Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-06-01

and changing theater, making vast
battle-felds and burial places of what
had been prosperous and peaceful
States, requiring upon either side humid
reds OF thousands, and finally million
OF men, filing the land with sorrow,
thrusting the dark shadow of mourn
ing upon every home At the outset
the thoughtless and uniformed be-
lleved 1t must be of brief duration,
the issue speedy and sure. AS time
sped on the constantly changing for
tunes of the opposing armies, the skill.
ability and determination manifested
by those managing the rebel cause,
the anxiety, doubt, many times actual
encouragement, which found express
ion from those high in the confidence
and councils of those entrusted with
the control Of the Union cause, at
length caused thousands of loyal hearts
actually to doubt the issue of the
strife, while it inspired hundreds of
thousands of others with that deter
mlnation to succeed which is born of
undoubting confidence in the right
eousness of their undertaking, and
an abiding resolution intelligently to
persevere in the pathway of duty,
whithersoever it may lead Thus the
struggle continued for full two and a
half years of the war, during which
time each defeat, or repulse of the
Union Armies was succeeded by the
deceptive cry from those claiming to
be loyal, that all the rebels wanted was
permission to Ego in peace" that the
Union is compact between independ-
ent sovereign states, and the federal
government possessed no constitutional
right to compel an unwilling State to
remain party to it; that the Rebel
lion could not be subdued; that hun
dreds of thousands of lives, and mil
lions of treasure were being sacrificed
in hopeless effort to compel our
''brethren' to remain in the union
when they had an undoubted right to
withdraw at pleasure from it--and
these utterances, intended to discour-
age the popular heart, already sad
dened as it beat in sympathy with
wounded sufferers and the mourning
families of the slain, caused many to
doubt if they were not really true; if
the Union were not costing too much
after all. These conditions existed
when the troops were enlisted who
finally bore our banner to victory
many of them re-enlistments Of men
who had already participated two and
a half years in the struggle. These
men fully comprehended the fearful
import of the responsibility they were
assuming. They realized the peril
they were confronting. They could
not realize-Propvbly no man then
fully comprehended in all their i'm
portance, the mighty interests that
trembled in the balance awaiting the
result. It was not alone liberty upon
this continent that was at stake.
The final issue of the conflict
was to exert lasting influence upon
the future of the government beyond
the sea, The example for the nations
that had been here erected, designed
to lead them forward to final and com
plete emancipation from the enslaving
institutions under which they had
lived for ages, was imperilled. The
destruction of that example meant
encouragement to them, as we'll as
the downfall of free government here.
In all the history of conflicts bet veen
nations, or rival leaders in human
affairs, no nobler cause ever invited
the services and sacrifices of men, no
truer or grander patriotism led than
from pursuits Of peace to those of
war, than impelled the soldiers of the
Union, under the circumstances named,
to carry forward the banner of freedom
I and Union, and plant it upon the
battle fields of their country, there to
remain until all was lost, or until the
battle was over "and the victory won."
These noble sacrifices, this heroic con-
duct of her sons, saved the Great Re
public. Thus was its integrity
maintained, its institutions preserved,
its principles Of freedom upheld, its
example approved, its mission assured,
of leader of the nations in the path
way of the worlds improvement and
progress. The result is already mani
| fest elsewhere in the world. France
was an Empire when the Rebellion
began. Her ambitious Emperor sought
to imperialize Mexico while our
struggle was pending, and to assure
the success of his purpose with the
support of French bayonets. This was
upon the theory that the Rebellion
would succeed so far as to dismember
the Union and break the strong pow
er which had prevented the kingly
governments of Europe from gaining
foothold upon this continent. Napo-
leon not only hoped but believed that
the Rebellion would end our united
power as nation, and hence his effort,
eaaly in the strife, to anticipate our
fall by placing, and upholding as rul-
er upon Mexican throne, a prince
who was to be his tool in extending
the French power-so- called imperial
power IN that ease Napoleon's person
al power-in deadly opposition to Re-
publican Institutions. When the end
of our struggle came, and with it the
assurance that the Republic in it's full
strength and proportions was to live,
Napoleon, fearing its power, with char
acteristie disregard Of every interest