Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-05-31

encounter the winters cold or the summers
heat, and even march up to the lannon's
mouth in obedience to his commands, with
no hope of reward, except the meagre stir
pend of soldiers pay. But to see the
citizen forsaking home and posses ions,
tearing himself away from the wife of his
bosom, the children around his Preside. the
mother who bore him and the friends who
esteem him, shoulder his musket or take up
his sword and march to the tented field,
risking all for his country, is something SUBJ
lime. Such thing was scarcely thought of
until it was done by our forefathers of
the Revolution. They were with
out military instruction and military
training. The naughty British soldiers re-
garded the raw militia with contempt, and
laughed at the thought of such men lighting
against their well equipped and well drilled
batalions; but they soon began to learn a
| very different lesson, and our fathers won
| everlasting renown at Brandywine, Bunker
| Hill, Lexington, Trenton. Valley Forge,
| Eutaw Spring, Cowpens and Yorktown.
The citizen soldiers, though not possessed
of military education and training, were
equipped with something far better-they
felt that they were battling for the right as
God had given them to see the right, and
that not only were their lives and possess
ions involved in the contest, but that the
| freedom and happiness of their posterity
was at issue.
But there is one feature in connection
with our citizen soldier that has created
more establishment than any other perhaps
l refer to the facility and promptness with
which he is transformed from civil to mill
tary life, and from military service back to
civil life again. The most striking exem-
plifcation of this wonderful feature was at
the cicse of the late civil war. More than
million of soldiers were in the
field when General Lee surrendered They
were scattered over wide territory
and commanded by ambitious generals,
whose men in some instances would have
followed them on almost any sort of an ex-
petition. They were mustered out all about
the same time. Such thing, if it had been
| done at all in any other country on the
globe, would have been regarded with the
gravest apprehension. But how few the
outrages committed on either side. There
may be individual instances where soldiers
at this period trespassed upon the rights of
private citizens and defied the civil law, but
they were so rare as to form one of the most
remarkable features in our country's history.
Civil government was quickly restored, and
in short time the millions of men whose
measured tread had caused the earth to
tremble, were scattered into every State in
the Union, and had quietly resumed their
places as citizens The tenants of the
FARMS the workshop, the offices, the pull
pits, the school-rooms and the Legislative
halls, were the same who only few weeks
before answered to the roll-call, marched to
| martial music and welded the sword and
the bayonet on one side or the other of that
| great conflict. 4 few weeks before, death and
destruction had followed In their pathway
now they were assiduously laboring to
build up the waste places incident to stern
desolating war The white-winged angel of
peace had again spread his beautiful pinions
| over the land, and where before the discor-
dant notes of war had been heard, filling
with terror the hearts of the bravest and the
best, was heard the music of children's
prattle and of the plough boys and milk
maids song. Instead of the rattle of mus
kerry, the roar of artillery and the blood
curdiing shrek of the flying shell, we had
the music of the mechanics hammer and
saw, the busy hum of machinery and the
scream of the locomotive, all harbingers
of that prosperity for which men
and women had hoped and prayed
Fields that had been deluged with fraternal
blood were soon covered with green grass
and waving grain. The war-cloud had
hurled its last lightning; its thunders were
STILL the sword had been resheathed, the
demon of conflict had taken his fight, and
the ensign of peace waved triumphantly
over a country saved and nation restored.
1t is this that distinguishes the American
soldier from all others. He achieves his
victories in peace as well as in war. If other
countries cherish the memory of their fall
len patriots, how much more should we
| ours? We perform these annual pilgrim
ages to the spot where their ashes repose,
for the sake of the living as well as the
dead We scatter flowers over their graves,
and by this beautiful ceremony testify our
appreciation of the sacrifice they have made.
We perform this labor of love and are moved
to it by recollections of earnest patriotism
and of unwavering devotion to a worthy
cause. We signify our undying admiration
for that love of country which dignities the
lowest citizen and ennobles him above the
| rank of kings. It is no unmeaning ceremo-
ny. The fact that the lapse of time has not
weakened the disposition to observe this
day, shows that there is principle under
lying it all which is earnestly sup
ported by the people. It has been
said that Republics are ungrateful,
but that is false when applied to America
The long list of pensioners show it. The
policy of the government is, not to keep a
large standing Army, but if the citizen sol
der who responds to his country's call falls
in the conflict, his mother or his widow and
orphans are taken care of. If he is manned
or disabled, the government comes to his
relief. These beautifully adorned national
cemeteries disprove the charge, and these
thousands who are gathered in various
parts of the land to-day to pay tribute to
the patriotic dead show that they are held
in remembrance by grateful people. To the
sacrifices they and their comrades have made
we are largely indebted for the peace and
fraternity which blesses our heaven favored
land, and all, without regard to the past,
rejoice that national unity has been preserv
ed and that not stripe has been erased nol
star obscured on our beautiful banner
the emblem of liberty and universal freedom
May the benedictions of heaven rest upoI
the graves of our fallen heroes and upor
the scores of homes that rest under thu
shadow of great bereavement because Of
their departu al They will sleep. thei
long sleep, honored by their comrades ant
by their countrymen.
On fame's eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread,
And glory guards the solemn round
This bivouac of the dead.
At the close of the address, while tn
band discoursed sweet music, the flora
tributes were strewn by loving hands, and
deposit made upon each and every grave il
the cemetery. Order was again restores
, after the flowers were thoroughly strewl
} and the assemblage was dismissed with tn
, benediction by Rev. G. B. Sparrow, paste
of the First NJ. E. Church
! The graves of Knoxville's two honore,
/ statesmen, Hon. w. G.. Brownlow, Hon
Horace Maynard, and also of Lieut.. Ed
: Maynard, in Gray Cemetery, were profusel
I and beautifully strewn also, with flowers Q
choice and rare selection. These grave
q were visited by great number of person
= during and after the decoration ceremonies
The floral contributions were very boun