The Portland daily press., 1889-10-04
At Gettysburg.

The battle Of Gettysburg marked the high
tide Of the rebellion. From that time on
ward to the day that Lees army laid down
Its arms at Appomattox Court House the
waves Of rebellion receded. Gettysburg was
not the end, but it was the beginning of the
end. There were times subsequently when
the dying embers Of rebellion blazed up into
bright fame; there were times when the
heart OF the patriot was filed with doubt and
fear over reverses Of the Union arms, but 1t
is clearly seen today that Gettysburg marked
the beginning Of the death throes of the
Southern conspiracy. A few days later
Vicksbnrg fell and the Confederacy was yir-
tually sundered into two parts. 1t is impos-
sible today to give an adequate idea of the
anxiety with which the patriots of the North
listened at the telegraphic wires through
those momentous July days TO catch the
earliest tidings from the field where two
gigantic armies were contendiug in a strife
mere bloody and fraught with deeper conse-
quences than any in modern history. 1t is
impossible to realize now how the hopes of
the watchers rose and fell aud rose again as
contradictory reports came from the field of
carnage-uow OF defeat and now of victory
until the glad tldngs that Lees army was in
full retreat towards the Potomac, with
Meade in close pursuit, dispelled the clouds
OF doubt and uncertainty that had hung
over the nation those three eventful days.
The momentous consequences of the con-
fict at Gettysburg were to some ex-
tent foreseen by the commanders of
both the Union and Rebel armies. Two
days before sthe conflict opened Gen.
Meade issued circular to the Army of the
Potomac, in which corps and all other com
manding officers were ordered to address
their troops explaining to them ''the i'm
mense issues involved in the struggle"
"The enemy" continued Gen. Meade, lis
now on our soil; the whole country looks
anxiously to this army to deliver 1t from the
presence OF the foe. Our ure TO do so
will leave us no such welcome as the SWELL
ing OF hearts with pride and JOY as our sue
cess would give to every soldier # the army.
Homes, fresides. domestic affairs are in
volved." No doubt the private soldier re-
allied the momentous consequences of the
coming conflict almost as well as did the
commanding general, and hardly needed any
appeal to spur him to deeds Of desperate
valor Indeed the secret OF the desperation
with which the soldiers of both armies
fought was no doubt the realization of the
immense consequences involved In the con-
filct. No hireling regiments would ever have
stood their ground until nearly one half their
number were lying dead or desperately
wounded; nothing but love of country and a
nf ha iul,t -
their cause could hayeinspired the desperate
valor displayed on those three momentouy
July days. The.annals OF modern warfare are
searched In vain for another conflict which
parallels it either In the desperation of the
assailants or the tenacity Of the assailed.
Never men fought more valienty than did
the legions Of Meade and Lee On the field of
Gettysburg.
We shall not attempt to recount the bril-
liant achievements of the Maine regiments
on Round Top, in the Peach Orchard, the
DEVILS Den, or at the other critical points of
the bloody field. Gen. Gonuor, in his splen-
did Grafton delivered yesterday, does that
1t is enough for us to say that they were in
the thickest Of the fight, that the regiments
OF no other State in the Union, according to
their NUMBER, did more to hurl back the
tide of rebellion, that no soldiers displayed
more heroic yalor or greater steadiness in
the face Of the fierce assaults of the foe than
the soldiers from the Pine Tree State. Their
achievements on that field have gone into
history, and the historians pen has reared
monument to their heroism more enduring
even than the solid granite shafts that were
dedicated yesterday.