Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-05-30

Of our reunited country before this APP
preaching Memorial day ! salute you.
You two classes of veterans have not
only proved 70 the world that you are
physical heroes, but greater than this
that you are moral and spiritual he
roes. You have not only proved 10 the
great wide world that you have cour.
aPc and backbone enough to fight, but
that you also have nobility of soul
enough to forget and forgive past diff
| ferenccs. In this beautiful land OF ours
for 3G4 days out of the year we only
want ono flag. That Gag must be the
stnrs and stripes. We want 1t waving
from every home and every school
house and every church and every leg
islative hall. But on the spring Memo
| rial day we like to see the folds Of the
old Confederate flag for n little while
wrapped about the folds of the stars
and stripes. which once battled with
1t. That Confederate flag is the en-
blem of many heroic decd OF the true
American heart, az the United States
flag is also the emblem OF many two
heroic decd.
! Oh the bravery of the past. when
! the great armies of the north and the
south were in mortal conflict, Did not
the two armies then respect the BRAY
cry and nobility OF each other and bow
! IN reverence TO the heroiSm of their
foes? At the siege of Nicksburg. May
%, 1863, the commanding general or.
dered the Ninety ninth regiment of IL
| tn n ~
occupied by the Second infantry OF
Texas. As the northern regiment NOV
ed forward TO the charge the colonel
gave the command: Boys, don't look
! back. Keep your faces toward the en-
envy and charge" On and on went the
line Under the whitening fire OF tie
enemy the northern regiment broke
and retreated But the color bearer Of
that regiment, Thomas Higgins by
name. was neeter footed than the rest.
| lie carried high the flag in the charge
and moved straight on. He did not
know that his companions had turned
back Tie kept his face toward the en-.
envy And there he was. one northern
soldier, with the old flag flying high
over his head. charging alone a thou
sand men in gray. Then there rose the
cry from tho Confederate ranks: Don't
shoot him. Let the hero live. Don't
shoot And so Thomas Higgins, the
color bearer, carrying the old flag Of
the Union, moved on until at last the
Confederate soldiers opened their ranks
and swallowed him up and then sent
him back again a free man.
+Jo Iii
so merciful to each other. can we not
be Just as forgivng today? The north
erners have given back to the southern
states the Confederate flags BY that
symbol we say, The war of 1861 has
forever passed away" But today let
us entoI ir'D another compact. Let the
south today bring ont her old tattercd
flags. Let the northern soldiers bring
out today again their old tattered flags.
And let the ragged folds of these old
banners be wrapped about each other
as north and south clasp hands and
say: we are brothers. We have the
same government. We have the same
land. And as one nation we will al
ways live blessing the common her
itage of the brave deeds Of the boys in
blue and the ooys in gray" Thank
God for the day when the northern
states returned the Confederate flags
captured in battle. BY that act they
truly and forever captured the south
ern hearts in love Mes. nt last five
: north and tine south are truly united
and are one.
! Copyright 1907, by Louis Klopsch.l