The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-08-25

Ihese are few of the soldiers OF Maine.
They, come from all the States, from all the
world and are here united to-day
l took into the first battle of Bull Run
many Maine men. We had a brigade OF the
3D. 4th and 9th Maine. But lest there shou Id
be vestige of States rights or State feeling,
we were leavened by a splendid set OF men,
composing the I'd Regiment of Vermont. How
we waited for hours at the old blacksmith
shop! At last there beyond Sudley church,
the boys filed past me pale indeed but looking
up into my face with a thoughtful gaze and
often smile. The zip, zip zip of the hullets,
the screening and crashing and breaking OF
the shells in the hot air above us, how well
you remember the occasionl
Again the next battle of Balls Bluif-
doubtless many a man present was there where
Baker fell and we suffered another sorroWful
defeat.
Yorktown, Williamsburg and Fair Oaks are
full of recollections How my brigade sheiter-
ed itself in the first onset on Sunday morning
behind the railway at Fair Oaks-now 1t was
the 9th New Hampshire, the S1st Pennsylva-
Lila, the 61st and 64Gh New York. You we're
close at hand, then we charged on the enemy
lines and what hindered us but the want OF the
word forward march" from accomplishing
the next five miles to Richmond. was Grip
pied for time and came home.
Here Gen. Washburn who sits on the plat
form, cur Senator Morrill, met me and we
spent the month of July ard part of August,
men, "Come men, come and help u.s. Our
fathers gave us an Inheritance country. Come
and help us to preserve it. The responses were
immediate, the thinning ranks were reflled
We were together again in a second Bull
Run almost worse than the first, had to fall
back past Chantilly where poor Kearney fell
lack, back, but then again forward to South
Mountain where Gov. Stevens fell. Maine
men here and always. Who can forget Antie-
tam where we struck so spasmodically, like
man almost beside himself in row; first
center, then right, then left, but never alto
gether. We worried through this and gained a
quasi victory got the ground and followed up
through Harper's Ferry on to Fredericksburg.
Now with Burnside we try again cannot throw
the bridge Hours are spent waiting. At
last regiment volunteers; it is the 7th Michl-
gan! Why, those are not Maine men. NO,
they are from Michigan, but you know that,
two-thirds of the Michigan men were born IN
Maine. The volunteers of the 7th seeing the
engineers fall and die so that they cannot con-
tinue their work of bridge laying, push over in
boats and drive the enemy from their trenches
and the bridge is laid. The Lieut. Col Baxter
who led the regiment is made General for
this gallant work. Many of Maine men
strewed that Fredericksburg ground with
their army-blue clad bodies! Repulsed again!
Then how distinct in memery is the brilliant
opening of the Chancellor campaign. Then
the Wilderness, the confusion, the battlings.
Here Gen. Berry, for whom you name this
camp, comes TO meet me with his cheering
voice as my shattered command reaches his
place on the Charlottesville road He fell
there You do we'll to honor his name and
memory. Then the long tedious marches, the
skirmishes through the mountain passes. Lee
tows us back to Gettysburg.
o Gettysburgl How familiar every spot of
ground; the oak at Seminary Ridge, where
Reynolds died; where the First Corps fought
as men have hardly fought before; the Buford
cavalry: the 10th corps thrown on the right
with our batterits between; the Cemetery
ridge; the right where Geary was; the Culps
hill that Wadsworth defended; the grave
stones laid low; the stone wall; the peach Or
chard; the round tops, little and big Men of
Maine, every place is stamped with associa-
tons that go TO make up the multitudinous
history of great battle. Your fathers, like
those under McGilvery, and your men in the
various corps of the army took no small part
in this, the turning battle of the great rebel
lion. No grander exponent than your COM
mander (Gen. Chamberlain), who sits with US
on this platform to-day.
But time passes. The defeat of our arms at
Cbickamauga took from our rejoicing part Of
its zest when we had thought that Pemberton's
surrender to Gen. Grant at Vicksburg had
really completed our Gettysburg triumph. No,
No; there was still long line of armies. Lee
opposite 10 Meade, Bragg opposite to Sherman
and western fragments in array. But you
know the fields-the Lookout valley. the Mis-
sion ridge, the Lookout Mountain; then the
march to the relief of Burnside at Knoxsviile.
