The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-10-14
THE COLUMBIAN, VOL. XIV, NO. Al
COLUMBIA DRMooRAT, VOL. xLvI, NO. 81
YORKTOWN.

The Yorktown celebration is IN every
sense of the word a national occasion.
It's memories are widely separated from
those of the late civil war. They must
serve as a bond to unite the northern
and southern people more closely, for
they point to bloody fights and charges
against a proud foe, in which northern
and southern men participated with
mutual enthusiasm aud marched shout
der to.shoulder against the black mouth
ed batteries and walls of shimmering
bayonets.
1t was in the middle of August, 1871,
when the American and the French be-
gan their combined movement which
terminated in the capture of Corvallis
army This movement had been srb-
stituted for an attack on New York,
which might not have been successful.
Washington ascertained that the great
French fleet under the Count de Grasse
was on the South Atlantic coast and
having the Count de Rochambeau and
his army with him, he saw tremen-
dous blow could be struck CORVALLIS
by a combined land and naval attack.
Nothing could have been done without
our French allies.
People may say what they please about
the French motive for helping us against
England. France helped us out of a
bad scrape That is enough. If she had
not helped us we would have been sub
iects of Queen Victoria today, very
likely. For, even after the magnificent
fighting of, Greene and Morgan in the
south, which weakened CORVALLIS terri
bly, he might have accomplished his pur-
pose of subduing Virginia, had he not
had the French as well as the Americans
to fight on the peninsula. As it happen
ed, CORVALLIS got into pocket. Sir
Henry Clinton had not the least idea
where Washington had gone when he
left New York until that cheftain reach
ed the Delaware and it was too late.
Washington, Knox, the artilerist; LA
Fayette, Rochambeau and De Grasse
did the business for Corvallis The
battles of the Revolution ended on Octo-
Der Is, 1882, although year previous
there did not appear very brilliant
prospect of a triumph for the colonists.
CORVALLIS had been generally success
full in the South; was, in fact, very sue
cessful, until Greene struck him, and he
had no idea he would be driven to the
wall.
Braddock, 80 years before, had been
similarly confident of whipping the
French. British officers "just over" a,
that time, even when the.colonists were
aiding Great Britain in her wars with
France, continually expressed their con
tempt for the colonial militia, who did
the hardest fighting. CORVALLIS, al
though more prudent than Braddock
had profound contempt for the Ameri
can militia until Gems. Greene and Nor
gan showed him what they could do.
Among the American Generals whc
aided immensely in making the surren
der of Lord Cornwalis possible, wa
Gen. Greene, to whom is justly ascribe,
military ability second only to that o
Washington. Greene won the affectiol
of Washington shortly after his arriva
at headquarters in Cambridge, Mass, il
July, 1875. At Brandywine, Greene, wit
Weedom's Virginia brigade, saved Ger
: Sullivan's detachment from annihilatio
by mastery march. He figured cor
spicuously in all the northern campaign
and it was by his counsel that Maio
. Andre was hung instead of shot. "Han
him or set him Free" were the concluG
. ing words of his opinion. When tn
. Carolinas and Georgia fell into BIRTHS
= hands, and the battle of Camden Lei
= the colonists in despair, Gen. Greene wa
: chosen to repair the damage done b
> CORVALLIS, and he showed himself til
y superior of CORVALLIS, Tarleton an
;, Lord Rawdon.
q Greene's victories made the skies brigl
q for the colonists he blazed the way {
- Yorktown. Cornwallis would not haN
y gone there had it not been for Greene
Il success in the south. A Rhode Islande
Il he lead southern men to battle, and
"a was in Charleston that he received Il
q greatest ovation of his life. The Gee
" gians presented him with fine plant
70 - ton on the Edisto and residence ne
ia Savannah in recognition of his service
d and in 1885 he moved there with |
p family. The State of North Caroli
n presented him with $4,000 acres of Ian
,rr There was no silly sectional blather the
ys They were all rebels, and gloried in ha
m ing rebelled together agaiI g. taxati
al and navigation laws, revenue acts, star
" acts, restraining and starving acts, a
disfranchising acts; against the effo
as Burke once said, to plunge them il
''perfect uncompensated slavery
le- joining together the restraints of an II
nd versal, internal and external monop,
ed with an universal, internal and extern
ng taxation."
ito Northern and Southern men met OF
an again around Yorktown, with arms
nd their hands and blood in their eyes, ,se
OF ing each his brothers life The meet
he this month of Northern and South
ed soldiers at the historic old spot will me
ng that, fraternally mingling together, Il
he will forget the bloody horrors of int
in necine strife and remember that, as IL
a forefathers fought against the comm
he foe, so their descendants shall be brt
he rem in fact, co-workers in the upbu
op- ing of the dearest interests of the co
.he try and incapable of separation throl
the wicked scheming of desperate n
-LOuiSville Courier Journal.
GRAVES or PREsIpENTs,-The gra
IL IL of the seventeen Presidents whom dc
has taken are widely scattered. w.