The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-06-09

10 Muct UC udnuCU uOWA w pOoGC1lty
as they were given to us. 1t must be
an undivided country. The flag must
not lose a single star. The stripes
must have no stain upon them.
This was the situation on the 18th
day of April, 1861. Major Anderson,
with few brave men, was in command
at Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor
and on that day he received an order
from Gen. Beauregard to surrender
the fort to the forces of the Confed-
crate States. Major Anderson refused
to surrender the fort and on the follow
ing day the fort was fired upon. The
old flag floated over the fort and it was
torn in shreds by the fire, yet it was
never given up, for when Major Ander-
son saw that he could not hold the fort
he surrendered and taking his flag (or
what was left of it) he marched his
men out with the honors of war. The
war was thus begun, and the thunder of
the guns that fired on Fort Sumter
echoed and re-echoed around the world.
Foreign nations said that meant the
end of the great Republic, and France
and England rejoiced at the prospect.
The northern States were wild with
excitement. Party lines were forgot
ten. All were for the Union, with the
exception of a few who were termed
Copperheads; and all towns had them.
Then the call for troops came. This
was more than 40 years ago and in this
part of the country there were fields to
be sown and harvests to be reaped. Sol
emn and loving VOWS had been made,
the pledges of happy homes; homes al
ready established were to be guarded
against hunger and want: and as the
days grew darker and darker still, and
the tears of mothers and wives flowed
in streams, and the husband and father
looked at his wife and children and
possibly the baby in the cradle, whose
eyes seemed to say, 81 love you" But
what they really did say to the father
was: Father, will you help save for
me the Union that your fathers estab-
lished for YOU? Those were the days
that tried mems souls. Men said good
bye to their wives and children, not
knowing whether they should ever see
any of them again; and comrades, you
remember the lump that came up in
your throat when possibly with your
mothers arms around your neck she
babe you goodbye. With their hearts
almost broken they watched you until
you went out OF sight.
The northern States were wild with
excitement then. When the President
called for $4,000 men for three months
service it took only few days for the
quota to be filled. Seven days after
Fort Sumter was fired upon, the 9th
Massachusetts Infantry was passing
through Baltimore, where they were
attacked by a mob, and the first men
killed in the War of the Rebellion were
killed there. 1t was on the 10th of
April, 1861, the anniversary of the bat
tie ct Lexington, SIS years before, in our
war for Independence. Troops were
rushed forward to Washington. Skin
mishes were taking place on the lines,
when it was determined to drive the
rebels from their position at Manassas
Junction, and on Sunday, July 21st,
the two armies met. There was terrific
fighting on both sides, but the northern
army was defeated and the defeat re-
suited in a panic The Confederates
were wild with excitement. They ex-
pected that they would be recognized
as belligerents by the foreign powers
and believed that their success in the
battle of Bull Run decided, what the
South had claimed, that one Soutlerner
could whip five \ orthern men.
There is no doubt that the battle of
Bull Run was good thing for the
Northern States, for they had thought
it would only be a picnic to go down
South and teach the Johnnies a lesson.
This battle changed all that. The
North had to face the situation. Their
army had been beaten, their soldiers
had fled in disgrace, and many were so
frightened that some of them may be
running yet. 1t is hard to get one of
the old veterans to acknowledge that
he was at the battle OF Bull Run. The
North was now awake. The Presi-
dent called for 800, 600 troops for three
years service, and that vast number of
men soon responded to the call. The
army must be organized, drilled and
taught how to fight, so that there
should be no more Bull Runs, and there
were none A Drawer army was never
organized than the army of the Union.
The war was begun in earnest. Troops
were rushed to the front; vessels were
built: money was borrowed; the al
senals of the country were run to their
full capacity. In fact, all business was
booming. Battles were fought, thou
sands were killed, and thousands were
dying of disease. The wounded were
everywhere in hospitals, and the world
woke up to the fact that the greatest
war of modern times was being fought
on the American continent.
For four long years the struggle con-
tinued and it was struggle of giants.
We have had other wars-the Revolu-
ton, 1912, the Mexican, and later the
Spanish war-but they were not like
the war of the Rebellion, and we do not
have to go far to know the reason why.
Both armies were composed of brave
men. Both contained the flower of
young American manhood. The only
way the North could win was by over
Whelming numbers, for we were fight
ing foe as brave as ourselves and only
by their determination could We win.
AS to the bravery OF the foe, take for
example Pickett'S charge at Gettys-
burg. No Drawer or more heroic deed
was ever done. You and ! who were
there remember very well how they
faced that line of artillery and infantry
and how after they were beaten they
retreated, not in disorder, but in order,
and gave to the world an exhibition of
valor that has rarely been seen.
Formerly in talking of heroes and
heroic deeds we had to go back to the
old world, but it is not so now. We
can point to deeds of heroism that the
world cannot match. Go with me in
your imagination to that fateful 18th
of June, 1864, before Petersburg, on the
SnOt whore aftarxpa ride Fort Stood m q N