Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-10-21

excess Of their bitter affection mixed
the ashes of their eagles with wine
and so drank them. So with our Of
fcers in their dark days at Macon,
where on that fourth of July, 1864
a terrible year for all our prison ars
Of war-without means of defence or
aggression, they fearIessly bore aloft
and cheered the flag they loved so
dearly, for which they we're suffer
ing untold horrors.
While but comparatively few of my
companions in the prison pens Of the
south are living today, those WHO
have been spared will never cease
to remember with the Iiveliest feel
ings their unique celebration or our
country's natal day while confined al
Macon, July 4, 1864.
Patriotism in AndersonviIIe.
have before me a book entitled,
Chris ianity in the Army, from which
the following is taken:
With all the excruciating torments
inflicted upon our brave patriots in
Andersonville, with few exceptions,
their heroic devotion to their cOun-
Try never abated; though surround
ed with fiji h, cruelty, starvation, muir
der and death, they still chung to
the dear old flag with unyielGing per-
tinacity, choosing rather to die mar
tyrs han traitors While a few took
he oath Of allegiance and joined the
confede acy, expecting thereby to es-
cape and flee to our lines, the great
body Of the men stood, with unshak-
en- confidence and unfinching hearts,
for God and their country, This was
he true spirit Of martyrdOm. To
face the belching cannon to storm
batteries, make charges, and capture
forts. requires pluck and strong cOur-
age: but to face starvation, hunger
and murder, to drag out a life more
ntoIerabIe than dea h itself, amidst
such fiendish cruel and barbarity
, as characterized this slaughter-pen,
, required something more than pluck
and courage. And to endure all this
when the government they had
, /
ed them, as they thought, with such
spirit of ind ference as led them
to believe it had fOrsaken them, man
ifested a seIf-sacrfcing heroism I'M
paralleled in the history of the world;
and some ines, when a number re
: duced to the extremity of wan, with
! death staring them in the face, dlu
go over to the cOnfederacy, the feeE
; ing of the great mass Of the soldiers
was, 81 would ra her have died d
, Cozen deaths han be guilty of such
p disIOyalty" After they had been
! years in the army, and several months
, in AndersOnville, we hear them say
Il am not sorry that I enlisted"
/ No. true patriotism, like trUe love
never dies out. 1t is stronger than
t death. And with the unquenchable
fire burning in their bones and bIaz
t ing upon the altar of their hearts
thir cen thousand brave martyrs
. rather than turn traitors, chose Il
} die amidst the devouring cruelties
I | and tOrments of AndersOnville, anc
leave their uncoffined bodies to tel
r he tragic story of their sad fate
r Being excluded from the world, ant
: deprived of all news from the army
5 and concerning the war, except Whal
+ they heard from prisoners coming in
/ their COndit On was not only expires
: siblv wret had but drearv and lon~
] ": vet Ike the captive Jews in B3
! byIon, thew never fo"go her coun
: trv Detected discouraged and hear
/ broken. sc they were, vet, methinkS
f I can hear them evo'aim n the To-
guage of the Psalmist, IF I fore
: thee. 0 my country, let my ~
f hand fol get her cunning
Hence. with all their cruelties
: when any encouraging news came
from the army. Groves would cor
Iect, and sing with Joy a few patri
otto songs, such as, Red, White ant
Blue. NV Country, tbs of Thee, anc
I S -ar-SpangIed Banner. At this the
r rebel guards were surprised and
4 somewhat confused, as though they
T. hardly knew what it meant. Devot
: edlv attached to their country, and
: having so long shared each others
hardships and misfortunes, they be
came warmly attached to each other;
and. says one OF them. I'VE loved
one another as brothers,"
Even in the hospital, while racket
with pain and writing in agony from
the most malignant forms of diar
rhoea. dropsy and scuryy, they eX
pressed their strongest desires and
most earnes. longings for success
and victory to crown our arms. Theil
patriotism was of the undying kind
With the same heroic devotion witt
= which they went forth 10 fight The
battles of their country, firmly cling
1 Ing to the dear old flag, they dice
: the most excruciable deaths possible
for rebel tyrants TO infict. The Sc
i we're shock of battle all the unutter
: able horrors of starvation, death anC
murder of Andersonville. failed K
lessen their unfaItering devotion t
: their bleeding country; and dying
{ even, by starvation and torture, mar
i tyr-like, their last prayers were fo1
: victory and union.
EDUCATION AND BIRTH RATE.
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