The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-04-09

brave, true-hearted men still fought
and died for truth and liberty and JUS
tlce
Loyalty was not dead-love of free
dom still prevailed for the spirit of I'M
selfish devotion to the cause for which
we had so long fought. Our love for
our country and our flag had become
the one vital principle of our lives
burned into our very souls by the fierce
flames of four years of war and sane
tilted by the life blood of so many gal
liant comrades who had fallen at our
sides.
Personal considerations seemed al
most forgotten, or rather subordinated
to the one supreme issue-the final sue
cess of our arms and the re-establish-
ment, upon broader, firmer basis than
ever before, of all those higher privi-
leges of citizenship which can be guar
anteed under no other form of govern
ment in the whole world.
We all knew that war was a dreadful
evil, for we had drank its cup of Bit
terness to the dregs, but the loyal i'm
pulses of our hearts taught us there
was something far more fatal to our
country, far more to be dreaded than
mere war.
Better, infinitely better, a righteous
war, than a cowardly inaction, when
our liberties were assailed and our flag
trampled upon.
Deep down in every heart was an
abiding conviction that a reunited
country, restored union was we'll
worth any sacrifice, any suffering they
might endure-this conviction gave
true greatness of soul and enabled
them to more fully appreciate the
blessing which finally came to us on
that lovely April morning Ghirty- one
years ago on Thursday at Appomat-
tox And what blessing it was, only
those who endured all them rough ex-
periences of those years of war, Of
absence from home and dear ones, can
realize our feelings at the thought of
an honorable peace, of the end of war,
and our speedy return to all that our
| hearts held hear 1t seemed like a
glimpse of Paradise; twas so hard to
believe that grim visaged war had
smothered his wrinkled 'front.' and
that peace and tranquility were once
more to reign, but the rapid dis
charge of troops soon showed us that
these long coveted blessings We're in
deed ours, that our duty was done and
we could return with honor.
The land, which for years had shud-
dered beneath the marching tread and
charging columns of 100000 of armed
men, lay smiling in all the vernal
| beauty of early summer, when the long
absent veterans of the union army re-
turned to their homes. No more for
| them should wars rude alarms ring
out upon the midnight air, the many
hardships of active service, the long,
! toilsome marches, the pangs of hun
ger and the torture of agoniZing thirst,
the sterner realities of wounds, disease
and death were only remembered as
| things of the past the half-forgotten
comforts of home were endowed with
all the charm of novelty as we'll as of
| luxury when compared with the rude
almost barbarous life at the front, and
| it seemed impossible that we should
ever care to recall our war experiences
except by way of contrast.
| But as the months passed by the
memory of true hearted comrades with
whom we had so long touched elbows
in the very face of death began to
show its power, that battle-b born
spirit of fraternity, which 5000 years
ago was so beautifully described by
King David as passing the love of
women" was even then whispering to
us of the brave boys whose hearts
wereebound to ours by ties which were
welded in the fire of battle, day by day
we saw, MANNED and helpless, brave
men who had dared death for our coun-
try, now dependent upon the half-pity-
ing, salt scornful assistance of those
who stayed at home and made for
| tunes out of their country's needs in
her time of deadly peril (while we were
risking our lives at the 'front.' and
prompted by the same spirit which in
days gone by had so often broken the
last bareback and shared the few pre-
cious drops in the canteen we freely
gave of our scanty means to aid our
suffering comrades.
Soon came desire for a more COM
p1ete renewal of the fraternities of the
war (such as we had so often dis
cussed around our evening camp fires
| at the 'front.' in an organization
for social and charitable purposes, our
hearts were still warm with the old
time love for our country, with graft
tude to God for the blessings of an
honorable peace, and with tender mem
cries of our dead comrades and upon
the broad foundation of patriotism
piety and soldierly affection we reared
this glorious structure of the G. A. r
with it's broad and generous motto
F., c. and l..
Year by year it's scope has been en-
larged, as time has revealed it's grand
possibilities for doing good, the con-
situations of earnest, thoughtful com
rades at our department and nationa
encampments rapidly corrected the
crudities of the early organization unit
to-day, as an able unselfish agent fol
doing good, it stands far above any
order in the land, yes, | may say, In
the whole world for breadth and earn
estness of effort, band of 100000 loya
men pledged to the relief of comrades
and their families, to obedience to the
laws, to the promotion of honor ano
purity in public affairs, and doubly
pledged to the defense of that dear ole
flag, for which we fought and arount
which so many of our comrades Tell
State after state welcomed the new
order, as it's loyal and fraternal princi
pies have become known, Connection
standing sixth in line of national sen
iority, and the first department organ
lied in New England, until now all ovel
, | orr country from where the Atlantic