The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1900-05-26
GEN. DgUIEL E. SIGKLES.
His Speech Before the Society Of the
Army Of the Potomac.


After the speeches OF welcome py
Gov. Tyler and Mr.. st George X Filz
hugh at tho courthouse Friday, Gen.
Sickles, Of New York, the orator OF the
occasion. was introduced and spoke in
part as follows;
THE hospitalities Of the city Of Fred
ericksburg. on this occasion, are ap'
preciated by the Society Of the Army OF
the Potomac. There was time when
our approach toward fredericksburg
was not welcome. To-day you receive
MS with a cordiality which forgets the
animosities Of the past. and we come
TO you as friends / made an un-
successful attempt to visit Frederioks-
burg in 1862 The ground was covered
with snow Your roads were rough. /
was one OF numerous party of friends
Your comfortable hotels were so diff
cult to reach that we were obliged to
content ourselves with quarters in the
open fields. Before wrapping myself
up for the night In q buffalo robe along
side Of blazing campfire, l walked
through a bivouao where thousands OF
my command were asleep. As looked
into their youthful faces. unmarked by
a care for the morrow. the thought that
before another sunset so many Of them
would hear the last roll call. made me
inexpressibly sad.
The Society Of the Army Of the Poto-
mac is not here, to-day, to fight Its
battles Ger again. shall fail to give
just expression to the sentiments Of my
comrades, il l revive the Asperities
which divided the old South from the
old North. and do not appeal TO the
broader and better sympathies which
have restored fraternal ties among
former adversaries. If II be true that
the world had never seen such a gigan-
tic conflict between people Of the same
nationality, as that which severed the
North and South within the memory Of
millions Of survivors, it is equally re.
markable that history chronicles no ex.
ample Of a reconciliation so sponta.
neous, so prompt, and 80 complete as
was shown by the Spanish American
war TO have followed the civil strife
that shook this continent only a genera
tion ago. As Dol. Dumas said TO Claude
Melnotte, II is astonishing how much
l like man after have fought with
b m.
Spanish statesmen and generals and
admirals expected a renewed of the dis
cord between the North and the South,
and counted on an easy victory over
republic uDprepared for war and divid-
ed into hostile camps When Spain
saw powerful fleets and great armies
organized, in which the men OF the
South rivaled the men Of the North.
East and West in devotion TO one flag
when Europe beheld Lee and Wheeler
and Butler and Oates leading Southern
battalions in the Army Of the Repub-
lic, new power in human affairs was
revealed to the world, and America
took her place among the foremost ma
tions. From that hour, the OWL war
of '61-'65 became legend. and a new
and grander volume Of American his
tory was begun.
FREDERICKSBURG IS CoNsECRATED
by precious historical memories. 1t
was the home Of the mother Of Wash
ington, to whom a graceful monument
has been erected here by the Daughters
Of the Revolution. Here Washington
spent his boyhood. From here he went
to join the Army of Braddock and be-
gan the career that made him immor-
tai Almost within sight OF your
steeples were born some Of the fore
most men of this oountry--Jefferson,
Madison, Monroe. Gen. Il. e Lee and
General Zachary Taylor. Within a
small area near the spot where we are
seated, are the great battlefelds Of
Fredericksburg, Ohancellorsville, Spot
sylyania, and the Wilderness, where
more men fought and fell than upon
any space Of equal dimensions on the
face Of the earth. These famous bat
tie grounds should be made National
Military Park. Let all the dead be
gathered in one common cemetery,
where they may lie forever In peace