Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-10-28

little brother in the late afternoon on
the blanketed back of the old black
farm horse riding to the river road over
which the mail stage ratified on its way
from st. Johnsbury to Lancaster. 1t
was before the parallel lines of steel had
been laid through our beautiful valley.
lie went to receive from the old stage
driver the Daily Boston journal freighted
with its news. Speeding back on the
homeward way he noticed the black let
tered head lines telling of battles, and
victory or defeat and this news he
shouted along the way, where, by the
wayside or the garden gate or the pas
ture bars, the old and the young would
gather. Oh +! how bright is that picture
to me this hour. That was forty years
ago today, and is one of my personal
visions; and that hour my only brother
was wasting toward the end in that never
to be by history forgotten Andersonville
This is but type OF ten thousand
home experiences in all the great. land
during those awful days. | need not
recall your minds to the personal sacri-
fees which you and your comrades made.
You were all noble sons of loyal parents
whose blood thrilled with the same love
OF liberty, which in the hearts of their
forefathers had throbbed to make this
the Gland of the brave and the home of
the free" need not recall the parting
scenes, the tears and the farewells, and
the outspoken prayers, and the home
despoiled. Your heroism on southern
field was not greater than that exhibited
by wives and sisters left to bear the
brunt of the battle in the northern
homes. You veterans truly appreciate
General Sherman's definition OF war.
The sacrifice was great indeed, but not
greater than the cause for (which it was
made. | know this is a great hour
veterans, for you and for all of my
hearers whose homes have contained for
forty years the vacant chair, and with it
memories of the great rebellion. This
is the anniversary of the battle of Cedar
Creek. You of the fighting Eighth will
never forget that day. Sheridan had a
short time before been given the command
of the army which was to drive Early from
the valley of the Shenandoah. Grant
had met him and to him given all the
instruction he thought he needed. The
great commander who wasted no words
simply told him to ego in" The con-
federate army had been defeated and
driven in hasty route beyond Fishers
Hill; Sheridan believing he had pun
ished the enemy beyond immediate re-
covery had gone to Washington for a
few days, and on the night of the
eighteenth of October was at Winches-
ter on his way back to the army. You
remember that nothing disturbed the
tired and resting troops during that
night, but when the earliest dawn began
to break through the mists you were
confronted with the unwelcome fact
that while you slept the willy enemy had
stolen past your right flank, jeopardizing
the army. 1t was rush to arms and a
tremendous conflict ending in broken
ranks and fleeing as if from the wrath
to come. You remember your old
Colonel, Stephen Thomas. No drawer
man ever led brave men by his own ex
ample. His inspiring patriotism did
not lose its Intensity nor did any of you
forget your country and become a
coward. Brave men were around you
on all sides; the Stars and Stripes were
visible through the smoke, and yet you
wavered and fell back. 1t was one Of
the unexpected tides of war and you
were forced before it. Oil the chagrin
and sorrow of brave men in the hour of
defeat. The world knows your record.
More than one-half of your men were left
on the field dead and wounded or miss
ing from the ranks. The poet has told
us of Sheridan's Ride from Winchester,
Twenty Miles Away. Can you not see
him now OIL that noble black charger
fecked with foam as he strides onward,
shifting the scent of battle and carrying
his fearless rider over hill and through
dale, while the noise from afar grows
louder and louder? Can you not see the
struggling soldiers halt in their fight
and wave their caps as their hero flies
onward, shouting "Turn the other way,
boys, we are going back, we are going
back ?" How great is the personality
of one man 1t can check routed army
in the moment of their wild flight; it
can reunite companies and batallions
and form lines of battle; it can inspire
men with new life and charge them
with redoubled energies; it can turn
defeat into victory ere the going down
of the sun. Such it was at Cedar Creek