Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1913-05-16

By the Search-Lght Library. PUB
lished by special permission of the
author.)
More than 1000 regiments from
this and other States are holding Re-
unions to celebrate events Of the civil
war. During these semi-centennial
celebrations a soldier is dying every
10 minutes. When these anniversaries
are over in 1915 1.-THE semicentennial
Of the surrender at Appomatox) more
than 100000 soldiers now living will
have fought their last battle with
death-and lost.
{ Ten years from now the familiar
sight of soldier Of the civil war will
be almost unknown; only a few stray
glers will be left. AS you read these
lines veteran who wore the blue or
the gray is dying-15O every "a hours
$500 a monitor more than $4,000
a year. Today their ages range from
slightly under 70 to nearly 80 years.
It is at this semi-centennial period
that the American people are just be-
ginning to realize what that war OF
50 years ago meant; what those grim
patriarchs in uniforms Of blue or gray
mean to civilization.
If, as in the olden times in the ar
mics of Saul and David, of Hannibal
and Caesar, the fighting forces Of the
American civil war had been assem-
bled on one broad plain to come to a
decision in one mighty battle, it would
O have made a continuous battle line
g Of nearly LOO miles-a soldier to
every one and one-half yards, on the
Northern line and a soldier to every
tour yards on the Southern battle line.
The government records give a list
Of 1921 engagements in which life
was lost, which, with the minor &C.
tons and skirmishes, brings the total
to $500. If you were to journey over
these backgrounds it would take you
more than $4,000 miles back and
1orth thru nearly all the great States
Of the South, requiring many months.
N you were to attend lecture for an
hour each evening, to hear the lee
turer speak for one minute on each
battle and skirmish, it would require
you to go every night for 113 consec-
utive nights.
The CrucibIe of Great People.
. The war between the States was
the crucible of a great people who
tempered their principles with their
s courage and blood on the points of
bayonets and sabers, at the muzzles
Of guns and cannon, on land and sea.
!. It. wasf the inquisition of republican
institute Ions that lasted about l,5OOI
days, with an average of nearly two
battles a day, and mortality from
all causes of nearly 400 every "a
hours, nearly II every hour, or one
every three and half minutes.
Recent Investigations show that the
total enrollmentS of both the Federal
and Confederate armies were $780,
900, including Refreshments, or an
approximate fighting strength of B.
100000 soldiers.
Thirty armies of the magnitude of
that with which Alexander the Great
undertook to conquer the whole world
could have been gathered from the
ranks of the American civil war.
Four armies equal to that which
Napoleon led against Moscow in his
conquest of Europe could have been
. narshalled from the soldiery in the
American civil war.
= Three armies greater than that un-
der. the military genius of Won Moltke
in the war of the FrancoPrussians
could have been mustered from the
volunteers in the American civil war.
Thirty armies like that which Han
nibal led across the Alps against the
Romans could have been massed from
the regiments of the American civil
war.
Julius Caesar, in leading his armies
against the forces of Pompey in
Spain, did not have the fighting
strength that "StonewalP' Jackson
brought down the Shenandoah Valley
in his campaign-and the legions OF
.Pompey were less than those of Nc
Clellan.
Frederick the Great, in the begin
ming of his seven years war, did not
=, marshal an army equal in strength to-
the combined Americans who gath
cred under Sherman and Hood in the
campaign against Atlanta, or under
Lee and Burnside at Fredericksburg.
William the Conqueror waged his
conquest of England with armies in
.fePior in strength to Grant at Shiloh,
or Pope at Bull Run, or Bragg at
Chickamauga, or Meade at Gettys
burg.
Garibaldi, in his last battle of the
Sicilian campaign, was outnumbered
by the fighting forces of Thomas at
Nashville; of Johnston at Fair Oaks;
Of. Beauregard at Shiloh.
Cromwell led against the Scots an
army of less numerical strength than
those who were left dead and wound
ed by Hooker at Charlottesville, or
by Rosecrans at Stone River.
Waterloo.
Wellington entered the battle of
Waterloo against the great Napoleon
with an army unequal in numbers to
that which Mcclellan carried thru the
Seven Days Campaign, or that of
Grant in the Wilderness, at Cold Har-
Dor, at Spotsylvania or in the cam
paign which vanquished Lee at Ap-j
pomattox.
Marathon-We look back upon it'll
thru the mists of romance and legend.