New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-07-02
A Soldier who Talks as He Taught.

Tor Street Methodist Episcopal
church, in Portland, Oregon, and
editor of the Pacific Christian Ad.
vocate, received an invitation to de.
liver a discourse on the Sabbath
preceding Decoration Day, in com.
memoration of the sesvices Of on,
fallen comrades, and he made the
following reply through the. co.
lumns of the Advocate:
"We must respectfully decline.
Nearly IS years since, at the call
of the United States Government.
we took up our line of march for the
bloody fields of the South-not as a
commiss Toned officer with large ap-
aulets, large pay, and larger self-ap-
probation, nor yet as a chaplain, to
have, as many did, good, easy, re.
muneratiye time out of bullet range
but as private soldier in the
ranks, with our musket and KNAPP
sack. For three years we stood
picket, lay in the trenches, waded
rivers, climbed mountains, traversed
swamps, baked our own beans
when we had any-shot at rebels,
and in turn made for them target
Of our own person. We passed
through many scenes, and some of
the most trying battles of the war.
More than once we narrowly es.
capped the bayonet, Andersonville,
or Libby. We carried ammunition
from the pouches of the dying and
the dead, for some of these same COM
rades whose deeds we are now called
upon to remember, and hepled with
our own hands to lay scores of them
in their graves. When the war
closed, we joined in the nations
shout, and hung our sword on the
wall. Many Of our most valued
friends were left in the South. We
tried to dry the tears of stricken
fathers and mothers by reciting the
heroism Of their dead, and then
went back into the ranks of the Mas
ter to pray for the fatherless and the
widows. But we were happy. A
halo of glory hung over these graves.
We looked on the bread acres of
this great land, and felt it was
enough. We had spent as nation
more than 81, 900, 0O0,0 900, and had
sacrificed hundreds of thousands of
precious lives, but the cruel war was
over, and our enemies were ready to
accept the situation.
'"To.day the men Government
paid us by the month for shooting
at are our congressman. -Four Sen.
ators only who now serve us were
Union soldiers, while twenty were
in the rebel Army. Sixty five rebel
soldiers are in the House. Not a
solitary man from all the South who
stood loyalty by the Government
with his life i'll his hand, comes as a
Representative. More than two.
thirds of the whole number were in
open rebellion and under arms, and
yet in six, ifnotin seven, States Of
the thirteen which rebelled the Un.
ion voters are in the majority. The
tried soldier is thrust out. The freed,
men who led the way through dis
NAL swamps, found hiding. places.
and carried a portion Of their own
scanty fare to our starving boys fly
ing from prison pens, who bound ul
their wounds and picked the worms
from their gangrened flesh, torn by
bloodhounds--these freedmen are to-
day flying from their homes to save
their lives. Insult stamps upon the
graves Of our deadin the South, anc
revolution is complete in its vi
olence only that a solitary Union
soldier who happens to be at thu
head Of the Government stands alone
in the breach.
''No, we cannot preach over the
dead yet. Other battles are to fight
It were an empty offering. We dc
not wish to mock their bleaching
bones. They did not bleed and dit
for a few empty eulogies and a hand
full of hall. faded flowers cast upor
their graves once a year. They asl
bread and we give them astone. They
rot in their graves with gaping
wounds of sword and bullet and bay
onet, and the death stare Of thos,
who starved in prison pens yet trace
able in the dust under their coffin
lids. Wepush aside their manned
comrades to make room for the me1
who laughed at their dying scream
for food, and ordered guards to shoe
the poor crazed maniac who daret
reach over the ead.line, for hal
putrid bone, and now come in tokel
of our appreciation with wilted flow
ers. How these dead skeletons mus
appreciate this costless Offering
God forbid we should approach thei
graves until we can carry the Of,
flag over a land united and free
such as they dreamed Of in their las
delirium. Let other hands carr,
flowers. It's meet that pure an,
lovely maidens should do this. It j
all they have. Let those preacl
sermons Of eulogy who never shivere'
| in the Wilderness nor heard the roa
1 of the battle above the clouds. w
shall stand in silence over the Of,
| battery. We are still on picket
The warts not over. The distan
mutter Of the conflict can still b
/ heard. We are yet to lay othe
/ treasures away in the grave mur
dered on the altar Of revolution
! We cannot insult our comrades. O
4 yer their graves before the God 0
4 the nation we have sworn allegianc
to the cause for which they died
and stand ready fol. the next bugl
call, but we have never scattere
flowers, and never will, until th
! right shall finally triumph and I'll
Y fennn1ipS IS Of O1ll.S pnininn1, 81 Is IN 4 f1.x,