The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-18
IN MEMORY or THE SOLDIERS
Dedication of Memorial Arch at Hartford
Address by Senator Joseph z. Hawley.

HARTFORD. Sept 1.-THE dedication Of the
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch took place
to-day. All the banks and places of business
were closed, and the day was observed as a gen.
eral holiday in honor of the event Fully Is, 900
persons were present. and the city was geyly
decorated with flags aud bunting Among the
military vino participated in the celebration
were many Grand Army posts. the Tiobetts
Veteran Corps, the Providence Artillery and the
Thirteenth Regiment of New York At few
minutes past o'clock the monument was pre-
sented to the town by Col George P. Bissell,
who spoke in behalf of the building commission.
General Hawley then delivered his address of
acceptance, in the course of which he said:
ION the 18th of September, 1879, great null
titude of citizens and ex soldiers of the war of
the Rebellion assembl from all parts of our
State here to carry and accompany the battle
flags Of Connecticut with deliberate ceremony
and every imaginable oxen Of profound feeling
from their temporary resting place at the State
Arsenal to their final home, in the new pure and
noble State-house, and now. the 18th of Sep
TENDER, 1886, we, of Hartford. are again gath
cred here to appropriate note the completion
of yonder stately monument erected in the Ian
guage of the legend 1t bears: F
''In honor of the mon of Hartford
Who served, and in memory of chose who fell,
On land or sea, in the war for the Union,
Their grateful townsmen have raised this memorial
''The repeated selection of this day for military
ceremonials in Connecticut has a serious and yet
a proud Significance. Twenty-four years ago
four Connecticut regiments, the Eighth.
Eleventh, Fourteenth and Sixteenth, brigade,
under the command of General Harland, of Nor
witch, participated in the battle of Antletam,
two of the regiments, new and unframed, receiv-
ing that day their baptism of fire, and thu bril-
gade losing COZ killed and wounded. On 60
other day did Connecticut make so great a sacri-
fee. Hartford shared in the deaths, the wounded
and the honors."
The speaker then paid glowing tribute to the
memory of the dead and the bravery of the sur
vivors. In general way no reviewed the history
of the State, dwelling at length and specifically
on Counecticuts part in quelling the great Re
bellion, and closing with warm and tender refer
ences to the dead patriots in whose memory the
great arch was erected, and whose deeds it is in
tended to honor. He said:
Horace Bushnell, lawyer, editor, preacher,
ABOVE all, a man, soldier and servant of the
Lord, orator and patriot, said on some occasion
similar to this: The heroes of the war are the
dead Now, in the time of profound peace,
given to the care of material things, drudging in
a treadmill of common cares, it is only upon
some day like this that the standards and the
glittering bayonets of your admirable citizen
aging yet vigorous veterans, with their tumultu-
Gus drumming, bring back with a thrill the
memory Of the awful week whom Sumter sur
rendered and Abraham Lincoln called for 5000
men to save the Republic.
"Havng seen nothing of war for fifty years
within own borders; looking upon it as a
matchless calamity, but belonging only to other
continents ignorant Of its art and training. con
scious of fierce factions and political creeds
deadly hostile to each other, it may we'll be sup
posed that the future seemed dark and stormy
to the loyal people. The enemies of republican
government filled the air with prophesies of our
downfall-not to say with civilizations over the
future of the great experiment, deemed danger
Gus TO their institutions. They believed democ-
racy incapable of national unity and combined
energy under severe trial. They believed the peo-
pie incapable of imposing upon themselves great
burdens of taxation and debt except for brief
interval of passion.
cit is but just TO say that many of our nomi
nal leaders manifested like skepticsm. Glad
stone, now the foremost Liberal of Europe, de-
clared the country hopelessly divided What
was won by the war? An indissoluble Union
was restored. There may be reHaaation, but
there never be secession Universal liberty
was established. human slavery banished. By
constitution and statute the equality of rights
has been established in the ballot box, the jury
box. the witness-box and the cartridge box
At the conclusion of General Hawley's address
dedication song by Rev. DR.. E. A. Barker,
was sung. The literary exercises then followed
after which there was a parade, participated in
by thousands of veterans visiting military corps,
the Governors Foot Guard and other organiza-
tons.