Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-01-21


EDITOR CHRoNICLE:-Now the
time those Of us who scribble much
are rubbing away at what should be
A. d. 1882, but will persist in hav-
ing it 'S1, just as this time last year |
we were wont to put it down 80 |
instead of 'S1. AS the gifted Tai
mage says 'white haired" 1881
ais gone and with it many glorious throng |
of happy dreams.
It's work is on each brow, it's shadow in
each heart.''
The historian will chronicle 1881
as a memorable year in the history
of our country, for it was fraught
with important, stirring and tragic
events. 1881 witnessed the Repub-
lican party get complete control of
every branch of our government,
executive, legislative and judicial.
The Republican party is firmly en-
trenched in power now, is stronger
than it was twenty-five years ago
when it elected Lincoln.
1881 witnessed one of the most
tragic events in the history of our
country, the killing of Garfield.
True Lincoln was the victim of the
assassin's pistol, but his murderer
was hunted down and shot, fate
that he richly merited. Lincoln's
death was the closing drama in a
bloody national tragedy, and was
only deplored by part of nation.
The "deep damnatioD" of Garfield's
"taking OFF, was deplored, not only
by this nation, but by mankind.
AS partisans, we could not see it at
the time, but Garfield was a super
ior man to Gen. Hancock in many
respects. Garfield, by his genius,
intense energy and activity, rose
from the humblest walks of life to
the highest Office in the gift of the
people. How well in three words
he wrote his own fate and epitaph
when, fifteen days after receiving
the death wound, he called for pen
and paper and wrote the prophetic
and immortal sentence, Stro1ag,tI1t,ts
pro Tepat6Licd.
Referring to Garfield and Han
cock allow me one word of COM
ment, just one word as Sergeant
Buzfuz said in the case of Bardwell
VS.. Pickwick, on that humbug
Hancock campaign. The attempt
to "make out" Gen. Hancock a
great military captain, man who
never planned and fought battle,
was SO silly and ridiculously absurd
that it recoiled upon those who
started it. To read the papers at
the time one would have thought
Hancock the peer of Napoleon or
Wellington. All that talk about
Gettysburg was the merest bosh.
| Grant planned, and Meade fought
the battle that forever sealed the
fate of the Confederacy. Here Lee,
like Bonaparte at the walls of Acre,
struggled three days and nights
without moving Meade an inch.
On the third and last day, Lee mar
shalled his forces for supreme eff
fort. at a given signal the earth
trembled-trembled as it had not
since the last day at Sebe stapoOl-
under the shock of 800 cannon and
100, 900 muskets, and Packet rushed
into the jaws of death like the
"tenth legion" at Balaklava, the
smoke, as it belched forth from the
mouths of 500 cannon and 10000
nuskets rose above the heads of the
! ! con, tants as they rushed madly
! and furiousIy at each other like
gladiatofs
"Where sword, and spear, ana shield
Flashed in the light of midday,
And the strength OF serried hosts was
Shivered."
And the smoke of battle, as at
HOhenlinden formed a "sulphurous
canopy" which shut out the light
and heat and glare of July sun, and
when night drew her dark mantle
DER this field of blood and carnage
and death, Lee saw the day and
cause was lost and Withdrew his
shattered and bleeding columns,
leaving 10000 dead men on the
field, the flower of his army. This
was his Waterloo, and the fate of
the South was forever sealed.
w. l.. Z.
Port Royal, Jan. Is, 1882.