The National tribune., 1900-06-07
ANTIETAM MONUMENT.
President Mckinley Greeted by Survivors of
EOth Armies.

States Senators, :and three times as many
congressman, besides a host of promi-
nent men from Ill parts of the country,
gathered at Antfztam, May 80, to witness
the unveiling of 3he monument reared by
the State of Maryland 10 her sons who
fell in this blocdy battle.
Hundreds of Veterans, the blue and
gray standing shoulder to shoulder where
they had once fa2ed each other with gun
and bayonet lcvelHd, were present, all for
gotten but the coGImon sentiment of "One
country, one flag.
The trains wl:3ch bore the Prcsiden-
tial and Congressional visitors reached
the battlefield At noon, where the visi
tors were welcomed by Gov. John Wal
ter Smith, of Maryland, and staff, Adj't.-
Gen. Saunders. = delegation of the of
ticers of the Ma .yland National Guard
and several Posts; of the Grand Army of
Maryland, together with members of
Herbert Camp o.. Confederate Veterans,
several Camps ot Sons of Veterans of
brough's Maryland artillery, which
fought with the Confederate troops at
Antietam.
Besides these ,rganized bodies were
scores of Confederate veterans who had
taken part in thc. various battles of the
civil war. All wsre drawn up in line to
greet the President. The dedicatory
CtItillohIcS were L,Ibellcu ny Col. DcHJiIHlli
n. Taylor, who introduced Gen. Henry
kyd Douglas, Director of ceremonies.
Prayer was offc I'd by the Rev. Il. f.
ClarksOn. who was followed by Gov. John
Walter Smith. ii: an address Of vel
come. Col. Taytfr, as President of the
Antietam Battlefield Commission of
MARYLAND, then presented the monument
to the National Government.
Secretary of War Root accepted the
monument on bekllf of the Government.
PRESIDENT M.KINLEY'S ADDRESS.
The President said:
'Mr. Chairman. and My Fellow Citi-
zens: | appear oit.y for a moment that |
may make acknowledgment for your
courteous greeting and express in n sim
gle word my sympathy and approval of
the patriotic occa.sOn for which We have
assembled to-day;
I'm this presence and on this memor-
able field j am glaI to meet the followers
of Lee and Jack:D IN and Longstreet and
Johnson with the followers of Grant and
Mcclellan and Sherman and Sheridan,
greeting each OthC, not with arms in their
hands or malice ~ their souls, but with
affection and resl@ct for each other in
their hearts. stpplaUsc.I Standing
here to-day, one< reflection only has
crowded my mind-.-the difference between
this scene and that of So years ago. Then
the men who wore the blue and the men
who wore the gray greeted each other
with shot and shcD and visited death up
on their respective ranks. We meet after
all these intervening years with but one
Sentiment-that OF loyalty to the Gov
crnmcnt Of the Isnited States, love for
our flag and our fee Institutions, and de-
termined men of the North and men of
the South to maxi: any sacrifice for the
honor and perpetuiay Of America. LGreat
applause t
fol tn1 aud
are glad also of that famous meeting be
tween Grant andg Lee at Appdmatoy
Court House. :tsn glad we were kept
together, aren't yDu? ICries of Yes,
ycs'l; glad that the Union was saved by
the honorable terms made between Grant
and Lee, under -tbn famous apple tree,
and there is one GtDrious fact that must
be always gratifying to, us-the Ameri
can soldiers never: surrendered but to
Americans. Enthusiastic applause.
My coUntrymen. the past can never
be undone. The nc>y day brings its shin
ing sun to light our duty now, and l am
glad to preside oycc a Nation of nearly
S0,000,0G0 people more united than they
have ever been since the formation of the
Federal Union. IApplausel
81 account it great honor to partici-
pate on this OCCASION with the great State
Of Maryland in it's; tribute to the valor
and heroism and the sacrifices Of the Con
federate and UnioTf armies. The valor
Of the one or the other, the valor of both.
is the common heritage of US all. And,
my countrymcn, the achievements of that
war, every one of them, are just as much
the Inheritance of those who failed as
those who prevailed, and when we went
to war two years ago the men OF the
South and the men of the North WED
with each other to show their devotion to
the United States. Applause
THE followers of the Confederate Gen
erals with the followers of the Federal
Generals fought side by side in Cuba, in
Porto Rico and in the Philippines, and
together in those far-off islands are stand
ing to-day, fighting and dying for the flag
they love, the flag that represents more
than any other banner in the world the
best hopes and aspirations of mankind.
[Grcat and long-continTed applause.
The exercises closed with Il benediction
by the Rev. William Dame.
DESIGN OF TIE MONUMENT.
The monument is of granite and
bronze, octason. % feet in diameter at
the base, and 50 feet high to the top of
the statue. Upon the base rest columns
representing eight Maryland commands
who were present at the battle, united in
supporting the Temple of Liberty"
which is of bronze and forms the canopy.
The whole is surmounted by bronze
statue, representing Peace" with sword
sheathed and pointed downward.
The commands thus honored are the
I'd, Sd, 4th, 9th, and Purnell Legion. regi-
ments of infantry, and Batteries A and
Il, LIST Md, Union Artillery, and Brock
enbraush's and Dement'S batteries of
Confederate artillery.