Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-06-18
MEMORIAL ADDRESS
Delivered upon DecOratiOn-Day, May
~, 1850, at wilmington, W.,


to the present year Of our Lord 1850, nations,
states, communities aud men have passed through
changes and vicsstudes Of a character the most
diverse The history OF the race has been marked
by glorious achievements and ignObe failures; by
brilliant victories and lnglorlous defeats and so
remarkable have been the Incidents circumstances
and results connected with some Of the great
events OF the past that their annual recurrence is
celebrated by songs Of triqmpb, feasting and
thanksgiving or with mourning, fasting and deep
humiliation, according o the character and conse-
qucnces OF the event celebrated.
Indeed, so numerous have been these great and
important epochs ia the past that there is hardly
day In the round Of years but what somewhere up
on the face OF this great aud busy world are peo-
pie gathered together In commemorative assem-
blies. Some Of these occasions, II is true marx
events Of local character only others are Of
great national Significance, while others are OBJ
served wherever the Son Of God Is known, wherev-
er His Gospel truths are recognized aud Christian
ty has a home. The pile Of stones placed upon
the banks OF the river Jordan was to the children
Of Israel mo nument In token OF their miraculous
escape from the land OF Egyptian bondage and
from that time the Feast OF the Passover was inst-
tuted In commemOration VI their wonderful delV-
erance and since then, down through the clrcllng
centuries all nations have had their annual holi-
days, their national games, their monumental
piles and memorial observances. America our
own beloved land, is, by comparison, OF recent
growth the youngest sister IN the circle OF great
nations Twelve years less than four centuries
have passed away since Columbus planted the
standard OF the cross upon these western shores,
and with drawn sword declared that he took pos
session "ln the name OF our Lord Jesus Christ, for
the crown OF CASTLE" Two hundred and sixty
| years have mingled with the past since our pilgrim
| forefathers sought refuge from religious persecu-
tion upon the frozen and fOrblddng coasts OF New
| England and only century aud fOur years have
| elapsed since we boldly aud trump hanty assumed
| a position among the powers Of the globe, by de-
| clarng ourselves free and Independent people.
| But America is not without her memorial days,
| which her children gladly celebrate; not without
| her sacred spots and shrnes, to which pilgrims
nock with feelings Ct love and devotion.
What means yon monument at Piymouth7 II
tells us OF the Maynower; It tells US Of brave men
and noble women who endured the dangers OF AN
unknown ocean to seek freedom IN religious ana
political belief, IN the wds Of the western world.
| What means yOn pillar at LeXingtOu2 II recalls
| April 10Th, 1T75, when the Grst armed resistance
was made by he co oHists against the usurpations
| Of the mother country. what means yonder gran
| tie shaft pointing skywArd from the summit OF
| Bunker HI? II mutely speaks to us OF June lIth,
| lIT5. II marks the spot where American patriots
met their relocated oppressors with leaden rain
| It tells of Putnam and his braves Of the gallant
| Warren who uy his heroic daring seemed to COyet
| death. What means that sentine Lguarded elm In
| Harvard square? Draw near, and read that 1t is
| the spot where Washington first assumed COM
mand Of the American army. Why do We speak OF
| BE nnington, Saratoga stony Point, White Plains,
| Trenton, Pri nceton, Monmouth, Brandywlne, Fort
| Moul;ie ard Yorktown as connected with our in
| depeudeucc7 ? why have the names Of Washington,
| Al leu Creme, Gates, Paul Jones, Rosciusko, La
fayette, Marion, Putnam, schuyler, stark, warren,
| Wayne, and score Of others, become cndeared TO
| every American heart? Why do hundreds and
| tho usands weud their way 20 the peaceful shades
Of Mount Vernon, unless 1t be to pay sincere rev.
| er euCe and homage to the ashes OF him VINO re-
pos es there-the father Of the American republic,
| "a patno: whose name a nation reyeres, and
| whose actions world admires.' Why is the 4th
of July celebrated year by year over the whole land
from ocean to ocean, from The lakes TO the gull
| why does every American love and cherish the
memories OF that day, whether he be in his native
| land, upon the broad ocean. under foreign
skies7 II is because upon that day, i04 years ago.
| the nation had It's birth; upon that day was pro-
| IN ulgated and proclaimed the God-given and heay-
inspired principle "that all men are created free
| and quail that they are endowed by their Creator
| wi IN certain uualenGhc tights; that among these
| are nfc, liberty and the pursuit Of happiness" +"
4 hen and the Ic that noble uand Of patriots decar
that these colonies were, and OF right ought 10
| be, free and Independent. We ask again, what
| mean these memorial days, these honored names,
| these sacred spots. these granite shafts7 They
| point us back to the Infancy Of the nation, when
| civil and religious liberty hTst saw the light upon
these American shores to The time when lS feeble,
| struggling colonies without resources bade defiance
| to the most powerful nation upon the earth, ab-
| solving all allegiance thereto.
