Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1906-06-08
MEMORIAL ADDRESS.
CONTINUED from First Page,

drenched by cold rain
when Gen. Green with his 1900 brave
landed up there, one
nile above the fort. You know the
rest; how 500 Kentuckians under
Col. Dudley made mad dash at the
spiked their four batteries,
and then following the willy Indians
into ambush all but $50 were mas
sacred. And here they lie buried.
Fellow citizens, we stand on hal
lowed ground, conseerated by the
blood that was shed for American
freedom, and sacred as the resting |
place of our American martyrs to |
American liberty. 1t is 81 years |
since these brave men were buried |
here, but they are not forgotten. The
loyal pioneers of the Maumee Valley
have cherished the memory of these
heroes, they have made it a living
tradition in their families. More than
that, they have banded together, and
have worked might and main to pre-.
serve this shrine of American lib.
erty; they made sacrifices and secur.
ed eight of the original 10 acres of
the fort. At last through the persist
ent efforts of the Maumee Valley Pho.
neer and Historical association the
state of Ohio recently appropriated
$4,000 for the same noble purpose.
In four years we will celebrate the
centenary of the battle of Ft. Meigs,
and one need not be prophet to fore
tell that that celebration will not be
merely local celebration, nor only a
tional celebration. The eyes of the
American nation will be directed TO
this spot where the last decisive bat.
| tie on land was fought for American
| liberty. 1t was to this spot that Com
nodore Perry on that memorable 10th
day of September sent to Gen. Harri
son the laconic message: I'VE have
met the enemy, they are ours" Where
can Perrys naval victory be more fit
tingly celebrated four years from
now than on Ft. Meigs? Here that
victory was first celebrated amid the
rejoicing of Gen. Harrison's men.
Although Americans had good rea-
son to rejoice over the liberation of
our country from foreign domination,
the new world sanctuary of modern
| freedom did not remain unpolluted.
The American people could never find
peace till slavery-the bane of lib
erty-loving country-was eradicated.
l see before me veterans of the
Grand Army and ladies of the Relief
Corps who can tell better than / can
describe the hardships and sufferings
of the civil war. But one thing can
say is, that the same spirit that ami.
Dudley moved the hearts of of the
men under Sherman, Sheridan and
Grant. The same spirit that brought
the Kentuckians north took the men
of Ohio at later day south. And,
let me say the same spirit that moved
the men of the north in the civil war
impelled the men of the south. There
was only a difference of view as to
what constituted American liberty. In
heart they were all one; the fathers
and brothers and husbands of the
north and of the south in undergoing
hardships and in facing death un
dauntedly; the women, the mothers
and sisters and wives were the equals
of the men in making sublime sacri
fees on the altar of American liber
ty. The world stood amazed looking
on this titanic struggle which was Sc
fierce and so lasting because liberty
loving Americans fought ON botf
sides. But true American liberty
won.
And today the whole land unites. il
observing Memorial Day, the com
memoration of men who died for free
dom. But in the whole length ant
breadth of our glorious land of lib
erty there is not another spot bet
ter suited for the observance of Me
mortal Day than Ft. Meigs on thu
Maumee.
1t is here, better than elsewhere
that We learn to know the Significance
of that flag which was baptized by ;
triple immersion in American. blooC
shed in the Revolution, in 1912 and II
the civil war 1t is here, on this sa
, cred ground, that we are moved t.
, pray God, the Father of human lib
erty, that the star-spangled banner
may continue to wave DER the LIANT
of the free and the home of the brave
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