Morning journal and courier., 1885-10-29

 yates who were fit to be ministers of State, or shine as lights in the halls of learning, and others approved themselves after promo tion equal to the marshals of Napoleon the Great and superior to those of Napoleon the Little. The dust that robed some of their noble spirits is more worthy of distinguished honor than much that reposes beneath the pomp and magnifcence of Westminster Ab- bsy.
 ''Ther lives did not end when they yielded Their glory illumines the gloom of the grave.'' The majesty of their cause justified their heroism and crowned their sacrifice. To adopt the emphatic words of Byron. '''Tis the cause makes all
 Degrades or hallows courage in it's fall The blow they struck was for the evange1 | of a juster dispensation; for liberty, l equality fraternity; for rending the cerements that bound the great Republic of | the Western Hemisphere, and was for kind l ling higher the beacon fires of Republican democracy to all the world. They had faith l in their land and her free institutions; faith l in her mission and power.
 | "To banner the world up higher Their deeds of true chivalry were performed,
 and their deaths of untarnished glory were
 received in obedience to such lofty faith and | nrrDose x
 Too little do we realize that in the ranks l of the fallen heroes to whom we erect this l monument, and of their surviving comrades, l were the men whose brave hearts were ram l parts of steel that stood between us and ig- ! noble humiliation on the perilous fields of
 battle. Too little do we feel and perform | what so lavishly promised when with | bright banners and throbbing hearts they | marched forth to conflict between files of weeping or praying kindred; mothers strlv- | ing, but in vain, to hide their tears, while | they spoke words of courage and hope; wives
 summoning all their womanly fortitude to meet an hour 1ivid with unspoken anguish; sisters pressing last tokens ofscomfort in the | hands, and last tokens of love on the lips;
 fathers forcing back the manly tenderness that choked in their words of inspiring coun- sel, and little children clinging with indef- ! nable forebodings, and almost demoralizing 1 fsndness to sires they should never embrace | again.
 | Little does it import to the brave comrades | who fell in deathless devotion what honors ! we offer to their memory. Much does 1t be-
 hoove us to make adequate testimonial or our respect We could do no less than erect | this public memorial in their honor without confusion of face and cheeks of burning | shame. We only maintain self-respect | by paying ample honors to them, not as leg
 endary heroes demi-gods, but to our fel- low-citizens who never disgraced the uniform | and flag of their country; men who taught us
 the nobility of duty and patriotic heroism in death. l Therefore, well may the surviving com | raQeS or the nODlo uSaO Iake tn0 post Ol | honor in these sacred services; we'll may the | town make appropriations for the monu- ! ment; well may the hum of business be ! hushed to pay silent honor; well may our public schools suspend their duties to make l this granite soldier-whose left arm encircles
 the flag and whose right hand holds the
 sword that carved the way to victory-the | teacher of our children in the higher love of country; well may His Excellency the Gov
 ernor of the State lend the dignity of his presence to this memorable occasion;
 well may the Christian ministry tender the I sanctities of the holy office in this dedica- tion; well may men and women of all pro- fessions, and of all social positions, strive in l noble emulation to testify to the greatness of l the day; well may the citizens of adjacent | towns rise up at the bugle note of this 1 grateful and graceful duty, to join the citi- zens of Branford in adding dignity and sig nifcance to the dedication of this tribute to the noble dead.
 l More than to all others is this monument | of peculiar preciousness to the surviving SOL l diers. The men whose patriotism it com | memorates were their comrades. With l them they marched and camped; with them | they sealed the fort, and stormed the rife pits; with them they made that last victori- ous charge, and in the flush of victory by | their side they died.
 l That I do not overrate the self-sacrifcing ! devotion and heroism of the American sol
 
 illustrative of the courage and gallantry which no eulogy can adequately voice. It shall be from the dark and gloomy pines of Chancel- lorsville, one of the great battles inscribed upon your monument. During that terrible battle Stonewall Jackson had surprised Gen eral Towards Eleventh corps and was driv- ing it, save the third brigade, in the widest confusion towards the center of our line. In a clearing beyond the woods stood five of General Sickles' batteries and General Pleas anton's Eighth Pennsylvania cavalry. The batteries were not in position, but were parked" awaiting orders. Out of the woods through the lines of these batteries, rushed the panic stricken troops of Howard hotly pursued by Jackson's immenss corps of 20, 900 men. Infantry, artillery, ambulance, pack mules, negroes, stragglers-the worst scared crowd imaginable tearing past like madmen.
 Batteries had no commanders and each captain acted for himself. Battery - left wheel! Fire to the rear! In battery! Cais- sons pass your pieces! Trot! March!" A frightened bugler caught only the word ''trot" and sounded it. That bugle note was the signal for general stampede. Across the field, down the hill and over stone wall dashed several caissons and few guns. Anoth- er'bugle. "Fix! Prolong to fire retiring! With cannister!-Load!" On came the fugitives pell nell, and in the woods was heard the rebel yell of Stonewall Jackson's advancing legions. Nearer and nearer came the sound.
 General Sickles was ready mile away with
 his splendid corps, pushing on to resist the
 advance of Jackson. Not 8 Federal
 musket was in sight save what the fugitives
 bore to the fast as their cowardly
 legs could carry them.
 Here were only five batteries and five hun dred oavalry-not over six hundred men in
 alto stop the wild advance of twenty thou sand Confederates. That was a terrible momentl If Jackson is not held in check CinI1n {hn T ic 1oo% Rockers headquarters will be captured. The guns of the batteries were pointing ev- eryway, and at the first fire one-half would
 blow the other half into eternity. Suddenly out in front of the guns rode the familiar form of General Pleasanton His shrill voice rang out: 'Align those pieces!" But it was the work of many minutes and Jackson's corps was just upon them. Timel O for ten minutes of time! But who will purchase its
 There sat Major Keenan at the head of his three hundred cavalry Here was a sacrifice, which if every man was patriot like Arnold Winkleried, would give us those precious moments. Pleasanton said quickly to Keen an: "Major, you must charge into those woods with your men and hold the enemy in
 check until get these guns in position: You must do it at all cost!" Keenan replied: ''It is just the same as saying you must be
 killed, but, general, will do it." o, what
 sight was that! Would that some Ameri- can Tennyson would immortalize that charge! Three hundred troops with deep
 set spurs and flashing sabres rushed at the
 throats of twenty thousand victorious Con-
 federate veteransl Nobody had blundered,
 but somebody must die for the army-that was all.
 So terrible blow did they strike and with
 such suddenness did it fall, that Jackson's
 advanced lines were thrown into confusion,
 and he stopped his onward rush to reform
 his troops He never dreamed that single
 battalion was charging his army single
 handed. There must be more behind them.
 But when no more came then Jackson smote
 the Spartan band. The brave Keenan
 fought and fell at the head of his troops, and
 the whole battalion died with their feet in
 the stirrups
 But they died not in vain. That ten minutes purchased at such fearful price saved the
 day. The batteries, meantime, had been
 placed in position and double shotted with
 canister. When Jackson now charged those
 batteries flesh and blood could not stand be-
 fore such terrible canister fire. His veterans
 quailed before that srocco of death. He
 rode up to rectify his lines, was mistaken in
 the twilight for federal officer and was kill
 ed by his own men.
 Hardly had the wild cheers of the artillery man ceased when General Sickles, who had rushed ahead, rode up among the guns and shouted, "Stand firm! In ten minutes I'll have ten thousand men here who don't know