Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-06-12

oAS - thC y
people OF these states. Tens OF thousands Of
the bravest men of the nation flied patriots
graves before the end came. Death spread bis
raven wings over our country from ocean 10
oc.an during those years OF conflict. And
why did these men Ctfer tnetr lives
to the!r country? They were not Lincoln's
myrmidons, rs the arch traitor called them,
nor were they Lincoln's dogs, as a distin-
Ruisbed senator from lndisns named them,
nor were they h~ireltngs bought for the occa-
the hazards Of war, and, forsakirg home and
kindred, 90 to die under the old lag? We re.
ply, because they were the sovereigns OF the
grsndest country In the world. They were
born TO be free. Their liberties tad been se
cured tc them by the prayers and faith and
heroiem Of q noble ancestry. And they re.
solved never to live TO see their liberties per-
ish, and the union OF these states destroyed,
and their country ruled by tyrants. The men
whose memories we so fondly cherish,
They gave all they had TO give, to perpetuate
the blessings of freedom, 10 the present and 70
future generations. Yea, they died TO strike
the shackles from an eDslaved race and cause
to stand erect before God q people who had
groaned under the task masters for three hun
dred years. God summoned this nation before
his judgment bar TO answer for the crimes aud
wrongs we were guilty OF towards q helpless
and defcnceless race. And he kept US there
until we bad paid the costs In blood and trees.
uIc, huu nnu Dy proclamation CJnuDCipateQ
the slave. Aud now As we think OF the tens
OF thousands that died In that conflict, can we
think or conceive OF anything more, that one
human being might do for another, than what
these men did for mankind.
"Greater lore hath no man than this.n The
private soldiers exalted patriotism. 1t Is q note-
worthy fact that not Que OF the private soldiers
composing our regular army when the ar
broke out, deserted their Il *. While many OF
their tficers who had been educated Mt the
public expense and who had every prospect OF
honorable distinction before them, whom q
grateful people would have loaded with hon.
ors for faithful service, and would have rev.
cred their memories, deserted their banner
and Joined the enemy IN attacking the ma
ton ,nat had fostered them. And this re-
minds US that the man who shouldered
n gun, and carried forty rounds OF
cartridge and knapsack and eight days rations
was u patriot OF the highest order. Thousands
Of cur private soldiers were capable Of filing
with CT, dit to themselves and with honor to
their country almost any station In life. Surely
then, sixteen dollars a month and found, with
the privilege OF slet ping on the ground under
the wide canopy OF heaven with the rains and
dews OF the night fallinR I IN them. Or tina
other privilege OF crawling into a shelter tent
on all fours like q dog into his kennel, or II In
campi In winter OF living In a rude hut such as
the ingenuity OF the men might construct out
Of rude material. And then at all times and
under al circumstances 10 be ready TO move
out without a reason why, to march and fight
and die. Surely no one who knows anything
OF the hardsh'ps OF a private soldiers life
would be base enough TO attribute an impure
or merceDary motive to him as a reason for HIS
e~nlisting In his country's service. These men
\ without the prospect OF honor save the honor
ofdyipg on a field OF glory under the old flag,
without the hope OF reward stve the reward
which the espousal OF the right ia sure TO
bring, the reward OF a grateful people, such
l "a mn tru IN nat, tn tIatr avrzrto hu thaan
memorial rites to-day. And such as I hope
that my fellow citizens will always rejoice t.
pay TO their memory.
My countrymen no tribute Of respect within
the power OF = patiou TO pay Is too costly 10
be placed to the memory OF those grand men
who out OF love to their country and TO man
Kind enlisted, and were inspected as the lambs
OF ancient times were inspected before they
were sacrificed, and then having surrendered
their lives and their libertits To their country
faced the foe aud died bleeding at every pore
in the cause OF freedom. And who were these
metG Many OF them had an American ancts s.
try reaching back Tor generations. Thousands
OF them were the mobiles 81 sons or the nobiest
sires OF America. But then there were
III anv Of the bows In blue who fought Just as
bTavely al bled AS fg"ely for our liberties,
ard loved the dear old fl z just as much as II
Is possible for any OF Us To do, who were horn
in other lands. The German, the Scandin Az
ian, the HollandGr, the EoHlishaan,
LUs lfleUulhUs IuB "tJCIEt1u, wv
scotchman and the African. Indeed
IL would seem "a II men Of al nations
were esger for the honor Of diving uGder
the folds Of that banner which symbolic IS the
fOndest hopes OF oppressed humanity th9
world over. Among the first men I saw Rilled
In battle. and the first | saw buried were mem
bers OF the irish brigade. IL was q hot day in
Julv, and the men that were killed seemed to
shed every drop Of blood In their veins. /
shall never forget that burial scene. A Ions
trench wide enough TO lay two men feet 10
feet WAS made on the top OF a h!ch hill in Vir-
GINA, aud the dead were gathered from the
field and deposited tendeIly by their comrades
in the trench. And this was about the sub
stance Of the funeral ceremony. Their com
rades, with bowed heads, said: "Ah, they
were brave men and bled well for their coun-
try" And then the arm blankets were
spread over them, and the earth closed upon
them, and they were done forever with this
world. They shall not awake until the last
trump shall sound and all the dead AWAKE
from their dusty beds. Welcome, a Thousand
times welcome, TO orr shores and 10 a share
OF our liberties to oil such adopted citizens.
More no man can do In the cause OF Liberty
than these man of the Irish brigade did. And
the came NAV be said of the Germans, and
the Scandinavians, and the English and
Scotch and the African. Aye, we must not
forget in these memoir ] services what the
swarthy sons OF Africa did in that struggle.
Always true aud faithful 10 the union, and
never known TO betray ore OF the bows IN
blue. And when the opportunity was offered
them r7D,CNO Of them entered he union
armies; and that they were brave on The field
Of battle, nona who ever saw them IN action
will doubt. o., as we dec rate on tho morrow
the graves Of our patriot dead we shall place
the tribute OF a grateful people upon the
graves OF many OF that race, and deploripg
the CRIMES committed against them as a race
by this nation. We shall confess that greater
love was never shown by men than that shown
by these brave men who died In the cause OF
liberty.
OIg FRIENDs IN THOSE DAYS
1t would seem as II the nations Of the earth
had been instantly seized with q fell purpose
to destroy our government. Among all the
nations OF the earth there was but one that
never wavered in its sympathies with
US. The Gear Of Russia remained
our fast friend through all those
years, while the nations Of Europe only
too eagerly, and as II by premeditsted concert
and malice Of forethought, gave right TO toe
enemies OF the Union, and only az sited the
favorable moment TO recognize the confeder-
acy as q nation. While we may not harbor re-
v-nge, yet we must not forget to tell our chill
dren that England, the mother country, IN
those days, when abe thought We were IN a
death grapple, encouraged piracy on the seas,
and aided and abetted as far As she could with
safety the enemies OF our libertioe. It. IL true
she was Obliged to make reparation after the
war. But as you decorate the graves OF our
soldiers on the morrow, lust rent mber that