The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-12-11
The Silence of Peace.
All! If they could only speak.

There is a marble slab ut the heat
Of every grave in the National Gene
terry to tell of War. If there is no namt
the word Unknown" signifies that S
soldier who was killed in accrtuin bat
tie lies buried there.
1t is the guns which are silent
which have nothing to speak for them
Here and there one has been saved as
q relic. but tho vast majority have
disappeared in the melting fur
naces, to come out in more peaceful
form.
What of the great barbette guns nj
Fort S%umpter, the black-mouthed mon.
sters which roared defiance at Beaure
gard as he struck his first blow at the
Union? What OF tn grim muzzle'
which belched flame from the many
port holes as brave Anderson fought
to delay the incvitablo? A hundred
cannon, manned by Confederatesr
hurled death and destruction at th,
fort for fateful hours. and nearly CIV
cry one of them was called int
use in latter years. Can II single
Iiece of that ordnance be found to
day?
Great siege guns hurled shot ane
shell into Yorktown. Charleston, Pc
tersburg, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Is
land No. 10, and half a score of othel
places. Who can'point out tho spo
where one Of these monsters lies rest
ing to-day?
In the rank weeds at Fort PILLOW
lies a disabled amor. 1t may b.
spoken of dead. A great shell from
Federal gun-boat inflicted mortal in
jury. If that old cannon could onl,
speak, what u story it could relate o
the force fights in the bend of tn
great river. 1t helped drive the gun
boats back again and again; it thun
dered at them as they finally ran tn
gauntlet; it fell into Federal hands; i
was retaken by the Confederates; j
saw all tho horribleness of war belor
1t was thrown down to sink away i
the soft soil aud be half hidden by til
weeds.
On the ridge above Vicksburg-th
ridge from which a hundred guns hurl
ed shot ut the Federal craft-one ma
find two cannon, defaced, crippled
useless. TheT will never thunde
again, If they could speak! jus
think of the story they would tell, be
ginning with Shcrman's attack, an
ending on that glorious Fourth of Jul
which witnessed P~emberton's surrer
der. Between those dates were hur
dreds OF days and nights-days c
battle-njghts of alarm-weeks c
starvation-months of suspense an
horror. These cannon could tell II
all, but they are forever silent.
And what o. the hundreds of feel
batter!es2 E(h gun came to have il
name and history. Each one came t
have its friends and admirers in brig
AIDE. Each new scar added to its lis
of friends-each battle proved it MOI
worthy Of confidence. Think of tn
battles of Il Of those rusty, deface
and useless pieces could name
Think OF the thrilling incidents
could relate!
In the roadside ditch between FREQ
ericksburg and Charlottesville on
lies dead, and so buried out of sjgl
that few eyes rest upon il. On ii
where Hooker rushed at Stonewa
jackson and could not drive him-li,
another. No mar car say that Il THU
can be found, though he look over e.
cry field of battle known to histor
What of the pieces which famed ar
roared vt Bull Run, WILLIAMSBURG,
Carnifex and the Seven Days? VIII
OF those which thundcred up and dow
the Shenandoah and The Luray? VIII
Of the hundreds which belched sh
and shell at fredericksburg, Cha.
cellorsville, Gettysburg. Chickamaug
A~ppomattoxp OF the hundreds N
one single dozen have been preserve
through these twenty years Of peac
The burden of silence is upon thei
They may exhibit their and ru
but the secrets of the battle lie safe
hidden in their black depths. Th'
~.
of heroes and c~owards-of advan
and retrcat-of gallant charges al
bloody repulse, but they arc silent &c
eyer.--Dehr0N Free Press.