Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-08-14

COL. FULLERb Address On GEN. bHANf.
A large congregation assembled at the
Baptist church in West Brattloboro Sunday
afternoon TO hear the address Of Col. Levi
X. Fuller on the life and services OF General
Grant, n part OF which we give below
KNOW ye not that there ia a prince aud a great
man fallen this day IN Israel7
In brief way the speaker called attention to
Of the prominent facts IN Gen. 0raupa career and
rendered his tribute TO this great and good man,
this idol OF the American people, who after months
Of pain aud silently agony, has fallen asleep
and been laid IN bis last resting place.
Concerning the ancestry OF the Grant family, they
came 20 Scotland with william the Conquefor about
1896 their clan was powerful one In the early days
The crests Of tho different families indicate the ster
ing qualities which have made our hero renowned
"siandfast,n "SieadfaAt," "standaure," "stabit,"
"wise aud harmless, are emblaEoned on the family
escutcheons. There was nothing accidental or phe-
nomena about Gen. Grant, unless II be his greatness
In all things he was his modest self, strong IN
his natural but 0odgven strength. Noah Grant, his
great-grandfather, and Noah Grant, st., his grand
father, both served I'm the Of the Revolution His
mother, Hannah Simpson, was Of Scotch origin. He
came not from that blood which makes brilliant men
floating ON popular tide, but from blood a. true and
steadfast the everlasting hills strong and ire
eHtible NJ the mighty rivers.
The early boyhood NJ Ulysses was spent At home
assisting his father. At an early age he became skill
ed ia horsemanship exhibiting that remarkable pres
ence Of mind and calmness Of manner for " hich he
afterwards became celebrated IN the war. Az a
boy he like other boys fond Of their games and
sports; he indnlged In coarse talk and 10 the
day OF his death preserved with maiden simplicity
and examinations at West Point are such that be-
must have been good student and laid a thorough
foundation for his ne-work.
After giving an account Of Gen. Grants life MP TO
the time he took command Of the military district Of
Missouri, Col. Fuller said "He organized aud dis
ciplined splendid army without the aid of a single
West Point soldier, and In comparing the condition
under which Grant organized his armles, personally
instruetiDg generals, eolonels captains and slah OH
In al their various duties, depending upon his
ability knowledge aud physical strength, he will
stand a. high In this respect any general known in
modern civilization; certainly other American
or accomplished the same thing" After referring TO
his services In the west the speaker said drant
called TO Washington and assigned to the command
OF all the armled he took occasion TO reorganize the
whole military administration; he permitted 10
carry out the plans which he had 80 long urged by
breaking up the small districts and organizing the
army into large departments and henceforth the
armies Of the Union co-operated a unit He placed
the best generals In command, but no where do we
mud any attempt 10 punish those who tried inJure
him, hut with rare Judgment did he try 10 make
OF all. He left Sherman TO finish up the work in the
west while he repaired to the army Of the Potomac
and set that In motion against Lee. lie recognized
that he must meet that Ekilful soldier II he would
preserve his reputation; he felt aao that due
Gen. Meade and the army Of the Potomac that that
honor well as the task belonged 10 them and when
all was ready he moved out, not against Richmond,
but against Lee. The long aud terrible battle ct the
Wilderness convinced the soldiers Of both armies that
a master was directing afairs. Then came the con-
slant extension Of his flank southwark, striking
wherever he could mud his antagonist, driving him
into the works at Petersburg and then driving him
out, The ANAL assault upon that city, the pur-
suit aud capture Of Lee, reveal the most skfu com
binaons the largest grasp Of details great power Of
aggressive action, perfect concentration, A. well
development Of forces 20 meet any contingency.
