Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-05-31

there We're the sons of Maine: wherever
blood was shed her sons were among the
siam ana many grave In distant states
marked unknown, If marked at All IL ma
tearing himself from the loving embrnra
Tor family and friends marched away new
er to return to the home which he loved.
Inc battle OF Bull KUN. so disastrous
10 the Union men who participated in II
was but the object lesson which tauoit
The people Of the North the necessity If
discipline and SencralShip. The fearful
consequences of Bah Bluff showed to The
army OF the North that the foe wac !, fnr
mldable one. The campaign Of 81 thourh
dlsheartening did not dampen the ardor
cess of the Confederacy but served n
Quicken the blood of the more conserve
tive North. From that time on the Union
Idrlny moved with more care ana calItion
with more fixed determination TO mi
down the Rebellion. The love far The
Union had grown in the soldiers heart .
ne Aamc OF Lincoln was his watchword /;
the soul Of the soldier was in his work
we sec it in the campaign Of the pnnin-
sular, we see 1t in the bloody battle Of
Antictam. The soul of the soldier was in
the terrible battles of Frcdericksbur. ana
Charlottesville ANA the fearful Consn-
Hutnccs Of those scenes of war bear wit
ness to the fact.
| Who is not familiar with the world 70
lnoWncd battle of Gettysburg. 1t was here
that the two great armies met ana sealed
| thc1r fate. 1t was here that the green
lIliiS around ana ABOUT gettysburg
baptized IN blood; here the death Knoll N
the Confedcracy was sounded In this
great battle OF so fearful Importance in
Us results the trusty sons Of our own
loved state showed the grandeur Of their
noble souls. ON the summit of Little
hound Ton amid fire ana smoke with the
| GElilS Srndns Of their comrades ringing in
| their ears, they held the fierce Alabama
| troops at bay. Their ammunition became
exhausted, the crisis was reached: To r.
trcIt meant defeat; TO advance meant
death. ~ This critical moment the order
rang out 10 advance with fixed bdyOnetS
THE soldiers hesitatcd. hut for n moment
| then with Lieut.. Melchcr leading on. with
| one Wild cry of horror Wrung from its
| tortured heart the old twentieth Maine
| dashed upon the foe ana Little Round
| Top the key to the situation was secure
| Who has not read of the battle of the
| Wilderness fought in the density ana
gloom of a Great forest when the advance
| and retreat could only be told bv the
| crash ~ muSkctrY. Every where the BRAY
| In the frutleSS efforts Of Butler against
| Richmond In the beautiful Shenandoah
| where sheridan ana his men made ia
| nous their names in repulsinG the troops
Of Early ana sent them flying from tho
valley forever. Think Of the army Of
sherman severing all connection with the
rest Of the Union troops and moving on
| like tidal wave through the h0tbed Of
secession from Atlanta to the sea and
| laying waste a country fifty miles in
width as it passed along.
| ~ last inc Hlldl udE C'ililf. i ne ton
| federate troops weak from want of food
weary from work ana exposure. q shat
tered remnant of the brave army of Lee
We're obliged to surrender. When it be-
| came known thar the surrender was to
| be what Il scene was there. The Blue
| and the Gray wept together. Yell after
| yell Of enthusiastic thanksgiving went up
| from thousands Of Threats and re-echOed
among the hills about Appomutt0X ON
| the eth OF April 1865. the Confederate
| army laid down their arms. Allowed to
a "a ar
General Grant, with their horses ana
| their baggage, as they had come, the
soldiers 81 the Confed,raCy wendell their
weary way To their southern homes
| The names Of Grant, of Sheridan and Of
sherman are music IN the ears Of the sur
viEors Of those days tut had it not been
| for the private their names would he yet
| unknown.
Gentlemen Of the Grand Army uf the.
| Republic the battles which You fought
were not fought in vain. The suffering
ana sorrow the separations ana sacrifices
| OF your younger years, great as they
We're. heart rcndins as they may have
| been. We're the saving power Of our slo-
| ripuS nation. 1t was TOR you, together
with those who have gone before, to
stand fur and maintain on the bloody bat
tlciIeld Of strife the Crandcst principles
| for which man has ever fought since the
| history If the world began. You have
reunited i great people. You have drawn
| together a great nation; yours was the
| CroWning step in the onward march OF
| the civilizing Influences Of time. The les
sons Of patriotism which you taught stil
| live. Within 4 few short months Your
sons have answered to their country
| call The children Of the Blue and the
| Gray have marched shoulder 70 shoulder
| against the common zoe ana nave swept
| from our shores the last vCstige of the
| tyrannical rule Of Spain. Far away meath
| the burning rays of a tropical sun on the
| islands u the oriental waters your sons,
| ana the sons ut tho Gray, filled With the
| patriotism taught by your example, have
| been for months and are still, standing
shoulder tp shoulder, serving their coun-
| try, UNFOLDING the dignity ana honor OF
| the nation which you have saved.
| Your ranks may grow thin and the last
| Of your numbers may pass away but the
principles for which you fought and the
| lessons uf patriotism Which you taught
will live until time snail he no more
| | stood a few days since in the r9tunda
OF our State House. On, either side and
covering BOTH " the walls We're immense
glass cases. Within those cases We're
| flags and banners; in INTRINSIC value
| worthless; torn ana tattcrcd. MED with
| holes. some of them scarcely anything but
mo .,taff4 remaining; there they hung as
silent ana mutiuncss as the unnumbcrrd
dead who marched beneath their crimson
folds. Nothing but flags rent and burned
| How much wealth 40 YOU suppose II
| would take to buy those flags? How
much force would it require TO take
them? There is not money enough in the
| whole world to buy those flags. There Is
not force enough to take them: lhos2
| Northl Tags are priceless. Wherever
the sons Of Maine went those flags went
with them In the army OF the Poto-
mnc. III Till West ana in the South they
were there. Many Il boy lay down to die
| that those old flags might float before me
since returned to dust, have chung 70
those shattered STATS. There Is blood
upon those flags, long since dry nut ncN
| erthelcss there Upon those old tatterei
| flags is the life blood Of fathers of broth
nrs ana of sons Worthless. yet priceless.
| through them the dead speak again.