The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-12-27

Starry Flag as it fioated over Sumter No
speech produced such u wonderful up
rising rs the attack upon the flag which
embodied all that was dear to the loyal
heart. The most heroic deeds of valor
have been the onward dashes of the SOL
dier amid the rain OF death dealing
musketry and artillery, struggling for
the flag OF his country. or dashing on
ward to re-capture It from the enemy.
Danger and death were counted as moth
ing, and only the overwhelming instinct
to uphold the onor OF the flag moved
the heart No mental analysis can fathom
this enthusiasm, no language describe 1t;
it bears away and overwheims all effort
fective appeal TO the soldier. and the
grandest inspiration TO bravery aud patri-
otto endeavor.
The standard OF our country, with its
glorious stripes OF white and red, and its
giitteripg stars on its field of blue was
not the standard first borne by the Com
tinental armies. There was before It the
Pine Tree Flag, with It's motto don't
tread on me-" the disjointed rattlesnake
flag with its emblem Unite or tlie:" the
cap aud sword with the motto of "Liber-
ty or death;n the mailed arm with thir-
teen arrows; the Continental flag with
the stripes and union crosses, all or
which, however, yielded to the flag. now
the emblem of our country and its glory.
THE STARS AND STRIPES
It Is interesting and a matter OF congrat-
ulation to know that our flag is older
than the present Union Jack of England;
older tnan the tri-coIored flag Of France;
older than the flag of Italy; older than the
standard of the Empire of Germany, but
above and beyond all things. it is the flag
that represents an independent 2eople,
growing with wonderful progress, gov
erning their land by the will OF the peo-
pie alone, and floating over country,
thar with all its faults. is steadily advauc-
ing, with its mighty strides as an empire
OF freemen. Our flag has never been un-
furled except to battle In The cause OF lib-
erty and right.
God give our people unselfsh patriot
Ism and devotion to the cause of liberty.
SO that the grand advance of empire and
wealth may never weaken the devotion
OF the people to the old flag and to the
freedom of man which it represents.
May it ever wave over a nation of free
men controlledb by principles of law; may
1t ever be the best inspiration of noble,
brave and patriotic men. Let it wave
from our school houses aud our public
buildings anu our private homes. Let it
ever be welded to the best instincts and
noblest efforts Of our people; let it float
on every sea and in every land, and
wherever 1t is seen let nations recognize
it as the symbol of a just and powerful
republic, ready to protect the humblest
may tread.
God preserve and bless the country over
which it floats
BATTLE GROUND OF THE REVOLUTION.
New Jersey can well claim to be the
battle ground Of the Revolution. Its
situation between the cities of PhiIa-
delphia and New York, which afforded
natural and pleasant headquarters. from
which to direct the operation of the
British forces made our soil alternately,
during the varying fortunes OF the Revo-
lutionary War. the marching. the camp
ing, the forage aud the battle ground OF
the Revolution.
Almost every portion of the State and
of her people suffered during this struggle.
and her men and her treasures aided the
patriotic cause in nearly every contest of
the war.
She was the marching ground OF the
contending armies. In November and
December, 1776, the American army made
an enforced retreat from New York TO
the opposite side Of the Delaware, fol-
lowed by the British and German troops,
which passed through Elizabethtown.
Brunswick and Princeton, the Hessian
force pressing on to BordentoWn, Bur-
lington and Mount Holly. In a few weeks
the tide of battle turned, and hemarchwas
reversed. The American army turned 10
the left at Princeton and sought the hills
OF Morris county, while the British army
X.
July. l717, the British army again started
through Brunswick towards Princeton,
in order to draw Washington south of the
Rarltan and give him battle, but they
were outgeneraled and finally drew back
to Staten Island. Again the tide turned;
the American army crossed the State and
the Delaware River at Coryells Ferry,
now Lam bertville. and marched towards
Philadelphia. In June, IT'S, after a
winter of revelry in Philadelphia,
the British crossed the Della
ware at Gloucester Point, and marched
through Burlington and Monmouth
counties and finally sailed for New York.
The American army leaving the cold
and hunger and wretchedness of Valley
Forge crossed the Delaware, and passed
through Hopewell and Princeton to the
fight at Monmouth Court House, and
thence by Brunswick to the Hudson
river below West Point. In May 1879,
the New Jersey ContinentaIs marched
from Elizabethtown to Easton on their
way to the campaign against the Six Ma
lions, and in October they returned from
their successful expedition, and with
large division of the American army
marched from Easton to MorristowD.
In the last week of February, General
Lafayette, with his battalion of light
infantry, crossed the State from Pomp-
ton to Trenton, aud passed over at Tren-
ton landing on their march to Virginia.
In August or the same year the army.
under General Washington, with a
splendid French contingent, passed over
the same route to join the advanced de-
tachments before Yorktown. Later in
the fall they again crossed the State to
winter in their huts at Morristown.
The marching and couDtermarching of
MARCHING AND CoUNTERMARcHING.
the contending armies across our soil in
hicted great distress upon our people.
The American army had to be clothed
and fed, and clothing and food had to be
taken by force when it could not be pur
chased with deprecated currency. When
the enemy crossed its soil their rapacity
was boundIess. and their plumber lndis-
crIminate. The despoiling of homes,
burning of churches. plundering of
friends and foes alike, fell with more
sorrowful and disastrous effect upon our
people than any of the great battles upon
our soil.
New Jersey also has most interesting
history as the camping ground of the
Revoluti on. In December, 1776, the
British army settled down in their posts
across the State, and on the lower Della
ware. prepared to enjoy winter of pleas
ure and ease. Iu 1777 the American army
was encamped on the hills around Nor
ris town. In the winter Of 1880, in their
encampment in Morris county. they suf-
tered almost as much as the army In their
encAmpment at Valley Forge iD the win
Ger Of 177Y and ITS. In 1881 the Ameri-
can army again eucamDeQ at MOrfiStoWn