The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-06-02

W. Ays
had gone out 1000 strong; 1t had been
recruited and re-recruited; 1t had been
veteranized and added to in other
ways; and now 1t was bringing home
less than 800 OF all the men who had
gone out from that section Of the
country from which It had come. The
Joy of going home for the 300 was
great, but 1t was a fearful Joy the in
slant one thought of the 800 or more
who could not go home, who never did
go home, who were buried somewhere
in the broad land over which the 300
had marched, and too often with
headpiece marked Unknown"
After the war / stood in the large
cemetery near Murfreesboro. Tenn,
with Gen. r. B. Hayes (afterward
president) and Mrs. Hayes. / remem-
Der how Mrs. Hayes, who was an ex-
ceedingly handsome woman, looked
up into the faces OF the general and
myself as her large, dark, speaking
eyes were flooded with tears, when she
said: Just look there. that plot OF
ground is covered with headstones
marked Unknown. Unknown, un-
known" she repeated, and yet he
gave his life that his country might
livel"
II was a touching picture, but every
time | think OF 1t / say to myself:
Really, that unknown soldier, ap-
parently unknown, recorded unknown,
was not really unknown. Somebody
knew him. His comrades knew him.
A mother. sister, wife and children,
II he had them. knew him. There is
a better record somewhere than that
in the soldiers cemetery" Our faith
is so strong that we all believe in the
resurrection and in the future life and
have a great satisfaction in feeling
that no sacrifices and particularly not
that Of life itself for duty. for what
one sincerely believes to be duty, has
ever been or ever will be made ir
vain.
The saddest pictures OF all, to my
mind, are those connected with los
ing battle like that OF Fredericksburg
and still more that OF Charlottesville
At Fredericksburg the army OF Burn
side went straight forward to its owr
destruction. The lines Of Lee, hals en-
circling Burnside's points of attack
we're complete. It was like trap int
which an animal deliberately puts hii
feet. We sprang the trap. and It 4
a wonder that Lee had not dealt will
Burnside's army as the sturdy Thomas
dealt with Hoods at Nashville. cal
see in my minds eye those immensl
plateaus in front Of the Marve Height
and other confederate intrenchment
and barricades covered with the dea,
and dying The plateaus were fairl
blue, as they were dotted with th
wearers of our uniform.
Gen. Couch was standing by my sid
In the steeple Of a church, near tn
close Of that battle, where we togethe
we're taking a fresh reconnaissance
when noticed that his voice tremble
as he spoke to me. He said: "Oh, Ger
Howard, look there Look there! Sc
the ground covered with the boys 1
blue, and all to no purpose"
After we had returned, all Of u
who could return, to the other shor
Of the Rappahannock, the depressio
Of the soldiers was greater than at an
other time during the war We coul
hardly speak to each other. Now, aftC
years. we can recognize the fact th'
our grief was balanced by the Joy
the confederates over a great victor
and yet not a decisive one, gained I
them.
At a moderate calculation the
we're sent into eternity more than
. million OF men, who left home in Il
! prime OF health and In strength; mo
| than a million OF souls by the terrib
} conflict For one. | am glad. indee
that there is an effort on foot to Sc
} tie difficulties without bloodshed.
= course, the waste Of human life is n
all OF II. There Is in every war a was
} OF nossession, a destruction OF propt
+ ty and degradation of character ha
I to avoid at the best. know that the
I are some things worse than death.
q know that the union Of our states W
r worth all that It cost, and know thi
= humanity speaking, It was necessa
!, that we should be purged as by fir
r but Is It not wise now to do all th
4 we can to hold up to the world I
{ blessings OF a great peace; even I
" peace that passeth understands
which never must exclude any Of I
n noblest qualities Of a womanly wom
q or a manly man?
, A soul full Of memorial greetings
4 eli our sorrowing comrades Of the ci