Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-07-06


upon the Union would bave been typified
in the last, brave, desperate deed upon
this field upon this day % years ago, the
teady, stern, magnificent, heroic, hope.
less, charge of the gallant Pickett
1t is not for one who did not bear arms
in the strife to attempt to express the
emotion which fills the heart of every
veteran upon this field at this moment.
Nor would you ask of me to repeat to you
he details of battle of which you were
the combatants, battle IN which every
soldier was a hero, where dauntless cour
age and sublime resolve contested every
step, and where, amid the awful scene, as
"A thousand fond traditions tell, the truest
and tenderest and loftiest qualities of
American manhood, in life and in death,
were equally displayed.
Twenty five years ago, soldiers of the
gray, breaking up on the Rappahannock
just n month before this day, your hearts
beating high with the jov of many vcto-
ries, your hopes bent upon turning back
triumphantly the flood of aggressive war,
you eluded the foe, and crossing the Poto
mac moved swiftly forward up the Cum
berand valley, your fires by night flash
ing against yonder mountains, your long
stretched lines by day pressing forward
until they lowered around this spot,
reaching In sudden incursioDs even
across the SuSquehanna and meditating
III the tranquil heart of a great and pros
porous commonwealth, a mighty blow
which should shake the capital, disheart
en- the people and practically decide the
issue of the war. The last sun of June
sinking behind the western mountains
SAW your force concentrating yCnder to
the northwest, perilousIy near to this
little town and TRANQUILITY awaiting the
dawn of day of anticipated victory
Meanwhile, soldiers of the blue, long
tried, untlri"g and undismayed, marching
farther to the east and covering the capt
tai, you moved northward on various
lines, uncertain of the point where battle
would be offered, but pressing steadily
undera burning sun, looking for the foe,
undlsturbed although upon your march
your commanding general was changed,
still pushing on toward the spot which
sheltered hitherto in happy obscurty, was
about to be baptized with fire and blood
into fame AS wide and lasting as that
of ThermopylH, and Blenheim and Bun
ker Hill.
The sun of Gettysburg rose on the first
of July and saw the army of the gray
already advancing in line of battle the
army OF the blue still Fastening eagerly
forward and converting to this point
The glory of midsummer filled this land
scape as 1t nature had arrayed fitting
scene for transcendent event, Once
more the unquaillng lines so long array ed
against each other stood face to face.
Once more the lneXpresslble emotion min
gled OF yearnlng memory, of fond affec.
ton, of dread foreboding, of high hope, of
patriotic enthusiasm, and of stern resolve,
swept for a moment over thousands of
brave hearts, and the next instant the
| overwhelming storm of battle burst. For
three long, proud, immortal days it ragged
| and Swayed, drifting from Seminary hill
far round to VOLTS hill and Culp'5 hill
then sweeping back, with desperate fury
striking the peach orchard and dashing
ash
Top and Round Top, raging in Devils
Den, the earth trembling, the air quiver-
| ing, the sky obScurtd with shouting
charge, and rattling volley, and thunder.
ing cannonade pillng the ground with
mangled and bleeding blue and gray, the
| old, the young, but always and every
where the devoted and the brave. Doubt
full the battle hung aud paused. Then a
| formidable bolt of war was forged on yon-
der wooded height and launched with
with wl'herlng blasts and roar of fire
against the foe. 1t was a living bolt and
sped as II reslstless. 1t reached and
| touched the flaming line of the embattled
! blue. 1t pierced the line. For one brief
moment in the sharp agony of mortal
| strife 1t held Its own. 1t was the supreme
moment of the peril of the Union. Ii
was the heroic crisis of the war But the
fiery force was spent. In one last wild
| tumultuous struggle brave men dashed
|
next moment that awful bolt of daring
courage was melted in the fervent heat OF
an equal valor, and the battle of Gettys
| burg was fought.
! 1t the rising sun of the 4th of July, 1868
looked upon sad and unwonted scene, a
desolated battle field, upon which the
| combatants upon either side had been
American citizens, yet those com Oatants
could they have seen Alright would have
hailed tnat day as more glorious than
ever before. For as the children of Israel
beheld Moses descending amid the clouds
and thunder OF the sacred mount bearing
| the divinely illuminated law, so from
that smoking and blood -drenched field
on which all hope of future Union might
seem to have persisted utterly, they would
have seen more perfect Union rising,
with the constitution at last lmmutably
Interpreted, and they would have heard,
before they were uttered by human lips,
the words of which Gettysburg Is the i'm
mortal pledge to mankind; government
of the people, by the people, for the people
shall not perish from the earth.
Fellow Americans, in telling any part OF
the story of America we seem to boast.
Tie simple statement of the truth sounds
like fairy tale Yet could the citizen of
any country eYalt bis land with more rea-
son than we What other civilized State
stretches from ocean to ocean with such
unchailenged continental dominion, with
such varied realm OF natural grandeur
and beauty, with so vast population, so
free, so intelligent, so industrious, so con
tented In older countries, in the soft air
of the storied past, amid accumulated
riches of art and literature and long and
romantic legend, the finest flower OF civ
illzation may seem TO bloom. But if civ
illzation mean human welfare, the happi-
ness OF the individual man, fairer OPP
portunity, nobler ideal, a more equally
diffused well being, then this very year,
America, whose true significance is fair
play for all men. IL the century plant of
civilization, covered with the opening
blossoms of a greater welfare than history
records.
Even the civil war has but quickened
and deepened our prosperous activities.
What prouder spectacle is there for Amer
lca ? what VISION could more worthly
stimulate devout gratitude IN every Amer
ican heart, than that of the states south
of the Potomac which, after the fierce and
wasting stress of four years of war upon
their SOIL after the total overthrow OF
their ancient indust'ia system the de
struction of their wealth, the complete
paralysis of their business energies, are
rising together like brood of Titans, and
under the inspiration of liberty, peace and
II "a pa ~ a