The National tribune., 1910-08-25
At The WEIRS.
New Hampshire Veterans Hear
John McElroy on New Hamp-
Shire'S Part in the War.


on Wednesday. Aug. "a. He was ac-
companied to New Hampshire by Past
Department Commanders 5. T.. Faunce
and Edwin Holbrook. of the Depart
ment of Potomac. and Comrade Henry
l.. Johnson. President of the New
Hampshire Veteran Association.
AS near Yankee-one who was
born in Kentucky and did not become
a Yankee until after he had put on
blue clothes-I have an inexpressible
pleasure in being at last among the
Igenuine articles-Yankees who were
born and bred that way and are justly
proud of it.
From our dear lamented cOmrade,
John Linehan, / have heard so much
of this superb benefaction of the State
of New Hampshire to her veteran
heroes. SO much OF the wonderful beau
ty of this place and the lofty fraternity
of its gatherings; 1 have heard so much
from that splendid type of a New
Hampshire soldier, Gen Patterson; and
| / have heard so much more from my
| friend, comrade and daily associate.
Henry l.. Johnson, your honcred Presi-
dent, that L have had the greatest de-
sire to see The Weirs and meet you.
The Indians gave this place a name
which you have made historic. Here
Gov. Endicott placed his enduring
mark upon the Endicott rock, estab-
fishing the boundary of his dominion.
Like the Queen of Sheba before King
fSolomon, L find that the half has not
BEEN told.
1t has been far beyond their power
or that of the picturesque Indian le-
gends that have come down to us to
adequately describe the imposing gran
| deur, the enhancing beauty of the
scenery. Still farther beyond their
power was it to present the exalted
comradeship, fraternity and loyalty
which is here more palpable, more
soul-lifting even than the vivifying air,
the sun-glinting waters, the living en-
| erald of the hundreds of islands, the
majesty of the misty mountain tops.
Who could possibly tell of the ineffa-
BILE peace that fills the hearts and
shines from the faces of these old
heroes as they sit beneath these bal
sam-breathing pines, and recall the
course of a weIl-spent life, the great
days of mighty efforts and brilliant vic
tory?
| New Hampshire men have played so
prominent part in our history that
have had strong desire to tread soil
|
distinguished men and possibly gather
some of its inspiration.
| States have characters as positive
and well defined as those of individ-
uals. The character of New Hampshire
was established by the iron-souled,
sternly-religious Scotch-Irish. who
| found in these rugged mountains and
rigorous climate an environment re-
| fiecting their own severe conceptions of
! life and its duties. These austere peaks
of living granite. rising rigidly to the
| heavens, unmindful of, unshakable by
the furious storms raging around them,
were models for their own lives.
From that stalwart lineage-from
this Misunderstanding school came
race which the world has never seen
surpassed. New Hampshire men have
| been at the very front of every branch
| of human effort. From New Hamp-
shire's leonine loins have sprung great
statesmen, law-givers, soldiers, editors,
| divines, builders of cities and States.
| Wherever a man hailing from the old
| Granite State be found, he is likely to
be one of mark in his community.
| These men took naturally to war. Not
that they were military. Not that they
were fond of the pomp, pride and cir
cumstance of glorious war and loved
| soldering for soldiering's sake. Far
| from it. They were men of peace, but
| Of intense determination, and when
| nothing short of war would accom-
plish purposes dear to their hearts. to
war they went, with a stern resolution
that appalled, their enemies.
AS Shakspere would say. they were
strong, fierce to their strength and to
to their ferceness valiant.
The fierce Indians soon quailed be-
| fore greater fierceness than their own.
Then came the crowning glory of
Bennington. Gen. Stark breathed the
true New Hampshire spirit when he
told the hastily levied farmers that
they must either beat the Hessians that
day or Molly Stark would be a widow
that night. The Rev. Mr.. Allen showed
the true New Hampshire spirit when he
told Gen. Stark that his men had come
out so often without a fight that they
must have one now. After Stark's men,
with their crude weapons, defeated and
captured superior force of the enemy,
they took the guns from the hands of
their prisoners, and with them fought
and won second battle, defeating and
driving off relieving column of equal
strength. This achievement is un-
equaled by any troops in history.
When the cannon opening on Fort
Sumter sounded the tocsin Of war, and
what was intended to be the death
knell of the Republic, none responded
more promptly or more vigorously than
New Hampshire.
The state at that time had a popula-
tion of 326,000, and from that number
she sent $4,000 splendid soldiers
forth to battle. If we stop to
think that this meant one fight
ing man for every 10 people, men, wo-
men and children in the State-more
than one soldier for every five males,
including old men, boys and cripples-
we will recognize an outpouring of val
or and patriotism far exceeding any
thing in the history of the world. Not
only the first-born went forth from
every household, but the second and
third-even the much-loved little Ben
jamin of the flock.
This does not tell all Of the story.
Just before the war the lure OF the fat
new lands of the West had made a
heavy drain upon the young manhood
of the Granite State. They had left
New Hampshire by thousands for the
deep-soiled prairies, where farms could
be had for the asking, where the noun
tains ceased from troubling and the
rocky hillSides veXed no more New
Hampshire was represented in nearly
every Western regiment, and compa-
nies, regiments and brigades were COM
manded by men whose birth and breed
ing were in sight of the cloud piercing
peaks of the White Mountains.
Before that terrible war was over
from their New Hampshire homes in
heroic self-sacridce were lying in shall
low graves on Freedoms field of honor
Tho New Hampshire had only II
regiments of infantry and one of cav
NI IKW I. N IN