Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-05-31

the curtain of the night. if we might
/ catch / glimpse of those dreams, what
volumes might be written. what oration5
might b. delivered! what poems conf
posed, We might tell how in the night
time there stole into the snowy white TEN,
in the soldiers dreams. the angel face oI
his mother How to the fond lover s hpS
his sweetheart pressed her own. What
visions Of childhood. Of home. of the old
farm, waving forests, tiOwery meadows
and babblng brooks and running
streams. came to those boys in blue there
in the Silly night in those snowy tents On
the battlefield cncampcd.
The Cod Of Battles and Of peace sits On
his thr Jnc and looks down upon the army
bivouacked for the night. The gent"
zephyrs from the sunny South make SOFT
music, and the distant songstcrs Of the
wood. Carol of peace and love. Tn"
night is past, The day is here! The bu-
gle call is heard, The sound of distant
cannon disturbs the morning calm, The
red hand of war shows its bloody fingers
from behind the curtain of morning. The
sound of musketr Is heard along the
picket lines. \ great battle is at hand
The dreams of the night have vanished
/ The pictures of father, mother wife or
/ sweetheart are pressed to the heart Tn D.,
! beautiful vision of home has vanished
The great baptism of blood and fire is be
! fore us. The battle has commenced with
the day, but to end with the night. W.
| see on distant eminence. officers in
I command with aides and orderlieS riding
madly hither and thither, giving the con-
pany and regiment and brigade and di-
vision in obedience TO those commands.
take their places in the line Of battle AMI
prepare for the dread ordeal which awaits
them. We see the CLEAN Of battle in thor
eyes and the long rows of their shining
sabres and slistening bayonets. Then
comes a terrific crash and roar u IS
} battery of the enemy on the distant
/ heights. The iron hail, the shell and the
shrapnell plough through the ranks and
leave a bloody trail with destruction and
don in ~ *
crash and roar of our battery. with tn"
/ same leaden fire returned and the same
destruction and death in its path. Then
in "A moment all along either line the bat
terieS open fire. the whole line of battle
is engufed in smoke. 1t rains shot and
shell. and grape and canister. You see
the serried columns on either side WAIVER.
trcmble, falter. Then comes continu-
! Gus roll of musketry on either side, the
/ advance, the retreat, the re-enforcements,
/ the change of position, the shout of the
/ victors. the anguish Of the vanquished
oh God Of Battles. who can behold this
, carnage Of war. this hell on earth! What
artist can paint this bloody picture!
| What historian tell its dire tale? What
| orator can repeat the voices, the groans
and the cries which come mp from sucl
. field of battle? The night comes on, its
| gentle curtain falls. The stars come out.
| Here are countless numbers Of the dead
! They will never dream again of the an
| gel faces kept in memory. Their sweet
| vision of home and mother, wife ana
| sweetheart has vanished forever. They
| will bury them in the mother earth, and
they will sleep forever in nameless
| graves. There are countless wounded
| with their parched lips and bleeding
| wounds The angels of mercy come The
| thirsty lips are moistened the helpless
| and wounded are relieved and succoted.
| The very stars weep at the pltlful spec
| tacle. and the gentle dewS of the Silly
| night fall over the wounded and tn" dead
What means this terrible carnage? VIVA.
means this great sacrifice? What means
| this great heroism? What means this
| bloody arena Of war? Il is the nation
| sacrifiCial altar. 1t is here that the rights
Of man are vindcated. II is here that
| tbs great principles Of national unity ana
liberty are established. II is here that
| the nation is regencratcd. and restored.
| 1t is here that the Stars and Stripes are
| hell of war that the sweet voices of
| peace are heard. 1t is from this bloody
| arena that children pluck sweet flowers
from those dead heroes graves, AMI
| weave garlandS of peace aN love and en-
Irvine them around the gatepost of the
| nation.
| sing:
Columbia, Columbia. to glory arise.
The queen of the world, the child of the
| skies,
Though genius commands thee; with rap
| ture behold,
| While ages on ages thy splendOrs unfold,
| Thy reign is the last, the noblest Of time,
Most fruitful thy soil, most inviting thy
/
Let the crimes Of the East ne'er encrim-
| thy name
| Be freedom, and science, and virtue thy
| fame
1t is unnecessary for me further to
dwell upon the sad scenes Of carnage and
strife. The war is over
| And some sweet bird from the South,
| Has built in every lannon's mouth,
And the only sound from its rusty throat,
| Is the seraph song of sweet bird
note
| The great principles of national unity
and liberty in the great Civil War were
indicated and established forever The
nation has been restored and reconstruct
ed. Today we are the greatest nation up
| on the face of the earth. Our great cities
| challenge the admiration of the world.
1 Our commerce whitens every sea. our
| science has startled the world. Our
| riches exceed the wealth of the Or
| muz. or the Indies. Our territory ex-
| tends from the great lakes on the North
| to the CULTS on the South, and from ocean
| to ocean, and embraces the most South
| ern islands Of the most Southern seas.
| A church adorns every HILL and a school
| house every valley. The people are rich
and happy and contented The flag Of our
| country floats in triumph over forty-six
great sovereign states of the Union. Our
courts open to the highest and the
lowest. the richest and the poorest in the
land and the goddess of justice ever sits
| in her temple by night and by day. II
dispense equal rights and equal protec-
ton to all We have today a great an
Imperial Republic. There is no North. no
| South no East. no West. but one great
matte undivided and indvisible. One
flag. and on it's folds ever CLEANS the
words: National Unity and Liberty.
1t is unnecessary to lnger over the
past. Its history is secure. A great fu-
ture is before us. its duties are impera-
tive. 1t is incumbent upon every citi-
zen OF this Republic to honor the soldiers
and sailors Of the great Civil War We
have a DIRTY to those who have persisted
We must, on every Memorial day. plant
over their graves the flag of their coun-
try. And sprinkle over them garlands
of flowers. Yes we will:
Cover them over with beautiful flowers.
Deck them with garlands those brothe.s
of ours,
Lying so silently. by night and by day.
Sleeping the years of their manhood
away.
: Give them the need they have won in the
past;
| C.i.a them lie La,ac.x..