The spring opens-Tuunel hill, Dolliver, Re-
SEGA, Adairsville. CashviHe, New Hope church,
Pickets' mill, Muddy Creek, Pine Top, the
Kenasaws, Smirna camp ground, Peach Tree
Creek, the battles around Atlanta as that of
the 22d, when Mcpherson fell, the 28th at
Bethel chapel. Jonesboro, Loyejoy station.
You know these words all have special mean
ing on your old and shattered flags. They are
fields of contest; they are burial places where
the bones of our sons are resting. Back again
we come almost to Chattanooga, but we hold
Atlanta and drive off Hood into Alabama
Then the march to the sea for us, some of you
pushing back to Nashville to meet Hood at
Franklin aud at the capital of Tennessee in
his last desperate effort We fight at Girls
woldviile and march and fight our way to Sa-
vannah, cross BY sailors help to Beaufort pass
through the Carolinas, through many more
desperate conflicts, SWAMI d ifcuties and dam
gers to the final encounter with Johnston at
Bentonville. about the time some of you
finished with Lee at Appomattox.T This answers
the question of who are our soldiers. 1t is but
glimpse at your soldier life. You do we'll
Gov Paisted, you being one of them, to give
these comrades SO distinguished a welcome.
What our cur institutions? Gen. "a. gave
here rapid sketch of our schools academies,
churches, &c., sc. Tnese belong to us. The
common schools" fed with teachers, he said,
from those of higher grade, belong to us. Oh,
let people come here, be they Irish, Germans,
Russians, Italians, French, Cinnamon what
not. Come to the asylum Of the world;
but let them not touch us in a vital point or
ever attempt to destroy our foundation stones
the common schools. There is another pecul-
lar institution in its glorious smplicity-the
American family; that family when the hus-
band is true to his wife and the wife to the
husband, and father and mother to the chill
dren.
L have tried to set you comrades good ex-
ample. have wife and seven childrenl
Much applause and laughter.) may boast
little as there are but few ladies who can get
into this assembly. took from this city sew
eral years ago the most beautiful lady there
defiant and shook their heads) Well, the
family is the thing to have; pure, full of in
struction and up-building. The Lord blesses
the family. 1t is the nucleus of the town, the
town of the county, the county OF the State,
and the States thus co .stituted with brave
good men and chaSte, loving women, are the
nuclei of the nation-of our nation.
What have we not accomplished in prevent
ing the utter destruction of such institutions,
or even their enlargement. Our form of gov
eminent is worthy of serious and constant
study. Our Congress with it's upper and lower
Houses. Our Judiciary, unparalle led any
where, even in liberty-loving England, its in
corruptable character, and our we'll organized
executive departments, reaching in its helpful
ness without burden to the utmost limits of
our grand domain, to the wants of every house.
hold.
Our government is the fruit of the wisdom of
the ages. You did well, comrades, to preserve it..
Under its wing of protection every chain is
broken. Ii sometimes has not sue ,eeded in
meeting every case, owing to the different COL
ors OF poor humanity, as red green, blue,
black, copper, &c; but the system is, L think,
adequate, and mon who as tricksters and DEM
agogues oppose themselves, are sure to fall
sooner or later. Yes indeed comrades, vou
did well to preserve and perpetuate our repub-
lie aud make it fully free
Now my last question is, Is there anything
remaining for US to do? Yes, yes indeed
Multiply these families, give free scope to
your churches and Sunday schools, contend
against every eneroachment, raise up children
who shall emulate these comrades jim valor, in
patriotism, in honesty, and who shall be pure
and strong.
We will hope that the boys such as crowd
our platform to-day, shall catch the inspiration
of your iberty-lovlng hearts. What opportun-
tiles our country affords! Our President
a short time ago he was a little boy on tho Ca
Ual who was poorer then, but with good Amer
Can mother and the strength that was in him,
he has constantly risen, enlarging in body, in
tellect and spirit. He was a soldier, and a
noble one. Now he lies crippled by an assas-
sin God will help him. Such a grand man is
the outgrowth of free America His like is
hardly possible in any other nation.
Let, then, this sort of teaching go on. Let
this sort of men be made.
aps 7 bQa rtU "a