Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-06-14

1 sucks and stones, the whole thing done
in one fair May day-and the deeds of
the men who marched to find their enc
mics through rain, sleet, or snow.
through mud unspeakable, with shoes
worn away till their bleeding soles
pressed the grinding gravel or the
frozen clods, lying down with soaked
clothes in mud which froze before morn
ing, half-starved for many day to-
gether, shaking their burning thirst
from foul mud-holes, facing leaden
rain whose every drop was deadly, and
hell of iiFe whose demons were howl
ing shells and shrieking grape, rotting
in rebel prisons whose heightened hor-
rorS drove strong men to death, imbe-
cility or madness, and-but these col
umns are all too short and our words
all too weak to tell twentieth part of
that terrible tale. And all this, not for
a single day, but while leaden-footed
days crawled through months, and the
weary months stretched four times
through the circling year-years so
black and bitter and hard, that to the
veteran who now looks back on them
they seem far longer than the twenty
one that have followed them.
Thursday morning at daylight the
field piece on hill near the city thun-
dered out salute, and the veterans
turned out for another day. BY 10
o'clock more excursions had come in
and the streets were thickly thronged
with an immense crowd.
The day was not so hot as the pre-
vious one. Between nine and ten there
was parade of the militia, and such
of the veterans as could be induced to
60 into the ranks, even for an hour.
AT 1880 exercises at the stand began
with music by the band and the choir
Hon. Chas. Gilman, mayor of the
city, delivered an address of welcome to
the veterans and others present, in the
following words:
The pleasant duty devolves upon me,
as the mayor of this city, to extend to all
our guests upon this festival occasion a
hearty welcome. To all of you, young
and old, great and small, from near and
| far, | desire to speak words of pleasant
| greeting. hope the day may be filled
with pleasure and enjoyment. There
are present q certain number to whom
must speak few words especially
They all carry the marks of advancing
age; they are a gray-headed set of fell
lows. Some have been crippled; some
have lost an arm some a leg; some have
| been mutilated in one fashion, some in
another. All of them carry about them
a certain soldierly manner They are
| the men who, twentysiive years ago,
were the pick and flower of Southwes-
tern Wisconsin. They are the men who
fell into line when the drum beat; the
men who followed the stars and stripes
| for years; the men who endured danger:
| the men who faced DEATH the men who
| fought for the Union of these states, that
you and | might have country! To
| these | address myself -these veterans
who have earned our gratimde-to these
| old soldiers for whom we can provide
| nothing that is too good; to them | ex-
| tend special welcome. WELCOME YOU.
veterans, in the name of all, of every
man, woman and child, not only of this
city, but all who have come here from
other homes to participate in the pleas
ures of this reunion.
/ have heard it said that our schools
| teach learning, that our churches teach
religion, but that there is no special tenn
| pie, either of learning or piety, where is
| taught patriotism and loyalty 1t may
be so. 1t may be true, too, that this
very organization supplies that want. II
| may be that each annual reunion will
! beget an increased love of country and
more exalted patriotism. 1t is to be
hoped that this viii be so. Anything
that will keep alive the fire of patriotism
| is worth all it costs.
| should feel that | were trespassing
upon your time if / should detain YOU
any longer. You will have longer and
better speeches to listen to than | can
make | hope you viii all enjoy the
Mineral Point reunion. | trust it viii
occupy pleasant place in your minds,
and, long after this day shall have faded
into the past, you will recall it as one of
the green spots of your memories.
In closing my brief remarks | cannot
help saying that, while | could wish to
have spoken better, | could not, either
for myself or the community which |
am proud to represent have spoken
more sincerely
Again, | extend to YOU, one and all, a
hearty welcome.
L. - ,.1.-.r,n,,.lnL IL. Ii. Drn.:Ln,,t q,