Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-07-07
ON GETTYSBURG FIELD.
DEDICATION OF NEW YORK'S
MONUMENT
On That Historic Spot APPLY Called the
Turning Point of the War Gen.
Sickles Speech.

With bright sunlight above and the
field on which Gettysburgs decisive
battle was fought stretching out be-
low, New York states handsome mon
ument to the heroes who fell in the
fight was dedicated with impressive
ceremonies 1t was the great day of
the celebration of the 30th anniversary
of the three days fight. Seven thous-
and New York veterans, the governors
of two states the surviving generals of
the battle and thousands of veterans
and visitors from other states were
present TO lend impressiveness and
moment TO the scene. Rev. o. w.
Severson of the One Hundred and
Thirty-seventh New York volunteers
opened the proceedings of the morning
with prayer. The veterans then sang
America Gen. Avery then intro
duced Major-General Henry W.Slocum,
who made an elegant address. He was
followed by Gen. Green and Gov.
Flower.
Then calls were made for SiclIles and
when that griZzled old hero of Gettys-
burg came TO the front on his crutches
there was cheering loud and long.
Portions of his speech are given:
"There is a day and an hour in the
life of every nation when its destiny
hangs on the issue of "a battle. Such
day and hour, 30 years ago, was the
crisis in the battle of Gettysburg, on
July ., 1868. OF the effective force
of about 10000 men on our side en-
gagged in the battle, % 900, almost one
third, were New York troops. And of
the total less Al the union army, $4,000,
our loss was 6,707. Apart from this
battlefield, hundreds of military and
naval monuments are already placed in
as many towns and cities in our state.
There is no better way to prepare for
the next war, than to show your APP
probation of your defenders in the
last war.
Eighteen states have erected yronu-
ments on this field in honor of the SER
vices of their citizens in the war for the
preservation of the union. Over forty
memorials have already been placed
here, and the list is not yet completed.
The time has come when the battle
field should belong to the government
of the United States. IL should be
made a national park, and placed in
| charge of the war department. Its
| typographical features, not yet de-
stroyed by TIE vandals, who are even
now defacing il, must hereafter re-
main unimpaired. The monuments
erected here must be always guarded
and preserved. The act of congress
for these purposes, which / shall make
il my duty to advocate, should contain
clause establishing military post at
Gettysburg, including the battlefield
among its dependencies, to be gar
| risoned by at least one company of ar
tillery, with the appropriate equip
ment, to the end that the morning and
evening gun may forever salute the
flag and the union of the United States,
which were so heroically defended
upon this historic ground.
IL the sacrifices made on this field
were greater than in any other combat
of the war, the results were com pensa-
tory. The men who fell here, stand
ing alongside of their fallen comrades
on thousand battle fields, gathered
together today in the spirit land can
say, I'VE fought the good fight They
unite with Lincoln, the martyr, now
in rejoicing over a union saved, and a
nation perpetuated, on whose soil the
footprint of slave shall never again
be seen"