The Oskaloosa herald., 1912-04-11

i of noble foe. and victory the swee
er when won over brave enemy. An
when united such opponents hav
nothing to fear from the rest of tn
| world. -.,.az
II In calm sea every man is pilot
In the stormy times of which we ar
speaking the greatest skill was neec
ed; but in the history Of our countr
no great occasion has arisen in whicl
the man of the hour did not appear
!. Pilots may steer but the winds. tn
tides and the Currents move the ship
In those weary days Grief burned
faster than tears could drown bu
the end came at last, and Ii0w, aftel
fifty years, 1t seems like frightfu
dream. Many of the old men of tina
day still hang on like oak leaves il
the late winter, and goodly number
are now gathered in one of the mos
remarkable reunions of all time.
The magnitude of that contest Il
difficult of comprehension to the gen
Grafton of today. The Greek child
rem were taught to commit to mem
DRY the names of the three hundred
heroes who fell at Thermopylae. But
so great was the Civil war that the
mere cost of compiling and printing
its official record was S3,000,000. HUI
man memory could only contain its
principal events.
When | visited the Wilderness Bat.
tie Ground few years ago | sought
! for some memento to carry home, and
| in one of the trees hung an empty
| hornets nest collected by nature
| little warriors in time of peace. and il
now hangs in my library as a suitable
memorial of an empty battlefield. The
Hornets nest Brigade is here today
but without their stngs. Nature. the
all forgiying, takes the red battlefield
in her arms and hides it with flowers
and harvests.
In Shiloh Park is commemorateG
the first great battle of the war,
where large part of the troops on
both sides had seen but little of drill
and discipline, but where they, never
theless, fought with heroic Valor.
AT Gettysburg may be seen in the
fertile fields of an old and pOpulous
state the memorial OF trained and tried
troops coming on both sides from
many well contested field.
Whilst at Vicksburg, the scene of a
great siege bears in memory that com.
paniOn victory in the west which, with
Helena and Port Hudson. proclaimed
that the waters of the mighty Missis,
3ippi should thencetorth flow unvexed
to the sea- .l'
And the great field Of Chicamaugu,
Mission Ridge and Lookout Mountain
show an unequaled panorama where
the contest furnished such scenic
spectacle as has probably never been
equaled on the planet
And, lastly, Appamattox, marks the
end Of the struggle and the beginning
of the new order of things. The
world is a battlefield of accomplish
ment and endeayor, but the places
where great issues have been fought
out are worthy OF special commemora.
ton.
AS we gather inspiration while
standing by the graves of the worlds
heroic dead, so should We gather fresh
encouragement by standing amid the
scenes of the great battle of the past.
The Importance of a battle is not
measured by it's bloodshed.
Only 1872 Greeks fell at Marathon,
and that victory was a turning point
in the history of civilization that is
felt even at this day. Only 10 graves
are at Appamatox. The Union dead
were taken to City Point, but one was
overlooked and so it happens that on
the Confederate Memorial day eigh.
teen Confederates and one Union sol
der bivouac upon that historic battle
field and are all alike covered with
flowers by the tender hands of the
Southern women.
Only one American soldier fell in
Dewey's victory at Manila Bay, but
his death marked another of the
turning points in history.
Comrades. on this historic field
you did your duty well a half century
ago. Undiscouraged by defeat the
lesson was learned that battle is
not fought in one day; that defeat
may be turned into a victory. We
have learned now, too, that such a
victory may in the end-under Benign
Providence-become a victory for all
who fought on that field. 1t is the
flag of united country that daily
floats over this national battlefield
park from sunrise to sunset, and with
one accord we hope that it may float
there forever.