Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-01-06

countTys lett uoule Win AL ils peace
iul endearmeDIs, and spent years
among the hardships Of the camp, 10
save the life of the nation. We cannot
forget the causeless waste Of millions
OF money spent because man wanted
more room 10 breed human chattels for
the auction block. We cannot forget the
suffering Of over 800. 900 of our manned
comrades, made 80 by rebel bullets.
| We cannot forget the shattered and
desolate homes caused by war. We
] cannot forget-we are sworn not to-
the widows and orphans Of those
whose graves-over 400, 900 in number,
ridge The hills and valleys of our land.
Fall back, comrades, and see the
shadowy columns pass in review.
From camp and hospital, from tented
field and prison pen, from Gettysburg
and the Peninsula. from Antietam
and Wagner, from Petersburg and
Stone river, from the Wilderness,
from Chattanooga, Nashville and
Vicksburg, Andersonville, Libby,
Salisbury and Millen, they come and
pass us BY. Who lead the mighty
tbrOng? Thomas, Meade, Reynolds,
Mcpherson, Sedgewick, Mansfield,
Wadswortb, Mcclellan, Hooker Kear-
ney, and q multitude of those less
noted, though not lees brave or true.
To whom do the phantom colOrs
droop in salute? Whom should IL be
Tut the Great Captain: the Dlagnsni-
nous leader whose generosity to q
beaten foe YVES never equall,d, who
said 10 him, Ego and sin no more"
| The silent man-who faced death
with equal courage, on the field or in
the quiet chamber; whose last written
words were those Of love for his whole
country; over whose bier the tears OF
friend and former foe alike fell, and
the like OF whose funeral pageant the
world had never seeD-Grant #F*t
Passed-and gone.
They sleep their last sleep,
They have fought their last battle,
No sound shall awake them to glory
ION flames eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread.
And glory guards with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead"
How blest the brave, who sink to rest,
With all their country's wishes blest,
Wb,n Spring. with dewy fingers
cold,
Returns 10 deck their hallowed mold,
she there shall find q sweeter sod
Than Fancy's feet have ever trod,
BY fairy hands their knell is ruDg,
BY forms unseen their dirge is sung.
| There honor comes, pilgrim gray,
| To bless the turf that wraps their clay.
and freedom shall awhile repair
To dwell a weeping hermit there"
Perhaps to others rs well as to menl-
bers Of the Grand army some infOrma-
ton regarding its organization and
aims, as well a. Of its strength. may
be of interest. Strong as are the ties
Of comradeship, formed under the
smoke of battle, and in camp and
march, Il could not reasonably be sup
posed that they would be ut once Sc
vered and forgotten. when
those between whom they had
existed, had separated and resumed
their former occupations. Not many
months had elapsed after the disbabd-
meDt Of the loyal armies before the
subject of such an association attract
ed attention, and TO Comrsde II. F..
Stephenson, of Illinois, is now award
soon after politics crept into the or
However. Comrade Beath. then of
Quincy, Mich, and since commander
ih-chief. by his earnest and persistent
labors, resuscita,ed the order and has
since devoted most az his time and
his powers Of eloquence and organiza-
ton to the work, and IL not the father
he Ii at least the godfather. Purged
from all political inclinations, the
Grand Army OF the Republic has from
that time gone on its way with in
creasing strength aud momentum,
like the SNOWFALL on the mountain
side, growing in size NJ 1t advanced,
till, at the nineteenth national en-
campmeut. held ut Portland. Me-,
last June, the commsnder-in-chief
was able to announce that IL consisted,
on the Slst of March, 1855, of thirty
eight departments. with 5,026 posts
and aS5. $50 members, of whom over
81. 900 had been added during the year
ending with that date. During the
same period IL had distributed for
charitable purposes TO needy members
and families of deceased brotherr-in-
arms over $1,000 The total number
of persons thus relieved was II, 406.
Attached, as an auxiliary of the
Grand Army, 10 The Woman's Re
| lief Corps" which, NJ us name indi-
cates, is organized for the purpose Of
relieving 10 any practicable way the
wants Of old soldiers, or those they
may have left behind at their death.
Under the direction of its able presi-
dent, Mrs. Kate Sherwood, OF Toledo,
Ohio, whose numerous songs have In
them 30 much Of the breath of the
bugle. IL has demonstrated Its great
usefulness, not only in the work for
which II was instituted. but In instill-
ing into the minds Of the rising gener-
alton the great principle Of Loyalty
with q big L. TO the country. ,
The whole Country with . by u.
The three foundation stones Of the
order are fraternity. Charity Loyalty:
There are no links Of fFiendship o.
better steel than thoss foFged amid
the Ores Of battle, and the meetings Of
former comrades, attsr years Of separu-
ton are offentimes most touching.
The glad recoeuItioo, though IN many
cases il comes ouly sfser long scruti.ys
the hearty, lingering hand-krnrp. W
remarked change Of appearance TIE
a---t- a. -~~k <vftarsa suolfarn - ~ 4