The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-02

August against fearful odds. and with
heroic and desperate courage. His
life and death was a tragedy. He
lived and thought and worked alone.
He fought out and ended his mission
guided by the deep conviction and
counsel of great soul. At the last,
his horse shot under him, weary,
wounded, constant and unfaltering,
daring the worst; his face, his hair,
dabbled in blood, he called like Rich !
ard for horse. another horse, and
being helped into the saddle, leading
one OF the volunteer regiments, he
rode to instant death. He had finish
ed one of the greatest destinies OF a |
great man. Thus died General Lyon,
in the crash of battle, with the dtap-
ason of the cannon's roar, the rattle
OF musketry, and the voices of con-
tending armies sounding in his ears.
! II die he must. this was the death he
would have chosen.
Lyon had not planned, fought and
died in vain. Through him the swift
movement Of secession In Missouri
was checkmated. BY this service and
sacrifice he not only saved Missouri
| but he also saved southern Indiana,
Illinois, and Iowa; for had the seces-
sion forces held Missouri, these ad.
jacent regions would have been over
run by the confederate army and be.
come the scenes OF bloody battles, and
the ravages incident to an invasion
by hostile troops.
BY capturing their first camp and
/ driving the governor from the capitol,
and all of his troops into the utter
| most corner of the state, and by hold
ing McCulloch and Price at bay, he
had given the union men OF Missouri
time and courage to bring their state
convention together, and had given
4 that convention an excuse and the
power to depose Governor Jackson
and acknowledgement Reynolds, to
vacate the seats of the members Of
the general assembly, and to establish
/ a state government which was loyal
/ to the union, and which would use the
whole organized power of the state,
Its treasury, it's credit, It's militia and
all its great resources to sustain the
union and crush it's foes. All this had
been done while Lyon was boldly con-
fronting the Overwhelming strength of
Price and McCulloch.
4 Had Lyon abandoned Springfield
and opened to Price a pathway to the
4 Missouri river; had he not been will
ing to die for the preservation Of the
union, none of these things would
then have been accomplished. BY
wisely planning, by boldly doing, and
by bravely dying, he had won the fight
, for Missouri A noble sacrifice, which
In the economy of Gods universal plan
seems always required for the vindi-
cation and triumph of mighty truth.
: Fearless. honest, and loyal to duty,
, our hero died for what he knew to be
q great cause His blood enriched the
valley of Wilson's creek, and his death
gave an impulse to freedom that will
go on forever. Many of the little
army he led survived his fall only to
afterwards prove that he had taught
them how to die Their graves are
upon the heights of Gettysburg, upon
the hills of the Susquehanna, by the
!. banks of the Potomac, and by the
: side of Chickahominy, on the plains OF
Chickamauga, on the shores of Vicks
burg, and on other battleflelds faI
: from the homes they loved
Let them sleep on in their glory
Posterity will do them Justice. In
!. the ages that are to come, they viii
e receive the alteration of all. When the
], teeming millions from north anc
4 south. who are to inhabit in future
:, centuries the vast and fertile regions
r of the Mississippi valley, shall re
o count in song and story the glorious
achievement of that Spartan band a
t Wilson's creek, and those who Tough
e like them on other fields, and wher
t they shall dwell with just pride upor
y the renown of their deeds and wher
!. hoary age shall tell to kindlinS
d youth the marvellous story of rebel
/, lion. the like of which the sun ha!
s never gazed upon in its thousands o
s years of created splendor, then it vii
o be that their gallant dead will live il
d the memory of mankind. Then viii
n posterity raise and build fittins
l. monument to perpetuate their fame
s Broad will be laid its foundation
J. deep down in the rock-ribbed earth
l. Vast will be it's proportions. Upon it
e ascending sides as they slowly aspir,
to the clouds, will be engraven tn
II nan,ao of thoca who cJeon in Soldjar'