Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-10-22
Personal Recollections of the War.
BY MAI. JOSIAH CIRCUIT.

/ suppression of the southern rebelli IN
carry US back generation, to the
cradle of the young men and women
of to-day, to youth time of the mid
dle-aged and to the prime of life of
the aged.
In many respects that period is as
interesting to the unborn of its time
as to those who took part in it. Act
ual contact dissipates somewhat the
romance of war, which, however, re-
mains an enchantment to those who
know it only from story. Thus we
are inclined that the generation, about
entering the field of human life, is
even more interested in "reminiscences
of the late war than the old soldier ;;
otherwise I should hardly expect to
entertain the readers of the MONITOR
with happenings of that tragic time
which SO sorely tried the souls of
men. The assistance I rendered in
rescuing the republic from its great
est danger, was so insignificant that
[ would not dare relate it for the en-
tertainment of comrades, while |
might feel excused in expecting to
interest the uninitiated.
The most interesting contributions
touching war matters are naturally
somewhat personal, for one can not
furnish memoirs of such a subject
without giving the doings in which
he took part; so if the ego appears
occasionally, please indulge, for it is
an unavoidable feature of such an un-
dertaking.
The war grew out of the heresy of
state rights, which had been held as
a cardinal doctrine of the democratic
party from its organization, and is
now boastingly adhered to by the
deciples of that Jeffersonian dogma.
Among the many rights claimed by
the adherents of this strange doctrine
as reserved in the states, is that of
withdrawing from the Union and re-
Stunning all powers of complete indie
pendent government at pleasure.
Immediately following the choice
of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 for the
presidency, the cotton states began
the work of secession, claiming his
election as an excuse, thereby under
taking to practice what they had been
defantly preaching for SO many years.
This work went rapidly on and in five
months the bloody issue of war open
ly joined between the federal and the
confederate governments. To show
the state of political feeling at that
time, it may be interesting to relate
that in a little Vermont village the
democrats challenged the republicans
to lyceum discussion, in which the
question was: "Resolved that the
election of Abraham Lincoln to the
presidency of the United States fur
nishes the southern states sufficient
reason for seeding from the Union"
This little affair was only one of the
many straws showing the currents
and counter-currents of public feel
ing in the great storm then gathering
its forces.
1t is sometimes but a step from
cause to effect, and having suggested
the eliminating, in fact, the main
cause, of secession, glance at some
of the resulting incidents and later
on maybe to some of the results that
followed, may now be considered in
order. | say the main cause, and so
/ regard it, for had Breckenridge, or
some one agreeable to the South, been
chosen in the place of Lincoln, the
war would have been, at least, defer
red. Lincoln's election then was the
moving cause of the war.
The first patriotic outburst | recall
was at Glover, where l was attending
school, when the news of the surren-
der of Sumpter reached that place.
The post-office was crowded with stu
dents and residents awaiting the ar
e
the stage came the driver told us
Sumpter had fallen. The excitement
was intense. We waited though, until
one of the fathers read from the Bos
ton Journal that Fort Sumpter had
really struck its colors and surrender
ed to the confederacy. Following
the reading of the dispatch there was
deep silence. Eyes became orbs and
faces imprisoned radiators, until one
of the party seized broom, mounted
the counter, and said, "boys, let us
give three cheers for the old flag !"
The cheers were given with a zest,
repeated with q tiger, and the crowd
moved out of doors for better OPP
portunity to shake off the spell of
CONSERVATION that seized it at first
announcement of the startling news.
One of the company said that he
could not see why we cheered, that
he felt more like crying over such
news, but cheering sounded better
than crying, to 60 with fighting which
seemed close by for all who wished
to take a hand. The one who wanted
to cry did not go to the war. This
little outburst brings to mind a SINH
lar occurrence reported in the city of
Washington about that time: Excite
ment ran high at the national capt.
tai when Lincoln was inaugurated.
Rumors were in the air, whisperings
were on the street, and assassination
was the general expectation. When
tho raw president was finally seated