The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1908-06-04

slant one thought of the 500 or more
who could not go home, who never dio
go home, who were buried somewhere
In the broad land over which the SOC
had marched. and too often with a
headpiece marked Unknown"
After the war | stood in the large
cemetery near Murfreesboro, Tenn,
with Gen. r. b. Hayes (afterward
presidenD and Mrs. Hayes. l 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
live!"
1t was touching picture, but every
time l think of 1t l say to myself:
Really, that unknown soldier, ap-
parently unknown, recorded unknown,
was not really unknown. Somebody
knew him. His comrades knew him.
mother, a 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 in
vain.
The saddest pictures OF all, to my
mind. are those connected with a 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 own
destruction. The lines of Lee, half en-
circling Burnside's points of attack,
were complete. 1t was like trap into
which an animal deliberately puts his
feet We sprang the trap, and 1t is
a wonder that Lee had not dealt with
Burnside's army as the sturdy Thomas
dealt with Hoods at NASHVILLE.
Gen. Couch was standing by my side
in the steeple of church, near the
close of that battle, where we together
We're taking a fresh reconnaissance
when noticed that his voice trembled
as he spoke to me. He said: "Oh, Gen
Howard, look there! Look there! See
the ground covered with the boys In
blue. and all to no purpose"
hoI
who could return, to the other shore
of the Rappahannock, the depression
of the soldiers was greater than at an,
other time during the war. We coulC
hardly speak to each other. Now, afte
years, we can recognize the fact tina
our grief was balanced by the joy o
| the confederates over a great victory
and yet not a decisive one, gained b,
them.
At moderate calculation Their,
were sent into eternity more than
million of men, who left home In tn,
prime of health and In strength; NOR,
than a million of souls by the terribl,
conflict. For one. | am glad. indeed
that there is an effort on foot to sci
tie difficulties without bloodshed. o
course. the waste of human life is no
all of it There is in every war a vast,
of possession. a destruction Of proper
ty and a degradation of character har,
to avoid at the best. know that Their
are some things worse than death.
know that the union of our states wa
worth all that 1t cost. and know thai
humanity speaking. It was necessar,
that we should be purged as by fire
but is It not wise now to do all tina
we can to hold up to the world tn
blessings Of a great peace: even tn
peace that passeth understanding
which never must exclude any OF tn
noblest qualities of womanly womal
or a manly man?
A soul full of memorial greetings :
all our sorrowing comrades of the civi
war.