitterness of years so full
When Gods fair blooms have hid from sight tho red
| bleed Of the slain 7
Der frowniag ramparts, whore once shone the SEN
try's cleaning steel,
In swift and widely circlng flight the purple swal-
| lows wheel;
Beside the Rarpahannock's tide the robins wake
their song.
Aud where the flashing sabers clashed rown coated
sparrows throug.
The wealth Of beauty that falls out from Gods
Clothes with fragrant garment the fields by death
made grand.
In the deep Hence OF the earth wars relics slowly
| rust;
Aud tattered flags hang motionIess, aud dim with
peaceful dust.
The past is past the wild flowers boom here
charging squadrons met
And though We keep wars memories green, why moi
the cause forgetf
And have, while attle-stains fade Ieath heay-
ems pity Jog tears,
One land. one sg, one brotherhood through all the
coming years.
After another song by the Choir,
can Offering of Flowers to Thee we Bring"
the Pres dent called for report on
the resolution passed last year for q
historic account by the Secretary OF
the Decoration Committee, of the
building Of the Monument and the
Annual Decorations. The Secretary
excused himself from reading such a
history there because il would be
too long, but stated that tho gentle
man who had first suggested to the
public the idea OF thus honoring the
memory of our soldiers was present,
and the letter copied from the Grant
County HERALD of September, 1862,
making the suggestion, was read.
The letter is as follows, and it's zig.
nature tells VINO that gentleman
was:
FRIEND CovER:- old Grant has now SO
many of her sons in the ranks of our great
army, all of whom are volunteers, and some
of whom have already found graves on vari,
Gus battle fields, that propose as measure
of Justice to the brave men who have yielded
and may yet give their lives in their common
country's cause, that subscription be COM
menced for large monument, worthy Of the
county, to be erected in the Court House
square in Lancaster; the design 10 be decided
by some proper person on which shall be Gu,
deeply and spelled carefully the names of all
from the county VIII, shall have fallen.
Justice to the brave deadn asks this at
our hands; every man who has engaged in the
war feels certain desire to do his duty, per-
haps of fame, at least to be remembered of
his fellow citizens if he falls
Those who return will reap some reward
in the plaudits of their friends and fellow
citizens. Shall We not, ought we not,
to honor the memories OF the dead as far as
We can by perpetuating their names in inn
perishable stone? 1t would be a slght-bat
enduring menento and would have its in
fuence, now even, if known in the field that
such project was on foot. My plan would be
to request postmasters to act as agents to re-
ceive any subscription and suggest pyram
idal shaft, say Of ten feet rising from a large
square pedestal, on tie four sides of which
should be a suitable epitaph with the names
of the deceased warriors. Such monument
might be made for $500, perhaps less, and
that amount can be raised, think, If this
matter is properly presented to the citizens
of the county. l submit the suggestion and
really hope 1t may, as think it should, be
done; there is great deal to be said in sups
port of such project it may suffice now to
merely call public attention to it.
GEORGE r. LAUGHToY.
Platteville, September s, 1852.
Mr.. Laughton was requested to
address the audience and did SO in
words about as follows:
As dessert of feast from its lighter m a.
terias comes after the solid substantals of
the dinner. so the few moments propose to
occupy with slight history Of our monument
may be taken as the dessert of the grand din