The Portland daily press., 1880-10-01

inspiration, but to have known Phil on his
horse prolonged applause and laughterl was
to have an epitome from the glory OF war and
the sublimity OF victory. lApplausel These
are some OF the meanings that this night
teaches me, that makes me rejoice to be here
with my old comrades again. But then, as we
glance around this circle of names there comes
down to us the information that one by one
they are dropping out from the list of living,
but yet are seen as stars in the armament of
national glory. Less than a year ago the
Army of the Cumberland and its deliberations
were presided over by one who is now among
the dead, that brave and noble comrade of
ours who presided around the statue OF Thom-
as, left us only few weeks after he gave us
the hand of farewell. One by one, rapidly
they are going. 1t becomes us to gather these
glories into our hearts, to bind up into a small
sheaf the glory of those who are gone. Look
at that name yonder at the centre, who was
always at the centre of the Army of the Cum
berland while he was in it, and think / see
in it more of the crystaliZed mold of all that is
living, and great and worthy in American
character that can well be found in the COM
pass of all our books. Applause. The Ar
my of the Cumberland opened that great GEN.
trail pathway that approached almost from the
Mississippi bank back and along the chain of
mountains that divides the Atlantic from our
central slope. Starting here on our own
Southern line, the Ohio River, the army took
its first name, the Army of the Ohio, but as it
advanced down into the heart of its work, IL
took the name of the great river that cut
across its boundary, just in front of Stone Riv-
er, and it was the business of that army to
pierce the centre. When it had broken a
course through the very heart of the Gulf
States, the old army swept to the east further
and came back through the Carolinas into the
east further and came back through the Caro-
linas into the finish, and passed in review be-
fore the President at Washington, came home
IN peace with glory again, ane got largely back
into the State of Ohio when they were
through. Applause.]
There are two thoughts embodied in your
Army of the Cumberland that it seems to me
we might remember. You know at times
there were feelings between the volunteers
and regular Army of jealousy. 1t was re-
served for the Army of the Cumberland to
unite these elements in fraternal bonds. We
came at last to know if you wanted man for
any kind of work you wanted a trained man.
If you wanted a man trained in the science of
war he must be a man trained in all its mys-
terry, educated in the pure seruice, such as was
embodied in Thomas and Sheridan and the
other men who were educated in the war, but
the genius of our Government went further
than that. Behind our Military Academy
below our regular Army, there lay this mag
nlfcent body of cultivated, thinking, indepen-
dent private citizens [applause] who, when
their country was in danger sprang to war,
not as profession, but as dreadful necessity
volunteered. Thislife, latent force was all
in that glorious service under the leadership of
those who were trained, and the united regu-
lars and volunteers made the Army of the
Cumberland an irresistible army against any
equal body of men to be found on the globe
The spirit of the true elements was never bet
ter exhibited than at Chickamauga, as you
have heard in the poem. Thomas stood like a
rock, the centre of that mighty fight, and yet
with all that, behind him, in front of him. all
around him, in fact, were the gallant, coura-
goeus volunteers, making the elements of sci
ence, art, and courage triumphantr.n the fight.
Prolonged applausel. Think of it for mo-
ment and L take pleasure in referring to it,
There away off on the hills, posted at a special
post to do special charge, were some three
Ohio brigades. and when their commander
heard the sound of cannon on the Goth of Sep
tember at Chicamauga, he couldn't lie by and
guard a bridge. Applause. Gordon Gran
ger with j. IL. Stedman as second, marched to
the sound of the cannon until they came into
the fight. When riding forward they asked
Thomas "Where shall we go IMP" The an
swer was in two monosyllables only, "You
see." Applause and cheers A force almost
in his rear, force on.his flank. The three Ohio
brigades filled the gap. Not less than 700 were
dead and wounded in less than 40 minutes
fighting, but they protected the flank, making
a living wall of fire around Thomas. Ap-
plause. There was the practiced, trained
soldier, and with him the enthusiasm of the
independent but thinking volunteer that made
our war triumphant and victorious. l honor
them both, both elements, and am glad to
know that the Army Of the Cumberland has
always generously recognized both OF these
arms of our great service.