Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1915-06-05

EMORIAL day, 1t is i'll go
n - Il now observed in most of iii tS3s
Nh u the states of the Union, iii
Is day of thankfulness, Ill; $*s#*%
N~0V patriotic thankfulness for #k@sa&S
Ah211N the preservation of the iii #$#$$*
Union. majority of Its. #*a*$
people who will take part in the strew-
ing of flowers soldiers graves are
veterans who fought in the Civil
war those who old enough to
remember the its memories have
softened and grown calm, its material
evidences have about all faded from
sight To those who not old enough
to remember the war, its events lll.
only matters of history. But the
old soldier Memorial day is day of ILL.,
reflection and meditation. He will be llI#%
thinking of of those stirring iii
times living realities Some thir- llts
tieth of May in the Civil war in all llEk# IS
probability, to him an eventful Ill
day. Possibly he may remember some IIlz%x# 81
T event that took place each thirteth llM
of May in the Go back with him llk$%s
in his reflection he fances himself iii sSsSs
back in those old days. begin with SSSl
the first thirtieth of May the Civil III A&SsSS
war 1t was "a years iii kz rs.
iii #$z*S&s
The thirtieth of May in 1861 was Sz&s
sort of calm before the storm. No great -.
battle had yet been fought Just G=
4S days had passed since the firing
upon the Stars and Stripes at Fort e,oro
Sumter. The battle Bull Run did FRANK
not take place until So days later Peo-
pie this thirtieth of May must have
felt that there would be a conflict soon. bu+
when or where could foreteI II was
day of suspense.
Lincoln, at the time, had served three
months as president. Between the time of his
election and his inauguration seven of tho south
ern states had seeded. Soon after his Inaugural
ton Virginia had seeded before this thir-
tleth OF May Arkansas and North Carolina had
followed the example of Virginia Immediately
after the fall of Fort Sumter Lincoln had issued
his call for $4,000 troops. Most of the nortbern
states, in loyal obedience this call had sent
troops to Washington; but many of the states
near the border line between the North and the
South had defed the call Some of the Questions
asked by the people of the North on this day
must have BEEN will these states too secede p,
Can President Lincoln hold them in the Union p,
But a question, momentous than tbesa
which must have been asked by these neonlo
was: Can our troops at Washington defend tbs
city," For it be remembered that il vas
only IL days before this thirtieth of Nav when
northern troops had been fired upon by mob
while they were passing through Baltimore on
their way to Washington.
Many people, at the time interpreted tbis .o+
to mean that Maryland, too, was about to secede
True. the Union soldiers at Washington seemed
at this time be successfully defending the
city; band of troops six days before this tbir
tieth of May had crossed the Potomac and had
taken possession of Alexandria This had made
the Union people hopeful, but they were by no
means confident. for, at this time, they had just
received news from abroad about the expressions
of joy which had just been made by certain Eu-
ropeans who were predicting the immediate
downfall of the American republic Then too
many of the items about events of the
which were appearing in the daily news
papers indicated that there might be some foun-
dation for the prediction of the people in Europe.
Here some the news items that the people
of the North reading in their home papers
The Boston Journalsfor this thirtieth May con-
tanned the following Geographic dispatches:
The report surrender the United
States troops in Texas, under command of Lieu
tenant Colonel Reeve, the Confederate force,
under command of Colonel Van Dorm. fully
confirmed"
General Mcdowell been informed that
General Lee with 20 900 rebels, is advancing On
Alexandria
The New York Tribune the same date was
to its northern readers somewhat hopeful
Here of its headlines
Frank Blair Ordered to Fortress Monroe"
"Harpers Ferry Threatened The Rebels Like
~ Be Surrounded
10000 Troops to Rendezvous Cairo
These news items, taken from northern news
papers reflect the general mood and spirit of the
people in the North who were at the time read
ing the papers. Among them there a spirit
OF uncertainty and doubt. They uncertain
to the strength and purpose of the South
They doubted the ability of Lincoln. who had
Gently been elected by a and untried po-
litical party They uncertain whether
he would yield the demands of political
Lincoln not trained soldier They were
uncertain whether he could succeed in the
management of his army.
But the people of the South. this thrtieth
May, hopeful and confident Loyalty
their point of view meant allegiance to
their states. They held that the general govern
right to interfere with their forma-