Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-01-09
LEST WE FORGET
An Old Story Retold. An Appeal
That It's Heroes Be Remembered,
From the w. R. c. of Fayette.

The story of the war from 81 tt
'65 has already been told and retolc
for young Americans, and yet there
is room for another re-telling. The
events of '61 to '65 will always form
a conspicuous part of American his.
tory. There are those who say lei
by cones be by cones, let us forget
all about the war. Men who talk
thus are not those whose life blood
watered the CORY field, not those who
went promptly to the front when
danger threatened, ready to sacrifice
life or limb upon the altar of pat
riotism. We know that the war is
over, the strife has ceased, the vic
tory has been won, but the story OF
the great conflict will never diminish
in interest. Let us keep alive the
memories of gallant deeds of 81 to
'65. Let us encourage the rising
generation to honor the memory of
the heroes now fast passing away.
1t will tend to promote patriotism and
national pride.
Abraham Lincoln, said, I believe
this government cannot endure per-
manently half slave and half free.
Slavery believed in by the South and
abhorred by the North was setting
North and South at enmity. The
United States of America was be-
coming sectional. In 1860 slavery
tinged everything. 1t was in the
midst Of this growing discord that
the presidential election of 1860 came,
and was what we call the climax, and
Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, was
elected president.
The most determined of the South
ern states was South Carolina and in
December, 1860, passed an ordinance
of secession. Led on by the bold
step of South Carolina the other cot
ton states followed, and in January
and February, 1861, similar ordin-
ances of secession we're passed by
Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Geor-
gia, Louisiana and Texas and set up
government under the name of the
Confederate States of America, with
slavery and state sovereignty added,
and elected Jefferson Davis as presi-
dent. They decided upon seal and
flag and prepared to defend their ac-
ton by war if need be. They all de-
clared the North would not fight.
President Lincoln's inaugural ad-
dress was full of the hope of peace
but firm and unfaltering in its pur-
pose to maintain the Union, what
ever happened. But kind words and
brotherly appeals were Of no avail.
The dealers of the South were deter
mined and on the twelfth of April,
1861, the Confederate batteries in
Charleston Harbor opened fire upon
Fort Sumter. The South had struck
the first blow and that settled the
question in the North. There was
but one response. The Union shall
be preserved. President Lincoln de-
clared the Southern states in rebellion
and called for volunteers to put it
down. The struggle for life or death
was at hand. The president on the
fifteenth of April called for seventy
five thousand men and four times as
many responded. The Confederate
called for thirty five
thousand volunteers and as in the
North four times as many offered
their services. Many young men left
their comfortable homes, their stud
les, their occupations, their pleasures
and their gains and with sword at
side or gun at shoulder to march
South or North to fight for princi-
pie dear alike to each. Almost four
years to a day the fight for life for
union for supremacy went fiercely on.
The seventy-five thousand volunteers
first called for in the North grew to
an army of three million men before
the end came. The thirty-fve thous-
and volunteers of the South grew to