Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-01-29

crowd.
The boys struck up the chorus in
an old camp meeting tune
"Beans for breakfast
Beans for dinner,
Beans for supper,
Beans, beaNs heaus,
After the massive supplies had
found rest in the capacious recepta
cles of the soldiers stomach. the in.
tellectual part Of the feast began.
Comrade W II Bennett, commander
of @. c. Washburn post No. IL, pre-
sided, and detailed as toast master
Comrsde Lucius Fairchild. The ex-
ercises opened with song by the
glee club, composed Of Messrs. Parker.
Bruce, Smith, Carter, Long, Appleby,
McCurdy, Perkins and Rnser, who
sang "Tenting in the Old Camp
Ground" with such effect aud feeling
as TO call forth the heartiest applause
Gen. Fairchild then introduced
Mayor Stevens, who spoke as follows
Gentlemen Of Wisconsin and Of the Grand Army
Of the Republic;
10 extending TO you a welcome Of which you
are assured anna q loss 20 s4lect the most nt-
ting or the many grounds on which il may he
justly placed You are soldiers Of the state, ana
welcome; you are citizens Of the state and vel
come lt was from tsis city you all, or many Of
you, took your departure for the seat OF war, and
20 this city you returned when the war was over.
All about you vet ring the echoes Of welcomes
given on your return This is your capital citF,
in which you are interested little less than those
who have their homes here You have such as
surauCe of welcome thatit becomes a work Of
supercrogauon 20 pronounce a. But while IL
may be necessary Tor you that these words be
spoken, it is emInently ia aud proper that we as
citizens Of Madison the capital Of Your Wiscon-
sin, should state some reasons why we think that
you are worthy OF the welcome which we So
abundanty and sincerely give IL goes without
saying that for the preservation Of che union of
states and Of the liberties and blessings we uay
enjoy we are largely indebted to yos
This were enough; but there is a mixed
sentiment Of affection, pride, admiration aud
chaotic feeling that Is not SO readily expressed
We recognize la You prominent actors in the
greatest drama of modern times Iwoud say
yictors. could ] designate conquerc3 party
Those who stood before your arms are to-day
enjoying the blessings which you have secured TO
yourselves and 90 as They enjoy the same
blessings ~ the same completeness and " icb
so far as we now know, they value 10 la much the
same degree Yours was @ conquest whereby no
man was wronged The spoils % war which en-
riched you aud your people did not by removal
! impoverish but did enrich those from whom they
were wrestcd While you have gained everything
you have returned from your wars empty -haud-
ed. There are NO reyenges Ia the wake Of your
retreat Blessings only follow you alike from
those to whom and from whom you havo return
ed, II to this there be exceptions, they are indi
yidual trining and unimportant
In your character ST soldiers it is dinicult to
make comparison between sou and The soldiers OF
other lands and other times doubt Il any one
is prepared TO say that ia other times or Ia other
lands the exhibitions Of daring, courage, yalor,
and manhood were superior TO your own You
did not stand before the battle axe Of the mighty
Richard, it Is true. nor had you the protection OF
his aruor; but pray what would have become %
the knight ia urmur before The mimic bullet. de
/
of discharge or before artillery belchug forth
messengers OF death cor distance Of milesg
Battles Ia the early ages we're hand 90 han affairs
Missiles were used, but they were the sling the
| iayelin, and the cross bow while Of offensive
weapons the chief one was the pike. aud OF de-
| feusiye the shortsword, the shield, and armor
Later the twoedgod Dro3d.sword OF the Romans
became the chief offensive weapon, and SUN
later when heavy cavalry, with horse aud rider
clad ia mail, came into use the lance succeeded
! This slowly gave way before the Engli,h long
bow, effective 40 three hundred yards TO pierce
through the stoutcst armor with as cloth yard
arrow: and, in turn the latter too gave way
before the miRhtiest weapon Of them all. the
harquebusc, which ia its development progressed
TO the musket, wheel lock match.locii fire lock
! nmtlock PERCUSSION capped, bayouet tipped,
rlled barreled, breach.loadiug the miue-riho
and the revolver. The application Of gun powder
to the uses Of war marks the dividing line be-
tween ancient warfare and modern, between th0
battles fought handtohAnd aud those fought
I from distance "Ninetenths Of all the battles
which have been fought since the English civil
war, 81 it is said "have Teen decided by artillery
and musketry, without The crossing Of a bayouet
or the stroke Of sword unless in
casual charge of cavalry It IS
more than man may say, that the great captains
Of the early ages would have borne themselves
better at Yiaksburg, Gettysburg, Lookout
Mountain and the rest. than did our captains;
and sufficient 20 say that neither encountered
the perils to which the others were exposed.
Aud this holds true 10 degree though Che com
parison he made not with the earliest, but with
the latest Of recorded battles Every war has
developed some improved arm by which materi.
ally the result has been affected But u not 10
prowess, may we not make the comparison with
reference 10 numbers and motiyes3 Writing as
late as 1853, only three years before the breaking
out Of the war, the historian says; "Napr Icons
grand army Of 1912, when he had 100000
men 10 Spain, 100000 IN France, Italy Germany
and Poland, and Invaded Russia with 10000 men
and 1890 guns has never yet been equailed, and we
shall most likely never see such an army again
united for enc operation as these 10000 men,
though the continental states Of Europe can each
OF them raise an armed rad disciplined force Of
10000 aud more; and their armies, though not
more than from Is 10 per cent Of their popula-
ton, have never ye. been reached at any former
TIL. a 100