Rocky Ford enterprise., 1910-06-03
TRIBUTE TO DEPARTED HEROES
Continued from First Page

fee of this army the fame of all the
ages fade into shadow The armies
of Alexander, the Legions of Caesar.
the grenadiers of Frederick, the iron
brigades of Wellington. the old guard
of Napoleon. The dazzling splendors
and traditional glories of these an
cient legions were eclipsed by the
volunteer armies of the Union. A
new standard of valor has been set, a
new trend has been given to the op-
erations of great armies.
/ They were not professional war
riors. Their hands fitted the plow as
well as the muskct. The beating of
| swords into plowshares as glorious as
beating plowshares into swords. War
| is not an American trade. Yet the
people are not afraid to fight and their
ability and willingness to do so is
the republics guarantee.
| "Said Lincoln. God never gave
prince or conqueror such an army as
he has given me- He needed them
for never before had army faced
forces so invincible and determined,
they were of the same kind of like
kin and blood. Beecher phrased the
| situation when at a great meeting in
England he spoke of the Union cause
and was jeered by his auditors who
cried in derison: Why don't you put
down your rebellion he answered.
| We would have done SO long ago
had we been fighting Englishmen.'
an the dark days Of the war Lin
coin was the most pathetic figure in
the world. Alone our country was
fighting the battle of liberty. No al
lance save Russia was ocered, no
; aid was given. The world seemed
leagued against free government. The
ports of England were confederate
ports, the arsenals of England were
| confederate arsenals.
"The war history of the United
States covers every emotional phase
| from the fantastic to the tragic. Our
methods have confused the military
critics. Like Napoleon in his Italian
campaigns we have pressed forward
when according to old time battle
stratcgists we should have retreated
and won battles when we should have
, lost them. The Revolutionary war
was av eight-year skirmish with rare
| examples of heroism. patience and
| sacrifice. The war of 1872 was blum
der in its inception. carried on in a
laundering way by two reluctant ma
tions. With little glory for either
side except the battle of New Or
leans which was fought thirty days
after peace was declared. The Mexi-
can war was a splendid military pic
mic. The Spanish war of 1893 was a
spectacular practice event for the
| American navy. In all of these con-
fiicts the American forces were op-
posed by foreigners. Ii remained for
the Civil war to test their military
genius. 1t was American against
American and resulted in the most
desperate and bloody war in history.
! The greatest armies of modern times
were handled with consummatc skill.
Grant and Lee in the east. Sherman
and Johnston in the south. Thomas
and Hood in Tennessee. Sheridan and
Early in the Shenandoah. Here were
collisions that shook the nation. In
hcroism and fatalities new records
| were written in characters OF blood
upon the book Of valor.
| For forty years the charge of the
Light Brigade at Balakiava has stood
as the climax of battle loss. Here
two hundred and forty-seven out Of
six hundred and seventy-threc were
lost. Thirty-six per cent. At Antic-
tam, Hawkins Zouavcs (the 9th N. Y.
Rcgimcnt) lost 63 per cent in holding
back the Third Regiment of Georgia:
"At Gettysburg. Pickett charged
the Union lines with 4.8oo men. from
| the slaughter he led bask LOO These
arc but samples of many charges OF
equal valor and sacrifice. but they had
no Tennyson to record their deeds
| and their heroism has been forgotten.
after Appomatox the United
States was greater than before Sump-
i! ter fell. The poison had been elm
, mated. We were then free republic
| where the preamble to the declaration
, of independence had become a living
fact. Liberty was no longer a dclu-
sion but a reality under our flag.
| From that hour material and political
| expansion has been ours until today
We are dominant in wealth. intelli-
| gencc. and potcntialitics. Today we
shape the spiritual. moral and politi-
cal dcstinics of half the globe. 1t is
| position startling in its splendor.
sublime in its moral grandeur. and
almost appalling in its possibilities
| and responsibilities.
The greatness OF the United
States has become the most imposing
political spectacle in the worlds his
| tory. Daring would be the imagina-
tion that can grasp its destiny.
What it is. is due to the soldiers
of the Union. From elements dis
cordant. belligcrcnt. hostile. have
emerged a nation. one and insolublc,
now and forever. Civil revolt is now
as unthinkable as would be rebellion
in the courts of heaven. We are one
people with a common country. one
flag and one destiny. No breeze that
blows over the land from south or
north. east or west carries a taint Of
de-" America" Dixie" and MY
Maryland are alike the songs of
united country. In glorious accord
the hearts of 100000 free men sing
the glad anthem:
"My country It's of thee,