But why has the sOth day OF May passed into the
catalo que Of national holidays? Why do we con-
| gregate among these tombstones and select out
| and decorate these graves? Why is 1t that In ev-
! cry cemetery throughout the State and land where
| lie the bones OF UniOn soldier, some carries
| beautiful flowers to-day and places thereon? Shall
| | tell you? You all know full well. Nineteen
| ears aud two months ago the hand Of treason was
II ed to take the life OF the nation. Those Of US
who were beyond the stage Z childhood at the
time can never forget the thrill, the excitement,
he enthusiasm which swept over the country In
| 1861. For many months before the deep mutter-
| ings OF the coming storm had been heard, and on
the 18th day Of April the long pent-up FIRE burst up
on Fort sumpter in Charleston harbOr. The boom
| Of that gun aroused the people OF the North from
their fancied security TO the awful fact that res
| olule aud relentless assassin held the knife TO
| their throats. We weli remember the spontaneous
| uprising Of the North to defend the Union and to
| throttle rebellion. We saw that the experiment Of
seIi-Guyernmcnt, which the powers OF the Old
world had hoped TO TAIL, was being severely
put to the test. We saw that the nag OF our faith
er s. which we had loved and houOred from child
h ood, which had protected Us so long on every
Ia nd and sea, lad been insued. We well remem-
ber the alacriy with which the call for 1900 vol
IN tecrs was met. But where was YermOnt7 When
| he roar Of that cannon Hred upon Fort Sump;cr
| I Cuched h,r mountain peaks and reverberated
| yer her green hills and through her fertile valleys
every son and daughter felt the thrill and feryor OF
patriotism coursng through their veins. The old
| = pirit of Ethan Allen who, ain the name of the
| Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress" de-
| maudei the surrender Of TicOnderOga, revived,
| and companies and regiments were formed AS by
magic and flowed southwark to the seat Of war.
I
asm Of the hour and to take her part in the con-
nict The love Of mOutaineers for liberty has been
| sung by poets aud been witnessed upon many u
| bloody field Of the Old world. 1t spoke out again
| in the rally which took place In our own State IN
behalf OF that precious UniOn to which Vermont
| though tardiy admitted one hundred years ago
has always been deyOtedly attached. With pop
ulation Of 9l5O9s she furnished 9I,23s soldiers OF
over One-tenth OF her entire population. OF tina
number ., 1873 gave their lives for the Union cause
with II grand list OF butlitt more than one mill
ion dollars she expended for war purposes 9Os7,
sbs4O Who shall say that Vermont, though smal
In extent and few In numbers, has not contributed
literally In blood and treasure?
The first call for soldiers was for three months
But the North soon realized that the rebellion wa
Of greater strength and OF more gigantic proper
tons than at nrst supposed, and the call for men Il
serve three years was issued. The hrst TO enlls
from Wilmington were Fay l.. Bowker, Martin L
Fox, Geo. A. Rice, Waldo c. Russell, in Co. G, Sec
ond Regiment, recruited at Brattleboro, and Lean
der e. Shippee, Jas II. Shippee aud Andrew
Yorce ia Co. A, recruited at Bennington In tn
| Second Regiment We're Wm. II. Brown, oliver Da
| Wis and Brainard +. Childs. In the Fourth Regi
ment, Co. J.. recruited at this place, were Albert
Allard, Chas S. Bowker, Amasa W. Burt, Geo. c
Cooley, Chas. W. Cummings, Leonard N. Cummings
7 David J. Dlbble Joseph NJ. Edison, Henry o. Ester
brook, John II. Farnum, George w. French, GeOrg
II. Grimes, Milton C. Handy, William r. Matthews
| Michael Powers, Henry d. Searles, John II ToOley
Charles Wills, Frank A. Howell, Chas T. Leon
: a.d, Ahaz =. Pike William II. Peck, Andrew
Pike, OTIS II. Pike. In the Flnh-Francls E. elf
ford In the Eighth-Arthur c. Davis, Newell +
| uavnas / II StoWe-the worthy president Of tn