The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1909-10-22

II di hiiito hNHi'
In the Book of Rene em brance.
Illinois had more soldiers than any
other State In the siege Of Vicksburg.
Recently the State has erected on the
battlefield monument patterned after
the Pantheon, within the walls of
which are preserved on bronze tablets
the names of all soldiers of the State
who fought in the battles about Vicks-
burg. With other States 1t has joined
in locating the positions of Its various
regiments and batteries and marking
them with suitable monuments.
When the memorial was dedicated,
very many Of the old soldiers went
back for the first time to view the
scene of their sufferlngs. Among 9TH
ers was a soldier of the One Hundred
and Eighth Illinois, who took with
him his wife, to whom he hoped to
show Just where his regiment had
performed faithful and perilous
service
One does not need to know much
OF human nature, and especially Of old
soldiers, to realize how much the trip
meant to this one, and how keenly he
looked forward to showing his wife
the very spot which he had described
to her so often.
They rode together over the miles
of roadway which had been made to
facilitate access to the field; and he
noted with growing enthusiasm how
every regiment which he remembered
seemed to have its position accurately
marked. And 30 at length he sought
the position of his own regiment at
Young's Point, only to find that the
changing channel of the river had
completely obfiterated the spot.
'On the opposite shore stood a monu-
ment, stating that on the other side
the provisional brigade, containing
among other regiments the One Hun
dred and Eighth Illinois, had done Its
duty. That was all.
He remembered what that duty had
been. The regiment had been sent
away with prisoners and when 1t re-
turned, the siege lines had been
drawn and the regiments assigned
and the One Hundred and Eighth had
lost Its own place in It's own brigade
and had been grouped with other regi
ments to hold this muddy point Of the
river
They were shut out from participa
tion In the desperate charges: YET
such was their peril In the swamps
that in sixty days they buried 1874 men
from out their Ave hundred. Desper
ately heroic service 1t had been, yet
the memory of It, and the very place
itself, had been washed down the
river and had left no adequate mem
orial The disappointment was all
the harder to bear because Of the an
ticipation of pleasure in which the
veteran had indulged and which ht
had hoped to share
But he went to the Illinois Pan
theon and there found his name cas-
in bronze, and the names of his com
rades and the friends he remembered
hidden among the thousands, but i'm
perishably recorded.
He walked over the battlefelds sid,
by side with Confederate veterans anC
talked with them as brothers. He wal
the puest of one OF these his former
enemies, and on Sunday went t
church with him, and sitting in hi
pew, received with him the bread ant
wine of a holy communion. the fellow
ship OF world redeemed through
blood and sacrifice. And he rejoicet
toe discover that even here on eartl
and In the hearts of men there is writ
ten a Book OF Remembrance,
The river speeds on its way, cover
ing the spot where brave men Tough
and were buried in graves that, shal
low as they were. did not escape tn
water-lne. A country saved an
brotherhood established make an abid
ing memorial, Onward. too sweep
the river OF time. obliterating many
landmark, But high on the bluff Q
the other shore. above the sweep an
whirl OF the waters. Is the record. SUI
ficient and imperishable, that on tn
other side, In spot dear to the men
ory of God, a human soul did its dut!
Youths Companion,