The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-05-31


Their labors are ended, their duty done But
as from time to time we gather for these i'm
nressive ceremonies. the memories of the
past how they revive and we feel,
..rhere's burden of grief on the breezes of
And a song of regret from the birds on the
There's a pall on the Sunshine and over the
flowers,
And a shadow of graves on these spirits of
ours"
But lift your eyes just over the river of death,
There their white tents are pitched on the
beautiful plain.
Where the tumult OF battle comes never
Where the smoke of the war cloud ne'er
darkens the air,
Nor falls on their spirits shadow OF care.
The songs of the ransomed enraptnre their
And they heed not the dfrge that rolls for
In the calm Of their spirit SO strange and
They are lifted far over the discOrd of time. -
AS to-day we stand above these graves and
weep, our sorrow is mingled with pride. our
grief with gratitude Each OF these m9unds,
tablets, or on western prairles. or slopes OF
eastern hills. incapable of identity, is sacred
spot to everytrue American:
tons defence. They went not forth waging
war to satisfy wicked ambition, but to die
that the nation might live.
"On flames eternal camping. ground
Their silent tents are spread.
And glory guards with solemn round,
The bivouac of the dead"
But it may be asked, was the victory gained
worth the fearful cost by which It was
achieved? Would it not have been better TO
have suffered the southern states TO nave
gone out in peace, rather than to have made
such a fearful sacrifice of blood and treas
ury? Were these lives wasted in war which
might have and better nave 9ef EN-
or conquest. They went not fOrth TO wage
war against a weak and feeble neighbor 1t
was not war for military glory or prestige,
or for the victory of any political party. Not
unfreuuently have nations been embrOiled in
war, and men by thousands slain, to add to
the dominion of some deSpOt1c dynasty, or TO
elevate some cruel uspnIeI 70 90 mU Oh sncS
cause: they fought for the good OF MANKIND.
for the grand and sacred principles OF Ires
and popular government: They fought and
died, not only that we of to-day might enjoy
the blessings of peace and prosperity. but
that the countless millions yet unborn might
inherit the blessings of this glorious land of
liberty.
They fought that the sun of liberty which
has risen on this western continent, and the
influence of whose beams was felt through
out the world, might not go down In an end
pair. AS above their sleeping dust we stand
to-day, we can but thank God, that these no.
BILE sons were ever born to offer their lives
their ata MA ana ovi mat hands
never be wanting to strew choicest flowers
of spring upon their graves and may the
sunshine of heaven beam bright on their
waking. All honor to the memory of the
brave men, who in the hour of their nations
peril, responded to her call, and died that
She might live. Although have no brilliant
it as one of the greatest honors of my life,
that my name is found on the records of the
First Maine Cavalry, that grand old regi-
ment, whose banner as 1t hangs IN NJ the state
order No. 1O,has three more battles upon it's
folds than any other battle flag of the union.
IT'S no disgrace to any sleeping dust to
its resting place, "A Soldier. of the. Union
My comr ade-if never a stripe marked your
rank to distinguish you from the private,
you bare part of the honor, and hold a sa-
cred place in the esteem OF every one VINO is
worthy to enjoy the sacred privileges
50 dearly bought Again am nc asked, what
answer when slavery in the savagery of the
lash, and the barbarism of the chain, sought
to break in fragments the best government
the sun OF heaven ever shone upon, the noEs
us back few years. We look upon four mil
lions of slaves, human chattels, degraded be-
low the brute creation, the clanking of whose
chains went up into the ears OF the COD OF
Sabbath, who made of lone blood all nations
of men to dwell upon the face of the earth. -
when first saw our banner wave, above
the nations council hall,
heard beneath it's marble walls the clank-
ing letters of the slave.
In the vile market place stood and saw the
the Christian mother sold.
And childhood with it's locks of gold, blue
eyed and fair with Saxon blood,
shut my eyes, held my breath, and smoth-
ering down the wrath and shame
That set my Northern blood af1ame' stood
silent, when to speak was death. .a
from yOnder dome,
And at the Nations hearth and home, justice
long delayed is DONE
Slavery was mammoth upas tree, which
gaining strength and vigor through the
and cast it's baleful shade over the whole Ma
ton. 1t had, to a great extent, blunted the
moral sense of the people, and poisoned So
cietv. south and north east and west Dl-
vine Providence. from the first, designed
that this should be the land of the free as
well as the home of the brave. We boosted
of a free government and free institutions,
when at the same time millions OF bondmen
groaned beneath the master s lash, and from
whose lips constant prayer assembled to Him
who nad promised to execute rlgnseoIdsness
Moved by Divine impulse. the humanity
and civilization of the North in high and hO-
ly purpose, said: Thus far shalt thou go and
no farther" The South said, IF We cannot
extend our traffic into the territories we will
divide the Nation and have government OF
our own" Finally, secession was declared
Fort Sumpter bOmbarded, the stars and
stripes shot down and the stars and bars run
up. We tried, in vain, to disarm the foe and
still retain our God cursed institution. De-
feat followed on the heels of defeat, until
Abraham Lincoln, 1.-The greatest of our
mighty dead, whose memory is as gentle as a
summer air when reapers sing amid the
gathered sheaves," moved by the prayers OF
Gods people, issued the proclamation OF
emancipation, which reads more like an in
spired instrument, than a human prOduc-
tion when at once the God of armies was en-.
listed on our side, and the union eagles borne
alOft by the boys in blue, triumphed.
No slave to-day crOuches beneath the whiI
No slave to-day CrOucheS beneath the wIiI
of a tyrant master: nobody can sell moth
ers child: nobody can sell child whether il
has a mother or not, These men were the
destrOyers of prejudice. the defenders of hu.
mainly the breakers of chains, and in the
strength of God they slew the monster OF
their time. They finished what the soldier
of the Revolution commenced They reli,
the torch which fell from their august hand
and filled the world again with light. They
broke the shackles from the limbs of slaves
from the souls of masters and from the Nor.
thern BRAIN They kept our country on the
map of the world, and our flag in heaven
They rolled the stone from the door of the
sepulchre of progress and found therein two
angels clad in shining garments, Nationality
and Liberty. Look upon that old flag, deaf
to every loyal heart. We never tire in gaz.
| n MN &c p<aS1F <16 L