Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-10-16

Confederate army, where 1l0 of the sons
of Vermont poured out their blood here
at this monument dedicated to cOmmemo-
rate the deeds of valor of that terrible
day we may well give our devotion. From
this service and in this sacred spot let us
kindle anew the fires of patriotism and
pledge ourselves anew to the support of
one flag, one country and one ConStitu-
ton.
Gen. w. w. Grout then followed with
the following address, which was very
impressive:
Gen. CIRCUITS Remarks.
You have already been told concerning
the important event which took place
here twenty-one years ago. 1t was really
an important event and had already taken
a notable place in history. 1t has furnish
ed material for one of the most stirring
chapters in our CountrNS annals. You
need not be reminded that it is because
of that event and the other events which
closely preceded it here in the Shenan-
doah that this body of pilgrims from the
far-on land of the pilgrims have
made this their second pilgrimage to this
beautiful valley, the fairest and most fer
tile portion of the Old Dominion. Here,
when young you camped and marched
and fought your country's battles mp and
down this river ; and now after almost u
quarter of Il century has passed away and
the frOstS of age are upon the locks of
some of you, you are to-day hunting out
the places which you then helped make
historic by your deeds of arms These
places are already enshrined upon the page
of history, but their identity Is in no way
indicated to the stranger visiting these
fields 1t is one of the objects and will, |
hope, be one of the results of this visit
to more certainly ascertain and designate
the exact points in the ebb and flow of the
tide of battle as it swept over these ridges
and along these hillsides. In this work
to-day the veterans of both armies go out
side by side. if not arm in arm, over these
old battle fields and together are trying
to gather up the half forgotten incidents
of those first terrible meetings here when
they crossed bayOnet and sabre in deadly
conflict But now. "Grim-vsaged war
hath smoothed his wrnkled front" and
these men who then thought themselves
enemies now meet as friends. Virginia
and South Carolina and all our other sis
ter States South have forever renowned
allegiance to that strange banner that
hoated here when the battle was on
and now salute the same flag beneath
which New England then stood, and be-
meath which all are resolved ever to
stand from this time forth. | tell you,
my friends, New England can afford to
come up to these old battle fields and
take by the hand and become better ac-
quanted with those brave men then on
fair is ended, are thankful that they did
not succeed in breaking up the union of
these States | say New England can
afford this for are not New England ideas
fast leavening the whole lump In the
/ late civil struggle did not the God of bat
ties set the seal of his approval upon the
New England view of the constitutional
powers and limitations of the general gov
= ernmeut ? Who now wants anything but
liberty and union, now and forever, one
and inseparable ?" How too like Il prophecy
do those words now read for has not lib
erty come to the bOndman, and upon what
fold of the old flag and in what political
party can there he found any political
dogma which to-day questions the lndlS-
soubility of our national union: The
cohesive power OF our system is no longer
questioned. Though once In dispute. ii
was settled by that dread tribunal of last
resort, the arbitrament of arms, and TWEEN
ty-one years ago the parties to that dispute
had a hearing on this very spot and a
little before another at Fishers Hill; and
, still little before that another at Win
chester.
In the language OF Chancery ''interlocu-
e. tory notions were heard at all these
points, and the ruling was uniformly in
| favor of liberty and union" though be
lieve at this place the decision was some
r what in doubt until some suggestions were
made by our sergeant-at-law, Sheridan
At last, however, a final decree was
. nassed ar Annomattoy in which all
pcnniesced ind orr National unity
q vyas secnrad tn nosteritv Bnt the comics,
= ,vaS n lone and terrible one and nowhere
, oyar Tho ,yhoIa feid of strife were the red
, frrro,uS Of Way nrnadnr and Ieencr thnn
in tEis vaIIav Twice nav thrice had
Tho Gonfadarnta leyions used II ns -. CON
Vaniant hiyhlvav in nvrrruuninothp NortI
"Du',,''t' Eit, - -. ,,,t,'t
a .'oniiS alipio ?u,2'7'.iio0 q? ~ u
t Cinia. Here as nowhere else was felt thl
t devastating hand of war. History tells u
- that in October, 1861. General Sheri
:, dan reported to his superior Office
that ''the whole country between tn,
e Blue Ridge and North Mountain was rem
It dered untenable for hostile army
have, said he, "destroyed over two thous
. aud barns filled with wheat and hay
; and over seventy mills filled with tlou
! and grain / have driven before the arm,
i over 400 head of cattle and have klle
and issued to the troops over 1900 sheep
A large number of horses have also bee
obtained" Thus from overmasterin