Grant had said he found this splendid army like
hAky team, only one pulling al time the lingering
prejudiceA animoHties and feeling Of friendship for
former officers had not all passed away; the army
bad not acted a. unit, failing to accomplish it, task
because all did not pull together. TOT certain extent
this was true Of other armies, their tasks not
unified all not bending their energies to accomplish
tue same end Al the same time. But in the hnal
move all this had ceased aud the army moved not on.
a. a being IN ltad IN
one mind, handled by a single hand. The moment
for which this army had waited during long years
last arrived, and in the day Of s opportunity fail
ed not Grant moved his army like great coils about
his adversary and the monster at last gave up life
Slavery more than two centuries before had found
birthplace on the banks Of the James. This great
conflict was sooner or later inevitable, and finally
when came to its end It was htting that the old
h1mestead beside the old birthplace near the banks
Of the James, under the apple tree OF AppomAitOx IL
should die. The terms which Grant conceded TO his
foe were those OF a lArge-hearted magnA nimous and
far-sighted man. Lincoln had become q martyr,
johnson reigned in his stead. Du ring storm
which followed the country placed implicit confidence
IN our hero he was the one man To whom all looked
for solution Of the problems unfolding to the coun-
try. lie was finally called to be Liucoln's and wash
ingtons successor, and history will do him the jus
ee TO say that his papers Of state were masterpieces
Of directness with breadth Of statesmauship. To
him It was gwen 70 bring forth that great innovation
IN modern CIVILIZATION, the arbitration Of griev-
anoes with Great Britain, which now stand al
most alone In the annals Of state craft To him be-
longs the honor OF inAugnrating policy OF Justice
and fair dealing with wild Indians The resump-
ton Of specie payment, the defeat Of the scheme TO
pay our national obligations in paper currency will
always stand as monuments Of his wisdom, ~ vas
the hrHt 10 naugurAe civil service policy and give
Il practical shape; Upon laying down the cares Of
state in an extended voyage to the old world he met
with the most cordial reception everywhere hailed
aud feted as the foremost general of his time fact
can say honored a. no pOtentate in regal march,
on his return to his native land he settled among
loving people and went about daily among the busy
thtonss OF this busy busting nation plain citizen,
simply one among them. OF bis private life not him
but the highest praise can be said.
But finally his great hfe-work to be finished.
fatal disease took possession Of his strong cOnsu
ton. His nrst thought for HE family aud dur
ing tue months Of an agoniEed life he wrote and
fought with death for them as he had never fought
for his country. All the old Scotch blood yttalzei
by American growth was now stirred to its depths
grim-vsaged death could not shake his viii. but with
grasp As ever held bis adversary he stAid TIL an was
completed. Slowly he wasted away the presence Of
us all Every hour, every moment Of his life was
now 10 be the property Of us all. He sckened lin
gered and died in every home in the land NOT mo-
ment OF all this time concealed from public gaze
the whole nation became anxious watchers, every
wife aud mother In the land patient nurse, aud his
light went slowly out while grief-stricken nation
stood by his bedside. without murmur or word Of
complaint, without sigh Of anguish regret, this
noble spirit, this great Intellect this unsehsh I'M
oonquerable but aectionAte and simple-hearted man
died: his sun, which rose 40 slowly, ascending to
splendor, set upon Mt, Macdregor His last thought
was for his family, his country and his God. His
peaceful and prosperous nation ID the Inheritance he
has bequeathed TO The going out of his light was
the brightest Of its burning
Rev. q. ii. Merrill and wife and Miss
Susan Clark have gone 10 OhAutauqua TO be
absent two weeks. Prof. ii. H. Shaw and
family have returned from their summer va
cation.
Mail connections, under a department
order received this week, are very inconven
lent and unsatisfactory. Mails are now re-
ceived only by the morning coach at about
ll:30 and by the Wilmington stage in the after
noon, which gives our people practically no
afternoon mail. What is wanted for the
proper accommodation OF the village Is the
old arrangement under which we had mails
by the coach at 1880 in the morning and
G:30 at night. This arrangement gives us
chance TO get all letters and papers and clean
mp each days business by itself.