The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-20
BATTLEFIELDS DEDICATED.
Continue from First Page)

by that order.
It may be interesting, too. to mention
that al the close of the FIRST days battle
it was certain THAI the union forces haa
firm possession Of the Chattanooga road
Lue S911--- r"s
O'Clock on sunday. the 10Th day
of September, by an attack on Bard s
division, which held our extreme lei-,
and soon extended 20 the right, covering
the front Of JOhns0ns division, ana my
own, including that Of Reynolds OF the
The attack was made with wonderful
energy and was resisted Obstinately- II
was repeated more than once, ana was
finally repulsed Men and officers on
both sides exhibited the highest degree
OF courage. An attempt was made by the
confederates TO turn our LETT, but they
We're driven back, and from that time all
was quiet on the left and on our imme-
diate front.
The country is familiar with the closing
events Of the battle Of Chichamauga, anu
with the mistaken. OF misunderstood,
order given by Gen. Rosecrans TO Gen.
Wood; Close up. on ,h k sitaS,i9,s
of Gen. Wood TO execute this
order determined the result of the battle
OF Chickamauga-it opened our lines 10
an adventurous confederate attack
/ learned within few moments from
the progress of the confederate nre, thdt
our lines We're broken. very soon after,
saw on the mountain slope the advance
OF the union reserve. led by Granger ana
! witnessed their heroic efforts to restore
the fortunes OF the day. ] ordered Hazen,
with his brigade, to join them, ana
heard their voley when they went INTO
the battle.
Afterwards. under the orders OF Cen
Thomas, / retired from the field.
With all my cOmrads on that field
felt, and ! now feel and believe, that but
for the unfortunate order, given by Rose
Grams 10 Wood or the unfortunate con-
struction given by Wood TO that order,
in regard to which j express now no
opinion, the union forces would have held
hs ha ffnH ri fiatr 4 ms
men never fought more bravely, or even
desperately, than did the men Of both the
armies on that bloody and Weu-contested
field.
From data which I regard as reliable,
but which have not verified, the cOnfeG-
crate army which took part in the battle
of ChiCkamauga amounted TO 6O09 men;
its loss was, killed, l,l9O; wounded, ll,loyi
missing, 1850, while the strength OF the
union army was $3.50, and its loss in killed
was L656; wounded st4s ana mlsslns,
Ala These facts demonstrate the des-
perate courage of the opposing forces
Two armies Of American soldiers, Of the
aggregate number of llS,429 suffered the
loss of 3.4i6 killed, 20907 wounded, witu-
out counting the missing the casualties
Of the two armies was more than 20 per
cent Of the whole number engaged.
We retired from the field defeated. It
IS true, but we believed our reverse was
the result Of one of those unavoidable
accidents against which no courage or
skill could provide, and we were ready
on the next day to night again with all
the courage ana confidence tnat we felr
on the 18th and 10th of Sept. We retired
to Chattanooga and We're pursued and
beleaguered by the confederates until
the 25th day of November when the men
who left the field of Chickamauga de-
feated on the 10th of Sept, stormed Mis-
sionary Ridge and fully recovered the
prestige Of the national arms
My comrades and cOuntrymen, 1 have
thus told the story Of the battle of Chick
amauga. II is brief, and necessarily in
complete Writers some with historical
IL
of romance, have told the tale of that
bloody contest. No man can know much
OF the events which did not occur In
his immediate presence on field like
this. We know the names Of but few
OF the fallen, but we can remember
the courage and gallantry Of all who
acted with us.
l nave said that the civil war was
caused by the sectional challenge to Amer
lean manhood. and that challenge was
accepted and followed by years of bloody
and desolating war. In that war the
American people learned to properly es-
innate each other. which is the only
foundation for harmonious national unity.
BY that war the theory OF the right Of
the states to secede from the union was
forever eradicated from our system of
national constitutional government BY
that war, African slavery, which was the
root of sectional bitterness, and was one
OF the causes or preteXts for national
controversy was forever overthrow, and
the flag of our country became at once
the emblem of freedom and the symbol
OF national power As the result of that
war, the constitution was maintained and
not subverted and the union of the Amer
lean people made perpetual.
My comrades, we who survive to this
day may well be grateful to that Divine
Being who guides the destiny of nations,
that we are permitted to see an estab-
lished union; republic extending from
the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the
lakes to the Gulf and liberty and law
the all-pervading rule of our national life
We are here to-day with malice toward
oh. nafa 8 no
citizens of common country. devoted to
Its interests, and alike ready to maintain
Its honor, wherever or however assailed.
To my comrades, who were confederate
soldiers during all the weary struggle of
the civil war, l beg to say I was proud
of your gallantry and courage. 1 never
allowed myself to forget that you were
Americans freely offering your lives in
the defense of what you believed to be
your, rights and in vindication of your
manhood.
You are now satisfied that the result
of the civil war established the unity Of
the powerful American Republic; sub
united your controversies with your fel-
low citizens to the arbitrament of the bat
tle-neld, and you accepted the result with
a sublime fortitude worthy of all praise
and your reward is, that peace and order
loved so wen. and for which you fought
so bravely, now blossoms with abundant
blessings
Cen Gordon said:
men: The illustrious Charles Sumner of
Massachusetts, proposed in the federal
senate TO strike from the battle flags Of
the union all mementoes of our civil war
1t is due to his memory, however. as well
as TO truth, to say that in making il his
spirit was catholic and his patriotism
broad; for his purpose was 10 lessen pas
slon, restore harmony to the embittered
sections, and unity 10 his divided coun-
try. His aspirations were worthy of all
praise, but his approximations that harm
would come to the republic from cherish
ing Inementoes of our great struggle were
miSapprohenSiOns. These apprehensions
We're due, doubtless, TO two causes. He
spoke as civilian and not as a soldier
lie reasoned as a classical student rather
than as a practical statesman. Had ne
fought as a soldier he would perhaps have
thought differently as a senator: for ne
would have learned from his own experf-
ences and the promptings of his great
heart that the best soldiers We're destined
10 become the broadest citizens: that the
men WHO had fought would surely impress
their spirit of lberality on the. policy of
TINS government and that political lintol-
erance and ignoble passion could not CO.
exist with the highest order of courage
Or~had ne as student, drawn his in
spiration not from Roman policy however
broad and commendable, but from Ameri-
can history and characteristics and es-
peeially from the lofty impulses which
moved the soldiers both sides he ms oyf,f