Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-25
ECHOES OF THE WAR.

A striking illustration OF the saying,
There's nothing succeeds like success" is
furnished by two scenes on opposite shores
OF the Atlantic. While New York and
Washington are e~xerting all their energies
to fttingly honor and welcome the hero
OF Manila bay, the loser is being tried by
court-martial in Spain, and the prosecution
asks that he be dismissed from the service
and imprisoned for life. Poor Montojo!
An American who visited the Olympia at
one OF the Mediterranean towns, in a letter
to the New York Times tells OF the anxiety
OF the officers and crew to see their friends
at home. They SEEM he says, ito realize
fully what is waiting for them upon their
arrival in New York harbor, but IL they
were to express a wish l am sure 1t would
be to be allowed a day to see their friends,
from whom they have been separated for
from one to three years. One Of the junior
officers made the remark that II they will
just let us see our relatives and friends first
we will do anything they want
"a Living Picture OF One Regiments
Sacrifice" is the heading OF an editorial In
the current number OF the Manufacturers
and Retailers Review, a trade paper OF San
Francisco. 1t relates to an incident pre-
NtuIIS lut uluSltT-OuJ OF the f1TSI nebraska.
1t is a graphic sketch OF a pathetic scene,
and is worthy OF a place in the archives OF
the regiment:
one of the most pathetic dress parades
of veteran soldiers ever witnessed" says
the paper quoted, was held at the Pre-
sidio military reservation in San Francisco
enc afternoon last month. The First Ne
braska volunteer regiment was ordered to
fall in in the exact order and personnel
placement that was its wont a year ago,
when the boys came to this city, flush from
their accustomed home vocations. Every
man knew his old place, and when the
alignment was completed the horror OF war
burst upon the vision OF the hundreds of
spectators. The position OF colonel was
vacant, for the brave Stotsenburg had fallen
in battle. Thu colors were laid upon the
ground, for the color sergeant had yielded
his life-blood in it's defense. Great breaks
in the ranks of one company showed where
nearly forty bright-eyed young patriots
had dropped on the firing line, never more
to see home or hear wars alarms. Every
second lieutenant's place was vacant. Out
OF the 1900 who went on the long journey
by water last summer, 300 are now '~tenting
on flames eternal camping ground; and,
as the survivors were lined UP on this
%eventful dress parade no doubt the boys felt
the presence of their comrades OF camp
and battle touching elbows in the ghostly
form of memory. Twas a picture OF grimly
realistic manly sacrifice that this ragged
ranked evolution made; a picture that sug-
gested the vacant chair in the far-off Ne
braska home; the tear Of mother. the sor-
row OF wife. the break in the family circle
that had builded hopes in the young SOL
der who had gone to do and die for his
country.
"And they say this is the expected fate
OF a soldier. Yes, hundreds Of thousands
of such as these brave Nebraskans have
yielded their young lives on the altar of de-
votion to flag and honor OF nation; and
other thousands and millions will become
willing sacrifices to other flags and other
countries, but at this time, and in this era
OF the history OF this republic Of ours, It is
necessary to thrust our young manhood into
the breach of ambition and politics and i'm
perialism? Perhaps it is. but those who
sadly saw this particular parade at the
Preside wondered if the men who once
closed the ranks Of this fearfully decimated
regiment, were not, each, in the prime Of
his young life, worth more than a whole
island Of Filipino 'niggers.'
"Who shall say nor"