The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-19
How War Has Benefited the South.

The following taken from the Princeton
Clarion, is extract from the address of
General Wilder, delivered at the reunion of the
Wilder brigade. at Princeton on last Wednes-
day:
have come 800 miles to greet these men and
shake hands, and renew acquaintance. l would
go to the north pole to meet these men. and
believe if Greedy had had some of them with
him he could have made his trip to the north
pole success. Why do 1 say this! Because |
proved them and tried them. live in Chatta-
nooga. and l can look in direction from my
residence but what can see sections of the
country that have been honored by the tread of
these men, | live there, and it WAS by their per-
mission twenty three years ago. Before | went
there to live was at the head of this brigade
and shelled the city in which now live for
three weeks And these men conducted them
selves in such manner, aud their deeds were Of
such character, that it made my life respected
| can't go anywhere in the South and go into a
hotel and register my name but what some one
will come up to me and say, rs this the General
Wilder that had command of Wilder's hrigade9n
| tell him yes, and ne answers Il know you.
and know your boys, they We're the best men l
ever saw"
From where I live I can look to the east in
the morning and see the rising and the
first thing it looks upon is cemetery in which
lie buried l3 600 men who died that the country
might live; men whose manhood made this meet
ing possible. Had they stayed at home and
lived the lives of peace and Of comfort such
meetings this could never have occurred.
The country would have been torn in two.
instead of being the free and happy country
that it now is; would have been such that would
require standing army, and neither side would
have been benefited.
The million of men who stood before Gettys
burg and Vicksburg, and Richmond and the
other battles of the war are now old men and
getting gray, bat following in their footsteps
are two million more just as good as they are
While the world goes round that example
will live, and no one dare trample
upon the liberty that these men went
out to perpetuate have lived at Chattanooga
eighteen years When the sun rises in the eastI
look out upon the national colors flying above the
erave-stones that mark the last resting place o.
13 900 men who died to make the country free.
When the sun gets in the south. see the place
where Hooker was above the clouds. Every day
of my life there is Taught me a lesson of patriot
ism. Your hearts are affected in the same way,
and | cali upon you to day to pledge anew your
loyalty to the government and render honor to
the nations of the world.
In the South great era of progress has come
upon u.s. New manufactures have sprung into
existence. The bloody field of Chickamauga is a
strawberry patch now. Mission Ridge is now
covered with vines, and land then worth twenty
dollars an acre is now worth two hundred
CHATTANOOGA has one hundred and sixty smoke
stacks, and is city of $4,000 people You don't
realize what progress has been made Nashville
now has 65 600 souls. L has all about
through putting practical men to do the work.